Return of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to London sees footfall rise with influx of ‘Swifties’

Footfall in Central London jumped 4.5% week-on-week yesterday, 15 August, and was up 1.1% compared to the same day last year - impacted by the first of Taylor Swift’s latest Eras tour concerts at Wembley Stadium.

Further concerts are taking place on 16, 17, 19 and 20 August in what is a return to Wembley following the three dates Swift played there in June.

The rise in footfall in Greater London was even higher at 10.5% week-on-week yesterday, though it was down 1% year-on-year.

Jenni Matthews, Marketing and Insights Director at UK footfall analysts MRI Software, said: "Swifties are back in London as Taylor Swift kicks off the final five dates of her European tour.

"Footfall rose by 4.5% week-on-week in Central London and was marginally higher than 2023 levels. However, it was office locations within Central London that experienced the greatest boost yesterday with a 5.1% rise week-on-week and 4.4% rise year-on-year.

"This could be linked to two key factors; the first being that many have returned to offices following the peak summer getaway.

"Secondly, with many Taylor Swift fans descending on London from all over the UK and internationally, footfall is likely to rise in many pockets of London as fans look to extend their stay in other areas of the city away from Wembley, and in areas where there are likely to be more cost effective hotel/accommodation options.

"As the tour kicks off, and the warm weather continues, this weekend will likely see a significant boost in footfall within the city as fans look to enjoy the concert and the weekend as a whole."