Swifties become showgirls at TimeOut Market listening party

Music

Twirling around the dance floor, Swifties embraced their inner “showgirl” at TimeOut Market’s listening party for Taylor Swift’s newest album.

Twirling around the dance floor, braids swinging and friendship bracelets clinking, “Swifties” embraced their inner “showgirl” at TimeOut Market’s Friday listening party for Taylor Swift’s newest album.

Around 150 people signed up for the free event celebrating the release of “The Life of a Showgirl,” Manager Michael Minichello said. 

With Swift’s older music blaring from a live DJ at the helm of the market, attendees cheered when the new album’s first track finally began.

The event had a bustling friendship bracelet-making station, as well as favors with multicolored beads and string for guests to create their own take-home bracelets.

Swifties flitted in and out of a photobooth framed by clusters of pink, yellow, and orange balloons. 

Attendee Lara Ashley Moraes, sporting an “Eras Tour” shirt, said the listening party was a meaningful way of bringing a community together. 

“It’s a great way of bonding, and seeing how a generation of Swifties didn’t end,” Moraes said. “It’s nice to see, especially with all the younger kids here, how Taylor hasn’t been forgotten.”

Moraes said she had only listened up until the fifth track of Swift’s album, but her favorite so far was the title track, “The Fate of Ophelia.”  

Charley, a 7-year-old Swiftie, attended the Eras Tour in London with her family. With 1989 as her favorite album, she said she “loved” Swift’s new music and was happy to be at the listening party.

Claire Taylor, sitting with friends and their children, meticulously slid beads onto a bracelet with the phrase “The Life of a Mom” on it. 

Taylor, who said she was thrilled to share a name with the popstar, said she woke up at 5 a.m. to listen to the album, and her favorite was “Opalite.”

TimeOut Market has established itself as a haven for Swifties, Minichello said, hosting monthly “Swiftie Sundays” throughout the summer. 

“It’s just a fun Friday night, and we’ve got 15 different kitchens, so a lot of different options,” Minchello said. “You come in with the family, you grab some food, enjoy some Taylor Swift.”