Taylor Swift Fans Gather in Vienna, Austria amid Canceled Concerts to Sing and Trade Friendship Bracelets

The pop star was set to play three shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium from Aug. 8-10

Taylor Swift fans are flooding the streets of Vienna after the singer’s Eras Tour shows in Austria were canceled following an alleged terror plot.

The pop star was set to play three shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium from Aug. 8-10.

Now, fans are keeping optimistic by gathering in the city and singing along to her top hits and trading their signature friendship bracelets.

Travel blogger Kimberly Kephart shared videos to her Instagram Stories of a large group singing along to multiple songs by Swift, including “You Need to Calm Down” and the title track from her 2019 album Lover.

She also showed signs hanging from residences in support of Swift and shared that her Airbnb host gave her free tickets to see a Mozart concert at the local opera house.

Others have taken to social media to share emotional messages about the experience. “The Vienna Taylor Swift shows may have been canceled, but you can’t break the spirit of Swifties. This is girlhood. Turning something ugly into something beautiful,” one person wrote in a caption of a video of the group singing the extended version of “All Too Well” from Swift’s Red re-recording.

The official Instagram account for the Vienna Tourist Board is also showering Swifties with support during this time by rebranding their profile bio to read “Taylor’s Version” and “Welcome to Vienna, it’s been waiting for you.”

The account has shared several entertainment options for ticket holders in the city for the canceled shows on their Instagram Stories. They wrote that several of the city’s museums are offering free entry this weekend and the Swarovski Kristallwelten store will give fans a “crystal surprise” to those with a valid concert ticket, among other offerings.

The three shows were canceled on Aug. 7 after authorities confirmed that two men were arrested in connection to a planned attack at the concerts. A message originally shared on promoter Barracuda Music’s page read “we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” while stating that all tickets “will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”

In a press conference that day, Vienna’s head of police Gerhard Pürstl said immediate danger has been “minimized” but that an “abstract danger” remained in the city, per the BBC.

The following day, Austrian officials released additional information about the planned attack.

Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, shared in a news conference that the 19-year-old Austrian suspect they detained admitted to intending “to carry out an attack” at Swift’s concert “using explosives and knives,” according to NBC News, CNN and Le Monde.