Friendship bracelets have become synonymous with Taylor Swift concerts — a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the singer herself.
While on stage for her Eras Tour in New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday, October 26, the “Bad Blood” singer, 34, paid tribute to the tradition.
According to Page Six, Swift told the audience she loved how fans “created traditions” amid a “mass movement of joy” and specifically pointed out the friendship bracelets as an example.
Because of the tradition, the venue she was performing at, the Caesars Superdome, had been fitted with a 140-foot-long inflatable friendship bracelet in honor of the star and her sold-out tour.
“I just showed up one day and you guys were trading friendship bracelets and I was like, ‘That’s cool,’ and now, there is a giant friendship bracelet on the outside of this stadium,” Swift said.
The tie between friendship bracelets and the singer first appeared in Swift’s song, “You’re On Your Own Kid” from her Midnights album, which was released in 2022.
Its lyrics include: “Everything you lose is a step you take / So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.”
In 2023, fans began bringing their own homemade versions of the jewelry to Swift’s gigs, often featuring the star’s lyrics, and trading them with other fans — a tradition that has since spread rapidly.
Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce even tried to tap into the tradition to win over the Tortured Poets Department star before they began dating.
After Travis went to Swift’s July 2023 Eras Tour stop at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, he recalled being sad that he didn’t get to meet the pop star.
“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings. I wanted to give her [a bracelet] with my number on it,” he said on his “New Heights” podcast.
Two months later, Swift showed up to a Chiefs game at the same stadium where Travis had watched her perform, publicly confirming the pair’s relationship. Swift later revealed that she “started hanging out” with Travis “right after” he publicly admitted to trying to give her his phone number via a friendship bracelet.
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” Swift said in a Time magazine interview in December 2023.
