Thousands of Taylor Swift fans flooded museums in Vienna over the weekend after multiple institutions waived entry fees after three of the singer’s concerts were cancelled due to security threats.
The participating institutions were the Mozarthaus Vienna, House of Music, KunstHausWien and the Jewish Museum Vienna owned by the City of Vienna; MAK Vienna (Museum of Applied Arts) and MAK Geymüllerschlössel; the modern art museum Mumok, the art museum The Albertina, as well as the museum at the House of Strauss.
The Museumquartier also offered Taylor Swift ticket holders free guided tours in English and German on August 10 and 11.
Mumok’s head of press, Katharina Murschetz said 884 Taylor Swift fans stopped by.
“We will definitely still give them free access if they come with the Taylor Swift ticket,” Posch said.
As three of Taylor Swift’s concerts had to be canceled due to security concerns, thousands of fans descended upon Vienna’s museums over the weekend, with many of them waiving admission fees.
Simon Posch, managing director of Haus der Musik, told ARTnews, “We weren’t really sure what to expect.”.
Participating institutions included the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK Vienna) and Museum of Applied Arts Geymüllerschlössel; the Museum of Modern Art Mumok; the Museum of Art The Albertina; and the Museum at the House of Strauss. The Mozarthaus Vienna, House of Music, KunstHausWien, and the Jewish Museum Vienna were owned by the City of Vienna. On August 10 and11, free guided tours in German and English were also provided by the Museumquartier to owners of Taylor Swift tickets.
The Vienna Tourism Board and remarks made by Mayor Michael Ludwig, particularly on social media, served to promote the initiative.
The influx of extra visitors was a welcome surprise for several museum staff members in Vienna, who spoke with ARTnews. The majority of the visitors were young, English-speaking women, usually between the ages of 18 and 25, who were coming from distant places like China, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Wearing the singer’s concert merchandise, bright concert attire, and armloads of friendship bracelets they planned to exchange with other fans made many of them instantly recognizable.
The Albertina seized the opportunity to give more than 20,000 Swifties free admission between Thursday, August 8, and Sunday, August 11, valued at €19.90 (€15.90 for those under 26). Spokesman Nina Eisterer told ARTnews, “On a normal and regular weekend, we would have, I would say 2,000 a day.” She pointed out that these kinds of visitor numbers are typically for big-name exhibitions like the one for Claude Monet in 2018.
Eisterer stated that she and her coworkers in the marketing department of The Albertina were Swifties themselves, and that the news of the cancellations had personally devastated her and several other people who had planned to attend the concerts. The art museum’s ticketing and security departments were notified on August 6 that more staff would be required after the proposal for free admission was accepted.
Some fans waited outside in the 91°F sun for almost 20 minutes in the Albertina’s line for Swifties. Eisterer remarked, “But there was no fuss about it.”. “People were really friendly. “.
Additionally, the museum changed the soundtracks playing in 20 historical staterooms from classical to Taylor Swift albums, which resulted in numerous group sing-alongs that went viral on TikTok.
“It was really nice to have a Taylor Swift singalong in the state rooms that normally stand for something else,” Eisterer remarked, adding that she had worked for The Albertina for eight years. “I love classical music, I love Mozart, I love Beethoven, I love all these classical artists.”.
Unexpected activity increases were also observed in other institutions. 2,746 Swifties visited the Haus der Musik between August 8 and August 11 in exchange for free admission, which is offered to those under the age of 27 for €13 and adults for €17. This amounted to nearly half of the 5,862 total visitors. Gift shop sales increased by €4,500 ($4,918.88) over the weekend thanks to the singer’s fans.
Between August 9 and August 11, 2,663 Swifties were registered with Mozarthaus Vienna; additional staff members were called in on Saturday and Sunday. A representative for Swifties, Jasmine Wolfram, told ARTnews, “Guided tours in English were spontaneously added due to the large number of Swifties.”.
There were 884 visitors, according to Katharina Murschetz, Mumok’s head of press. According to Eva Grundschober, a representative for Capuchin’s Crypt, “exactly 500 Swifties” took advantage of the complimentary ticket offer. The Jüdisches Museum der Stadt’s chief financial officer, Josef Gaschnitz, added that there were “over 100 percent more” visitors than on typical days. The sales of our bistro and gift shop both increased by about 50%. “.
A number of establishments also reported that staff members gave and traded bracelets with the singer’s tourists while they were in town.
According to multiple sources who spoke with ARTnews, social media was crucial in alerting Swifties to the city’s “extremely last-minute decision” and drawing them to the different museums. Posch, a self-described fan of Taylor Swift, answered, “100%.”. The Austrian National Broadcasting System’s evening news and website placement of it didn’t seem to have any effect, so I believe social media is the only avenue to connect with this audience. These children will not visit the ORF homepage. Social media merely uses the quickest method to reach the audience. Afterward, it becomes viral. “.
The initiative may have temporarily reduced entry fee revenues for museums, but staff members told ARTnews that there were many more advantages, such as increased accessibility for younger visitors, publicity, and merchandise sales.
Although its admission fees can be very costly for young people, Eisterer said, “We didn’t think about the money or the loss of the money at all.”. For us, it was crucial to create a symbol for the concert that had been postponed due to this terrible circumstance, to offer some small comfort and acknowledge that although this was devastating, people should still be aware of it. We can provide you with a little art in Vienna in lieu of the concert, since you are unable to attend. “.
According to Posch, “it’s beneficial for our reputation.”. The reputation of Vienna as a hospitable, kind, and generous city is enhanced by this. And that ultimately has greater value than failing to make these few euros in ticket sales. “.
There were also museums like the Haus of Musik and The Albertina that intended to give Swifties free admission for an additional day or two after the weekend. “If they have the Taylor Swift ticket, we will absolutely still give them free entry,” Posch declared. “There won’t be a discussion—our guests will be here if they didn’t make it over the weekend. “.
