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When Taylor Swift announced last August that she would play three shows at Lucas Oil Stadium, Ash & Elm Cider Co. owner Andrea Homoya knew the company needed to do something special.
After all, she told IBJ, the Venn diagram of Swifties and Ash & Elm employees is a circle.
So she started with the idea of one special-edition, custom-labeled Swiftie cider. Then, after she realized the team had almost a year to plan, what emerged was a pack of 13 custom ciders, complete with references to every album and packaged in a box shaped like the “Lover” house from Swift’s music video.
Swift and cider fans alike latched onto the release through Homoya’s advertising. The company hired a videographer just for the release video and spread the word on social media in hopes of reaching beyond its normal target audience and the city itself.
“It did. We’re shipping boxes all over the country, people who are like Swifties and don’t know anything about us, or like, I saw you on Reddit, the Taylor Swift Reddit,” Homoya said. The total sales of the special boxes, which retail at $80, have reached what would be typical for a year in just the past three months.
About 1,000 remain of the limited run of 2,500 boxes, which will be for sale at Ash & Elm’s Carmel and Indianapolis tasting rooms and sold at the Indiana State Museum’s Tay/gate.
It’s just one of many examples of a local business leaning into Indy’s Swift weekend. Products, events and drink specials are popping up all over town to fill the niche of entertaining ticketless locals, pre-show roamers and those looking to fill time through two-night hotel minimums.
About 200,000 people are expected to come downtown this weekend to either attend or simply celebrate the concerts. About 195,000 tickets have been sold, and about 80% of the ticket holders will come from outside Indiana.
That means that a plethora of businesses are working to give these folks something to do with events, parties, and Taylor-themed tailgates.
Some high-profile events are, much like the concerts themselves, sold out. At Victory Field, fans could pay $50 to enjoy a pre-concert party including themed photo booths, bracelet trading and group sing-alongs, unlimited access to a nacho bar, chicken tender station and red velvet cupcakes to fuel up for the weekend ahead. That event is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday.
Similarly, the Indiana State Museum’s Tay/gate has been a hit. The pre-concert tailgate is daily Friday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and includes food, themed cocktails and mocktails, bracelet trading, DJ entertainment, karaoke and local vendors including a digital photo booth. Tickets were $40 per person for general admission and $90 per person for VIP.
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Turntable, Broad Ripple’s newest music venue, will host a sold-out brunch Saturday at 11 a.m. The event will feature live music, a dazzling burlesque performance, a sparkling mimosa bar and bracelet making.
Here’s a rundown of other businesses and organizations offering a Swiftie fix:
Howl At The Moon
20 E. Georgia St.
You don’t need to walk into some bar called The Black Dog. About a mile from Lucas Oil Stadium, Howl At The Moon is hosting a pre-concert party all three nights of the show from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The in-house band will play an exclusive “Swiftie Set” while a themed cocktail is on the menu. The event is open only to those over 21, and free pre-registration is available on Eventbrite.
Ash & Elm Cider Co.
1301 E. Washington St., Indianapolis
525 N. End. Dr. Suite 190, Carmel
If you want to get your hands on the remaining cider boxes, you can stop by one of Ash & Elm’s tasting rooms or the Indiana State Museum’s Tay/gate event. (One favorite name might be Seemingly Cider, a reference to a fandom inside joke from a Chief’s game.)
Guggman Haus Brewing Co.
1701 Gent Ave.
The microbrewery is hosting four days of events, including a “Couldn’t Get Tickets Tour” music bingo Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and two days of “Taylorgate” on Saturday and Sunday with local musicians covering Swift’s songs. All events are free and all ages.
Spark on the Circle
Monument Circle
The Monument Circle pop-up park will host Spark (Taylor’s version) all weekend with free activities including making friendship bracelets, decorating and mailing locally designed Taylor-themed postcards and helping local artist Mary Jo Bayliss with a collaborative Swiftie-themed installation artwork. All activities are free and open to the public.
Sun King Brewing
135 N. College Ave.
Sun King Brewing’s “1,2,3, Let’s Go B*tch,” a cherry limeade ale, is a limited edition option that doesn’t directly mention Swift, but instead references a fanmade chant during the song “Delicate” at Swift’s Eras Tour. The canned drink features a disco ball, heart hands and friendship bracelets. It’s available at all central Indiana Sun King locations.
The District Tap
141 S. Meridian St.
All weekend from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., The District Tap will serve themed cocktails, bracelet trading and a photo-op backdrop. A DJ will be playing selections from the show nightly after Taylor’s set has ended.
Hi-Fi, Easy Rider Diner
1043 Virginia Ave. Suite 3
If you’ve missed Hi-Fi’s Taylorween event on Thursday, don’t fear: Hi-Fi and Easy Rider, the adjacent diner, are hosting a Swifite brunch with themed cocktails and dishes called “Brunch It Off.” It’s from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The event is at capacity, but they will allow walk-ins if they have cancellations or additional spaces open up. Their shop next door, Virginia Avenue Mercantile, also has Taylor-related merchandise, including coloring books, pins, gift cards and coffee mugs.
Gather 22
22 E. 22nd St.
Gather 22 is hosting a ticketed happy hour all week. The “Eras Set List” event costs $13 for a ticket, which includes a themed cocktail like “Midnights,” a blueberry sage sparkler with edible glitter. There are seven options based on Swift and her tour openers, Gracie Abrams and Sabrina Carpenter.
Dugout Bar
621 Virginia Ave.
This Fountain Square sports bar is branding itself as the “boyfriend daycare” for the weekend. Drop off your disgruntled plus one for sports and drinks.
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