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Taylor Swift paid more than $160,000 to cover police overtime as part of a New York City permit required for her and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed in a press conference
on Friday that the billionaire pop star footed the bill for the increased law enforcement personnel required for the event.
Asked whether Swift would be paying the city back for the police overtime, Mamdani laughed and replied, “Taylor Swift will be paying … has paid already the cost of the permit that was lodged, which was over $160,000 for that event and for the response to that event. That was a permit that was finalized, I think, in just the days before the event itself.”
Permits and city cooperation is required when large-scale private events require the use of public space (like street closures) or city services (more cops). And it’s standard procedure for the city to bill the organizer of the event for the permit, which includes expenditures that fall outside of the city’s typical operations.
Considering the wedding’s estimated eight-figure cost, the $160,000 permit fee is only a drop in the bucket. Swift and Kelce’s nuptials took place across July 2 and July 3 at the arena in Midtown Manhattan. The highly publicized and yet highly secretive event is reported to have featured more than 1,000 guests, and it required significant street closures and police activity for three days surrounding the venue.
Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Ciara and Fergie performed at the ceremony, which is said to have transformed the Garden into a beautiful, well, garden. No phones or photography were allowed at the wedding, and invitees were asked to sign NDAs in order to attend.
