When Taylor Swift's Eras Tour hit Levi's Stadium in Silicon Valley on July 28 and 29, it didn't just bring thousands of devoted fans to the area; it also provided a staggering $33 million boost to the local economy. According to KTVU, Dan Rascher, president of Sports Economics, LLC, credited the swell in spending by out-of-town concertgoers in the area, with regional businesses benefiting from these high-spending "Swifties."
The pop star's concert series drew a crowd of 60,000 attendees, with 70 percent of them being out-of-towners – this number surpasses the average 50-65 percent visitors Levi's Stadium typically experiences during events, as KTVU reported. This massive influx of attendees naturally resulted in higher spending on lodging, food, and entertainment in Santa Clara County, totaling around $19 million. Rascher estimates the total economic impact to be approximately $33.5 million, money that will be respent throughout the town in the following months.
Swift's strong economic influence is further highlighted in the impressive statistics surrounding her fanbase. According to CBS News San Francisco, Swifties spend 20-25 percent more per day and stay 20 percent longer in host cities for concerts than other event attendees in the United States. While the eleven-time Grammy winner's impact is undeniably impressive, it doesn't quite match a Super Bowl-level boost, which topped a staggering $240 million the last time Levi's Stadium hosted the event in 2016. Nevertheless, her concerts certainly leave a lasting impression on the local economy.
Levi's Stadium, home to the San Francisco 49ers, has seen its fair share of turmoil, with Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor and her allies engaging in a lengthy, public battle with the 49ers. Gillmor has fought the team and Levi's Stadium on issues like raising rent, financial oversight, revoking the team's right to manage stadium operations, and enacting curfews in response to neighborhood noise complaints, as KTVU and CBS News San Francisco reported. These curfews require weeknight events to end by 10 p.m. and weekend events by 11 p.m., limits that have caused contention as the 49ers claim they have lost revenue and major acts like Ed Sheeran due to these restrictions.
In response, policymakers in Santa Clara approved five extensions to the weeknight curfew until 11 p.m. per year for non-NFL events, during late 2021. Swift's two-night concert set at Levi's Stadium breached the curfew, with her subsequent fireworks display also running late. Yet, longtime Santa Clara political consultant Rich Robinson argues that the city should prioritize celebrating the economic success that comes with major events like Swift's over enforcing curfews. The city isn't quite in agreement, opting to issue $2,000 permit violation fines to Pyrotek Special Effects, Inc., the company responsible for Swift's pyrotechnics, according to both KTVU and CBS News San Francisco.
