Could Taylor Swift make a surprise appearance at ACL Fest? One theory says ‘yes.’

Taylor Swift didn’t become one of the most powerful women in the world by being predictable. But it’s also what makes her terrifying. What is she up to? When is she announcing something? Am I about to have to prepare my bank account for another album cycle? Ahead of The Life of a Showgirl dropping Friday, Swifties are wondering if she’s headed to Texas for a surprise appearance.

Let’s all get in the clown car and explore why this is even a remote possibility. The Life of a Showgirl, Swift’s 12th original studio album, drops on Oct. 3 (or Thursday night, if you’re committed to late-night listening). The title track, which is also the final song on the album, features fellow pop star (and former Eras Tour opener/surprise guest/good pal) Sabrina Carpenter. Meanwhile, at Zilker Park, Carpenter will take the stage as an Austin City Limits Music Festival headliner on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Thus, could Austin, Texas, finally be graced with the presence of Taylor Swift for the first time since 2015?

Some Swifties were sure this could happen. One TikTok user was especially convinced based on the fact that Swift’s fiancé, Travis Kelce, doesn’t have a football game that weekend (fair), and that one of the main colors of the Showgirl era is orange, and Austin’s most identifiable color is orange. (Look, as a Swiftie and a UT alumna, I have to say this is ridiculous because those oranges are not the same. The official UT burnt orange is represented in the hex code #BF5700. The Showgirl orange is #ED8130, based on a hex code finder that pulled from an image of the Aperol spritz-hued vinyl record.)

But it seems incredibly unlikely that Swift will make a trip to Zilker Park. For one, Swift’s security has ramped up even more since announcing her engagement to Kelce. She usually only attends home games for the Kansas City Chiefs, supposedly because her security team knows Arrowhead Stadium so well. A festival in the open air with some admittedly flimsy barriers for a one-song appearance? Not a chance Tree Paine signs off on that.

Secondly, Swift is scheduled to appear on The Graham Norton Show on Oct. 3 and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Oct. 6. That would mean wrapping in London, flying to Austin, then flying to New York City. If anyone could pull that off, it’s Swift. I’m just saying she probably doesn’t want to.

And thirdly, as much as ACL Fest has grown, pulling some huge names over the years, it’s not Coachella. We don’t quite have the star power to measure up to a Taylor Swift album release. Maybe someday.

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