Taylor Swift's Wembley gigs boosted TfL ridership as visitors from around the world flocked to London
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour caused a surge in Tube journeys this month, with over 400,000 fans tapping in and out at Wembley Park station for the first three nights.
The Jubilee and Metropolitan line Tube station saw more than 441,000 recorded entries and exits across Thursday August 15, Friday August 16 and Saturday August 17, according to Transport for London (TfL) data.
Hundreds of thousands more are expected to have passed through the station for the final two nights on Monday August 19 and Tuesday August 20.
During the first three dates of Swift’s tour in June, Wembley Park Tube station broke more than 150,000 entries and exits in a day for the first time since 2019, with 167,237 entries and exits on Friday June 21 and 153,761 on Saturday June 22. On Sunday June 23 there were 137,059.
Swift made Wembley Stadium history becoming the first solo artist to perform at the venue eight times in a single tour. The record was previously held by Michael Jackson for his 1988 Bad Tour.
The 34-year-old’s record breaking tour is estimated to have boosted the capital’s economy by £300m.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s a huge honour that Taylor Swift chose to perform more nights of her record-breaking The Eras Tour in London than any other city.
“Her eight concerts at Wembley Stadium have seen nearly 700,000 ‘Swifties’ travel from all corners of the world to be here, boosting our economy and proving that London is truly the music capital of the world. I’d also like to thank the police and security staff in London for all their work in making sure the events went ahead safely.
“Our spectacular summer of music and sport has seen people make the most of our fantastic transport network, and there is lots more for everyone to enjoy in the coming months as we continue to build a better London for everyone.”
TfL’s data also shows how hundreds of thousands of concert-goers have been heading to events in east London over recent months.
Stratford station saw its two busiest days so far this year in June, as Foo Fighters played at the Olympic Park’s London Stadium on June 20 and 22, with 225,785 and 229,952 entries and exits respectively
At the nearby Pudding Mill Lane DLR station, TfL said entries and exits remained at a higher level than before the pandemic due to the continuing success of the ABBA Voyage concert four days a week. Despite running for more than two years now, the show remains a major draw for Londoners and tourists alike, with June 2024 seeing more than 162,000 entries and exits at the station across the month.
Other highlights of London’s summer music calendar have included Green Day and Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium, Burna Boy at the London Stadium, Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, J Hus and Doja Cat at Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park, and Kylie, SZA and Stray Kids at BST Hyde Park.
Laura Citron OBE, CEO at VisitLondon.com, said: “Music is a huge tourism driver for London and this summer has been absolutely massive. Taylor Swift’s record-breaking London shows have seen hotel searches up as much as four times higher than 2023 as Swifties entered the capital. Beyond London’s music scene, there’s a fantastic array of festivals, parades, and lush parks for visitors to enjoy these next few weeks.”