Taylor Swift performs during her Eras tour at Allegiant Stadium, Friday, March 24, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Review-Journal/File)
Local Swifties haven’t had enough of pop star Taylor Swift and are taking matters into their own hands.
A group of Taylor Swift fans in Columbus are hosting a prom-style formal event based on Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album, “Lover,” Friday from 7-10 p.m.
The event — appropriately titled “Fever Dream Formal” and alluding to the opening lyric of Swift’s hit song “Cruel Summer” — will be held at the Eagleview indoor facility located within the Blacklick Woods Golf Course in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Sarah Paul, the event’s main coordinator, said.
As the event is not officially affiliated with Swift, Paul said the formal is an opportunity for Swifties, who found one another via a Facebook group of Eras Tour tailgaters, to get together and bask in their mutual love for the artist.
“It is just people hosting other people,” Paul said. “I messaged the group saying I had experience hosting events and was wondering who would be interested. Some other people were interested and so some of us teamed up to put it all together.”
Paul said organizing the event was a spontaneous decision after receiving positive feedback from the Facebook group and that it wouldn’t have been possible without help from other dedicated Swift fans.
“My mom and I are also working on a lot of it together since we’re both Swifties,” Paul said. “It is still very much in progress but I am excited for everything to come together.”
Taylor Ashbrook, a local Swiftie who is planning to attend Fever Dream Formal, said her appreciation for Swift’s discography is rooted in her experiences growing up as a closted transgender girl. Listening to Swift gave Ashbrook comfort during difficult times, she said.
“A lot of kids made fun of me for being a boy named Taylor, and they would call me Taylor Swift, making fun of me,” said Ashbrook. “They didn’t know how much I was proud of the fact to share the same name as Taylor Swift.”
Ashbrook said she views Fever Dream Formal as an opportunity to fulfill some of her childhood dreams.
“I didn’t get to wear a pretty dress and do all the typical stuff girls do at dances,” Ashbrook said. “This is a perfect time to sort of heal a part of my inner teenage girl that didn’t get that kind of experience growing up.”
Paul said although there isn’t an official dress code, she expects most people to come in Swift-themed formal attire, including prom dresses and suits.
Ashbrook said she spent a long time considering her outfit for the event.
“I thought about wearing my potential Eras Tour outfits that I hadn’t gotten to wear, but none of them were formal enough,” said Ashbrook. “I’ve finally settled on this really pretty maroon dress with coordinating black heels and an ‘All Too Well’ gold chain necklace to pull together a Red-themed formal outfit.”
The admission fee for Fever Dream Formal is $30, which Paul said will cover entry into the event, refreshments and Swift-themed party favors. All profits will go toward reimbursing Paul and other coordinators for venue costs, decorations and food, she said.
For additional details about Fever Dream Formal and ticket-related information, visit Eventbrite.
