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Well, Swifties — the wait is almost over.
All eyes are now on New York’s Madison Square Garden, where Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce are expected to tie the knot at 5 p.m. local time on Friday, according to a permit obtained by The Associated Press.
Despite the very obvious signs everywhere, event planners and city officials appear to still be putting up a valiant effort to keep details of the wedding hush-hush.
The permit application — for a “Special Event at MSG” — was approved Wednesday night by New York City’s permitting office, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The Associated Press reports that “multiple people familiar with the plans” confirmed the application is tied to the singer and football player.
It outlines a “pre-party celebration,” beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, where approximately 100 guests will arrive for what officials describe as an intimate rehearsal dinner.
According to the permit, a full street closure will then go into effect around the Manhattan arena overnight, allowing crews to erect multiple entrance and drive-through tents — ahead of the “main event” at 5 p.m. on Friday, which may last until 4 a.m. the next morning.
It all checks with rumours that have been swirling for months that the iconic New York venue would host the superstar couple’s wedding.
Those rumours only ramped up in recent days as crews were spotted off-loading equipment from unmarked trucks behind barricades.
Among the items spotted was a large carpet that was briefly rolled out and then promptly removed, and a box marked “40-inch mirrorball” that TMZ got a glimpse of — a possible reference to the singer’s 2020 song Mirrorball, which she told Stephen Colbert last year would probably make the list of her Top 5 songs from her catalogue.
It’s important to note that the couple’s representatives have yet to confirm any details surrounding the festivities.
However, city officials aren’t doing as good of a job of being tight-lipped about it. The New York City Police Department acknowledged it was prepping for an especially busy weekend with Independence Day celebrations, the World Cup match and one very notable “event.”
WATCH | Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce rumoured nuptials in N.Y.C.:
“In a briefing about major events happening this weekend in New York City, I would be remiss not to mention an event that we are tracking at Madison Square Garden on Friday night,” said police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, in an apparent reference to the nuptials.
“The NYPD will, of course, have a detail in place, but I am not going to go into more specifics on that at this time.”
The mayor also appeared to nod at the wedding in a video shared online , playfully reminding residents to stay cool this weekend during the upcoming heat wave, “especially if you’re (hypothetically) having your wedding at MSG this weekend.”
Drone defence and NDAs
Anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the wedding festivities — or even the celebrity couple themselves — may be out of luck. Police have already begun installing crowd-control barriers and “no parking” signs around the venue, in anticipation of the throngs of Swift fans expected to descend on the Garden this weekend.
And don’t even think about launching a drone for a better view, either. Tisch said the department’s aviation unit and drone teams will be in the skies throughout the 4th of July weekend, monitoring the city and watching for illegal drones hovering in restricted airspace.
“The message is clear: if there is any illegal drone activity that violates our temporary flight restrictions, your drone will be seized,” Tisch said.
As for photos from the inside? Forget about it.
On Monday, ABC News reported that unnamed sources confirmed both Thursday and Friday’s events “will have a strict no-phone policy for everyone inside the venue” and that tents and canopies will be up “to prevent the public from catching glimpses of arrivals and departures.”
Fans who have been spinning their wheels, combing through every clue — in search of sneak peeks, wedding dress hints, decor details, anything! — are likely to remain disappointed. Several reports claim guests were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement — but that anyone who violates it won’t face any financial penalties.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cbc.ca ’
