It was quite the summer bash this past weekend in Seattle. Steps from the iconic Space Needle, foodies from all over the Pacific Northwest gathered for the city’s three-day “premier food festival.” Less than a couple miles west, Sofi Tukker, Denzel Curry, Louis the Child, PinkPantheress and dozens more musical acts performed all weekend at the annual Capitol Hill Block Party. Heading south toward the SoDo neighborhood, the Seattle Mariners completed a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at their home base of T-Mobile Park.
And, of course, just across the street, Taylor Swift finally brought her Eras Tour to Lumen Field — the climax to the officially declared Taylor Swift Week in King County.
Despite tens of thousands of people moving in and out of Washington state for a variety of different reasons, the Swiftie Energy was strong and felt everywhere. I-5 and I-90 were bumper to bumper as several cars and trucks with license plates from Idaho, Oregon and British Columbia were covered in lyrics and puns. “Shaking it off to the Eras Tour,” read one SUV headed from eastern Washington.
Sidewalks and iconic landmarks like Pike Place Market and Gas Works Park were extra Swiftie-coded too. No matter where you looked, chances were high you’d spot pedestrians in merch, cowboy boots, 13s or sequins — all telltale signs of an Eras Tour ticket-holder. Even the Space Needle was dressed to impress — hanging from the skyscraper’s entrance were giant friendship bracelets of its own that read “In My Seattle Era” and “#SwiftNeedle.”
For two sold-out nights, Taylor — alongside openers Gracie Abrams and HAIM — undoubtedly matched the crowd’s energy and then some. Billboard was on site at both sold-out shows, and we’ve rounded up the best moments from her big return to the PNW below.
