Taylor Swift is poised to wrap up the European leg of her record-breaking tour with five performances in London starting on Thursday amid tight security following a thwarted terror plot that targeted her show in Vienna.
Last week, Austrian authorities prevented what was believed to be an ISIS-linked terror plot targeting one of her shows in Vienna. Three shows were canceled.
Swift’s team is working closely with organizers in the U.K. to ensure heightened security this weekend as fans flock to Wembley Stadium for the second time this summer.
Katrina Hutchins said she surprised her 9-year-old son Callahan with tickets to Thursday's London show as a Christmas gift last year. While the news from Vienna rattled them, Hutchins said her son was primarily concerned about Swift's mental health and well-being.
"I keep reassuring him that the security will be tighter than ever, and Wembley may just be the very safest place to be in the next couple of days," Hutchins said.
The pair traveled from Charlotte, North Carolina, to London to see Callahan's idol, who inspired him to audition for his school's musical.
“Yes, he loves her music, of course, and her as a performer, but honestly, it’s the backstory and who she is as a person and the risks that she took and her perseverance that really inspired him to go ahead and leap on his own," Hutchins said.
Sasha Ridge, 29, said she plans to attend multiple Swift shows this weekend and, after going to her June shows in the same venue, she said she feels confident that fans will be safe in Wembley.
"Once I found out that the Vienna shows were a target on Vienna and not Taylor herself, no I wasn't nervous," Ridge said. "I know that Wembley security is good anyway, and I know that they would have upped it so that we'd be even more safe."
She also intends to partake in an array of London festivities, including a Taylor Swift-themed pottery painting class. Ridge, who hails from Oxford, roughly an hour away from London, began working on handmade costumes for herself and her 11-year-old niece in January.
There will be some changes to security at Wembley. While fans who were unable to score tickets have previously been permitted to stand outside the stadium and listen to the show from afar, no "tay-gating" will be allowed in London this weekend.
“A couple of my friends were going to tay-gate, but they’re not able to now. It is sad, but it’s for the best,” Ridge said.
Wembley officials said: “To support with the safe entry and exit of everyone within the stadium, no one is allowed to stand outside any entrance or on the Olympic Steps at the front of the stadium. Non ticket holders will be moved on.”
The venue also noted that "additional ticket checks" will be instituted this weekend.
At last month’s Munich shows, an estimated 50,000 people sat on a hillside across from the stadium to hear the reverberations of hits like “Cruel Summer” and “Blank Space.”
London fans will also be permitted to enter the stadium earlier than at previous venues, with the doors opening 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
"In June, I felt safe," Ridge said of the security in London. "I know that I feel even safer now, with all the extra measurements and all the extra security."
