Updated 07.20 | Published at 07:00
NEW YORK. Mysterious deliveries roll in behind the barricades on a conveyor belt.
Inside the world-famous arena, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are expected to celebrate their “I do” with a crash party in the middle of Manhattan – while fans outside hope for a glimpse of the love spectacle.
– It feels like a royal wedding, says Brittany McCusker, 34.
Are you ready for it?
Outside Madison Square Garden the answer is yes.
Behind the picket fence are fans, photographers, journalists and the curious New York-living with mobile phones at the ready. Eyes are fixed on the loading gates, where new clues are constantly disappearing into the arena.
– What do you think that is? says a woman, pointing to a large package, wrapped in black plastic.
During Thursday, package after package is lifted off the trucks and onto forklifts. Some look like huge cones, others like gazebo roofs. Everyone is trying to piece together what is going on behind the walls of Madison Square Garden – there Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce expected to celebrate the year’s most talked-about celebrity wedding.
Speculation surrounding the 36-year-old pop icon and American football star, 36, has reached a fever pitch in New York.
The guests are said to have signed confidentiality agreements before the wedding party. Still, details continue to trickle out through anonymous sources and passers-by who think they’ve seen something crucial. Rumors change as quickly as the forklifts disappear through the gates.
All while the arena, known as “The Garden”, is transformed behind closed doors.
Brittany McCusker34, and the colleague Kristen Donohue have gone out on their lunch break when they get stuck at the roadblocks. They work nearby and couldn’t help but drop by.
– They are really building something big in there. They’ve been at it for two days straight, says Kristen.
Among other things, artificial trees and branches, parts of a staircase and a piano have been brought in. A sign on a truck must have read “Garden party 1”. There are also rumors of lobster meat in abundance, secret performers and a party environment that will resemble a garden inside the arena.
Previous information that an entire fairy-tale castle would be built inside Madison Square Garden has been toned down at the same time. According to People, it is not about any castle decoration, but about something “very special”.
For Brittany and Kristen, the location is almost as exciting as the wedding itself.
– That it’s happening only a block from where we work – it’s fantastic. Very exciting. It almost feels like a royal wedding. Just seeing how they build everything is cool, says Brittany.
At the same time, the choice of venue has raised questions for some fans. Why such a huge arena? Why in the middle of Manhattan? And how much resources are used when entire blocks are blocked off?
Brittany thinks the choice is more logical than it might first seem.
Although the arena is in the middle of New York’s most intense crowd, she says that the inside is very private and controlled. There are no windows, so no one can see in.
– Security already exists, and that is important. He is a sports person, so an arena suits him. She gets the opportunity to build a world of her own in a place where she has performed many times. She loves to create her own worlds during her tours, so it really suits her style, says Brittany.
Kristen fills in:
– Yes, it really feels like she is in her “wedding era”.
In the next few days, she is looking forward to one thing above all: the courage. The wedding dress, the guests’ outfits, the bags, the details.
– I think this will affect the fashion world a lot, says Kristen.
During Thursday evening, several SUVs with dark windows were seen driving into the arena. There, a smaller dinner is said to have been held inside Madison Square Garden, before the larger wedding party.
According to information, around 1,000 guests are expected for Friday’s big celebration. In the area around Madison Square Garden, the closures are reported to remain into Saturday morning.
Much about the arrangement is still unclear. The New York Post site Page Six has reported on reports that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce may have already married in secret, while other reports point to the ceremony taking place on Friday.
It is also not confirmed if the wedding takes place in the arena, or if it is only about the big wedding party.
The couple themselves have not publicly commented on the details.
Not everyone who passes the arena shares the wedding aura.
Some just stop to understand why streets are blocked off and why the police are standing close around the arena. Pascal Hylaris25, is one of them. He hasn’t heard of the wedding speculation, but when he learns what might be going on, he lights up.
– It is fantastic. I think they will have a wild life together. Travis feels fun and social, Taylor is energetic. I think their lives will be fast-paced and full of adventure, he says.
He looks towards the arena.
– It will be packed. If they are going to have the party here, you can count on lots of celebrities and many influencers.
Jessica26, describes himself as “somewhere in between” – not a superfan, but still interested enough to be drawn into the spectacle. And she thinks the arena is a fitting choice for two of the world’s most talked about people.
– Fun for her! I actually don’t know if anyone has gotten married at Madison Square Garden before. But if I had the money, I would have done it too, she says.
– You can transform any place with enough decorations and enough money.
For the real Swifties, however, this is not just any Friday. It is the event of the year.
One of those who couldn’t stay away is Smitty Kovac44. He takes photos at the roadblocks in a Taylor Swift shirt, with his eyes fixed on the loading gates where yet another forklift disappears.
– I’m a huge “Swiftie” and just wanted to see what all the fuss is about. I’m really excited for her big day, he says.
Meanwhile, New York is boiling in the heat. The thermometer has climbed towards 37 degrees and so far there are relatively few fans along the riot fence.
But Smitty isn’t worried.
– Not yet. The heat is probably keeping people away right now. But we are very organized. We will be here, he promises.
The roadblocks, the traffic chaos and the police presence don’t bother him. On the contrary. He thinks this is exactly how it should be when Taylor Swift celebrates love in the middle of Manhattan. New Yorkers are used to it, he says.
– We are happy to do it. We are happy to host. She is of course welcome anytime, he says and begins to sing:
– Welcome to New York, welcome to New York …
A few seconds later, he slides into “Love Story”, one of his Taylor favorites. Romeo, take me, I’ve been feeling so alone …
Then he interrupts himself.
He strikes out with his arms.
– But she doesn’t need Romeo anymore – she has Travis.
