Founded in Pittsburgh, the Taylor Party — a nationwide event for Taylor Swift fans to come together and enjoy songs from her discography — will be held at Newport Music Hall on October 14 for the third time in Columbus.
The Taylor Party toured other cities nationwide including Los Angeles, New Orleans and Orlando, Florida alongside Columbus. With doors opening at 8 p.m. and music starting at 9 p.m., the 18+ show will be a chance for Taylor Swift fans in the Columbus area to enjoy an evening while listening to some of their favorite songs.
Marissa McClellan, marketing manager for the Columbus and Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky regions for PromoWest, said PromoWest hopes people will come to the event to enjoy the music they came to hear.
“We haven’t really done a lot of those types of things, so it’s kind of new territory for us,” McClellan said. “I just hope everyone comes over and has a good time and listens to all the music they already know and love.”
Brian Howe, co-founder and one of the Taylor Party DJs, said when creating this organization that he wanted it to be a space where people could have a fun night while being in a safe environment.
“We were really trying to find a place for people who love Taylor and Taylor-adjacent music, as a place where they feel safe and comfortable to hang out and party with each other,” said Howe. “A lot of times you go out dancing, and that’s not always the healthiest environment, and we were kind of hoping to do something that would keep some toxic elements out by making it a fan-run event.”
Whether as artists, promoters or show makers, Howe said his team has a long history of working in the music scene and established the Taylor Party less than a year ago with its first event in December 2021.
“We were just planning to do a few short nights here,” Howe said. “But luckily, thanks to the contacts we had in other cities, we were able to try it in other places and it’s like before we knew it, you know, we organize events on a weekend on two everywhere.”
Howe said the party had come to Columbus twice before, both times at Skully’s Music-Diner, and the crowds in Columbus were energetic and engaged.
“Crowds are wild in Columbus,” Howe said. “I remember the last time I did Skully’s, like the whole stage was filled with people, and it was just crazy.”
As one of the Taylor Party DJs, Howe said the party’s music was strictly Taylor Swift and the types of songs he played depended on the crowd.
“Each city is surprisingly different in terms of the era of Taylor they love,” Howe said. “Usually at the beginning it’s like, okay, I have the same three or four opening songs, and I usually try to use them to dictate where the piece is going to go. I use it to feel what people like.
Howe said that for this series of shows he will focus a little more on Taylor Swift’s “Red” album due to its 10th anniversary on October 22.
“We’re going to lean pretty hard on the ‘Red’ stuff,” Howe said. “I’ll probably be playing deeper cuts of this record than I normally would.”
Howe said the songs he played were pretty standard at past Columbus shows, and whatever song he played, the crowd played an active role in keeping the night going.
“That – from memory – seems to be much more general,” Howe said. “I just remember it was pretty, like, pretty active no matter what was going on. I don’t remember playing much slower stuff there.
Howe said that while these events are considered a “dance party,” it’s still important to play some of Swift’s slow songs, so he makes sure to create a healthy space for everyone.
“Sometimes it’s good to play slower songs just so people can take a break, whether they realize they need it or not,” Howe said. “I like to push things, I like to have a lot of fun things to follow, but again, creating a healthy and comfortable environment is also a priority.”
Howe said he wanted to meet the needs of those who are still wondering who they are and what they want to do in life, allowing them to feel nostalgic for the music they grew up with.
“You know, they can feel young again maybe for one night and hope to have a good experience as an adult, which might be hard to do,” Howe said.
Howe said growing up listening to Taylor Swift, having a sense of nostalgia in the room, and relating to others with her songs makes the experience special.
“If you listen to his music from a human perspective, he’s legitimately just someone growing up, and it’s cool to put that in a live space with a bunch of people connecting with that music,” Howe said,
McClellan said tickets for the event sell out quickly, as there are usually over 700 people at the event.
General admission tickets can be purchased on the PromoWest website for $25, along with fast-pass tickets.
