Pop star Taylor Swift and American football player Travis Kelce’s massive wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York on July 4, which reportedly had approximately 1,000 guests, faced backlash from a section of the public after many called out the couple for blocking major streets in one of New York’s busiest locations and making the police work overtime when they were already burdened with work due to July 4, the Independence Day of the USA.
Taylor shelled out six figures to get wedding permit
Now, the Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has set the record straight and shared that the couple indeed paid over $160,000 to New York City to cover the costs of the required city permits and police security surrounding the wedding at Madison Square Garden.
As per Rolling Stone, On Friday, July 10, the New York Mayor spoke to reporters at a press conference and confirmed that the pop star shelled out six figures to obtain the permit from the city. When a reporter asked him, “Could you also confirm that Taylor Swift will be paying the city back any and all money for police overtime, and if so, how much and to whom?”
He responded, saying, “Taylor Swift has paid already the cost of the permit that was lodged, which was over $160,000 for that event and for the response to that event. That was a permit that was finalized, I think, just [in] the days before the event itself.”
Taylor, Travis criticised for bringing New York to a halt
Since several streets in the Midtown area were closed on July 4, a day marked by major Independence Day celebrations across the US, it led some New Yorkers to criticise the couple and the timing of their wedding. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican congresswoman from New York, criticised the couple on X. She wrote, “Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce should reimburse NYPD for the 130 officers needed per day to keep their multi-million dollar, thousand person wedding at MSG safe. Our officers are already working overtime for 4th of July festivities & NYC taxpayers should NOT be on the hook.”
However, Taylor and Travis did pay the city for the security arrangements and other permits. They also reportedly donated $26 million across 20 charities in the US.
Taylor, Travis wedding
The couple reportedly spent $30 million or more on the wedding. They converted Madison Square Garden in New York City into a lush secret garden, where around 1,000 guests arrived, including their close friends, family and colleagues. Comedian and actor Adam Sandler officiated the wedding, while A-listers like Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Dakota Johnson, Selena Gomez, Mariska Hargitay, Peter Hermann, Ed Sheeran, Cherry Seaborn and others attended the wedding.