NEW YORK\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Manhattan was sweltering at 100 degrees and preparing to mark 250 years since the United States declared independence from Great Britain.<\/p>\n
But on Friday, the city seemed transfixed by what might be the closest the country gets to a royal wedding: The nuptials of pop superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. <\/p>\n
Madison Square Garden and its surrounding streets \u2014 31st and 33rd streets toward 6th and 8th avenues \u2014 were blocked off as guests arrived for the event. Fans craned their necks for any views they could get from the street.<\/p>\n
The world-famous arena is reportedly set to transform into a \u201cmassive castle,\u201d surrounded by a garden fit for pop culture\u2019s royal couple, both 36. While the complete event details and guest list have been kept a secret, the Associated Press reportedly<\/a> obtained a city permit showing Friday\u2019s alleged wedding event is set to start at 5 p.m. Eastern time and could last until 4 a.m.<\/p>\n Secrecy surrounding the event is so tight that the reported venue has been cordoned off with privacy tents, tarps and barricades. But neither those measures nor Friday\u2019s sizzling temperatures stopped fans from gathering in hopes of sneaking a peak at their longtime idol and sending Swift their well wishes.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard we won\u2019t be able to see her either way because the spot that they picked is going to be covered,\u201d said Sarah Shrestha, 21, an Anaheim resident visiting friends in Manhattan.<\/p>\n Madison Square Garden was a good venue for the couple\u2019s nuptials because, \u201cin interviews, [Swift] said she wanted to be able to invite everybody to the wedding so it\u2019s still a good venue for that,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Ellie Kitschke, 13, and her mother, Mymy Nguyen, 38, were visiting New York City from Adelaide, Australia.<\/p>\n Ellie said she thought it was a weird choice for the venue. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a stadium. I get that no one can come inside but I think it\u2019s a bit much blocking up the roads,\u201d added Ellie, who attended the Eras Tour in Sydney with her mom.<\/p>\n The two said they also thought it was odd Swift didn\u2019t choose a venue or date that included her lucky number, 13, saying it \u201cdidn\u2019t add up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf she does get married, we wish her well,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cWe\u2019d love to see her.\u201d<\/p>\n Emma Rasco, 19, was also surprised by the choice in wedding venue.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I heard it, I was like, that\u2019s definitely a choice,\u201d Rasco said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little unconventional and very forward-facing.\u201d<\/p>\n Swift and Kelce announced their engagement<\/a> in August after two years of dating, to much fanfare. \u201cYour English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,\u201d Swift wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.<\/a><\/p>\n They were first linked in July 2023, when Kelce mentioned his desire to meet the pop superstar on his podcast, \u201cNew Heights,\u201d and made their relationship public that September. Their coupling instantly captured the attention and hearts of fans around the world, and Swift\u2019s presence at Chiefs games was even credited with bolstering female interest in NFL football.<\/p>\n Kelly, 36, is a longtime Swift fan who said she grew up listening to her music. She came from her apartment on the Upper West Side to 33rd Street to see if she could catch a glimpse of Swift entering the stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I was the same peer group growing up with her, and am just so happy that she had her happy ending,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to see what a Royal American wedding looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelly said she admires Swift and Kelce for donating to charity. The couple donated a combined $26 million to 20 local and national charities ahead of their presumed nuptials, Swift\u2019s publicist told Business Insider.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cThey really are a positive influence,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Kelly said Madison Square Garden made sense as a venue for the privacy and security of guests.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not an ideal wedding venue but they\u2019re both creative and have their own stages in a way,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n By mid-afteroon Friday, dozens of fans clustered near MSG as black SUVs and vans with tinted windows, presumably filled with wedding attendees, turned the corner toward the stadium.<\/p>\n New York Police Department sources told The Times that streets will be blocked off all Friday and should return to normal by Saturday morning.<\/p>\n Back in October, Swift told TV host Graham Norton that she was casting a wide net with the guest list, joking that she would invite \u201canyone I\u2019ve ever talked to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have said any of that,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Pulling off an event of this magnitude \u2014 which many described as America\u2019s \u201croyal wedding\u201d \u2014 required considerable preparation, with a particular emphasis on privacy. Guests were reportedly required to sign nondisclosure agreements before receiving any event details (although the NDAs were said not to have included any penalties for violating the terms).<\/p>\n The couple were also linked to wedding planner Mark Seed, who previously orchestrated the 2023 wedding of Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley and the 2019 wedding of Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney. Seed is known for his elaborate event builds and notable discretion.<\/p>\n On the Tuesday before the event, workers were photographed installing a red carpet outside of MSG, which one individual allegedly said was for \u201ca wedding,\u201d according to Page Six<\/a>. It was quickly removed that same day.<\/p>\n Lin reported from Los Angeles; Garcia and Eloise Rollins-Fife from Los Angeles.<\/p>\n