Founded in Pittsburgh, the Taylor Party — a nationwide event for Taylor Swift fans to come together and enjoy songs from her discography — will be held at Newport Music Hall on October 14 for the third time in Columbus.
The Taylor Party toured other cities nationwide including Los Angeles, New Orleans and Orlando, Florida alongside Columbus. With doors opening at 8 p.m. and music starting at 9 p.m., the 18+ show will be a chance for Taylor Swift fans in the Columbus area to enjoy an evening while listening to some of their favorite songs.
Marissa McClellan, marketing manager for the Columbus and Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky regions for PromoWest, said PromoWest hopes people will come to the event to enjoy the music they came to hear.
“We haven’t really done a lot of those types of things, so it’s kind of new territory for us,” McClellan said. “I just hope everyone comes over and has a good time and listens to all the music they already know and love.”
Brian Howe, co-founder and one of the Taylor Party DJs, said when creating this organization that he wanted it to be a space where people could have a fun night while being in a safe environment.
“We were really trying to find a place for people who love Taylor and Taylor-adjacent music, as a place where they feel safe and comfortable to hang out and party with each other,” said Howe. “A lot of times you go out dancing, and that’s not always the healthiest environment, and we were kind of hoping to do something that would keep some toxic elements out by making it a fan-run event.”
Whether as artists, promoters or show makers, Howe said his team has a long history of working in the music scene and established the Taylor Party less than a year ago with its first event in December 2021.
“We were just planning to do a few short nights here,” Howe said. “But luckily, thanks to the contacts we had in other cities, we were able to try it in other places and it’s like before we knew it, you know, we organize events on a weekend on two everywhere.”
Howe said the party had come to Columbus twice before, both times at Skully’s Music-Diner, and the crowds in Columbus were energetic and engaged.
“Crowds are wild in Columbus,” Howe said. “I remember the last time I did Skully’s, like the whole stage was filled with people, and it was just crazy.”
As one of the Taylor Party DJs, Howe said the party’s music was strictly Taylor Swift and the types of songs he played depended on the crowd.
“Each city is surprisingly different in terms of the era of Taylor they love,” Howe said. “Usually at the beginning it’s like, okay, I have the same three or four opening songs, and I usually try to use them to dictate where the piece is going to go. I use it to feel what people like.
Howe said that for this series of shows he will focus a little more on Taylor Swift’s “Red” album due to its 10th anniversary on October 22.
“We’re going to lean pretty hard on the ‘Red’ stuff,” Howe said. “I’ll probably be playing deeper cuts of this record than I normally would.”
Howe said the songs he played were pretty standard at past Columbus shows, and whatever song he played, the crowd played an active role in keeping the night going.
“That – from memory – seems to be much more general,” Howe said. “I just remember it was pretty, like, pretty active no matter what was going on. I don’t remember playing much slower stuff there.
Howe said that while these events are considered a “dance party,” it’s still important to play some of Swift’s slow songs, so he makes sure to create a healthy space for everyone.
“Sometimes it’s good to play slower songs just so people can take a break, whether they realize they need it or not,” Howe said. “I like to push things, I like to have a lot of fun things to follow, but again, creating a healthy and comfortable environment is also a priority.”
Howe said he wanted to meet the needs of those who are still wondering who they are and what they want to do in life, allowing them to feel nostalgic for the music they grew up with.
“You know, they can feel young again maybe for one night and hope to have a good experience as an adult, which might be hard to do,” Howe said.
Howe said growing up listening to Taylor Swift, having a sense of nostalgia in the room, and relating to others with her songs makes the experience special.
“If you listen to his music from a human perspective, he’s legitimately just someone growing up, and it’s cool to put that in a live space with a bunch of people connecting with that music,” Howe said,
McClellan said tickets for the event sell out quickly, as there are usually over 700 people at the event.
General admission tickets can be purchased on the PromoWest website for $25, along with fast-pass tickets.