Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding will begin at 5 p.m. Friday and stretch until the early hours of Saturday morning, closing several blocks in the heart of Manhattan during the busy holiday weekend, according to a copy of a city permit obtained by the Associated Press and new details provided by police.The application, titled for a “Special Event at MSG,” was approved Wednesday night by New York City’s permitting office, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.The permit shows 100 guests began arriving at Madison Square Garden at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday for a “pre-party celebration,” which officials described as an intimate rehearsal dinner. On Thursday evening, black sport utility vehicles were seen driving into a tented area, shielding views of who was entering the arena.
A view outside Madison Square Garden ahead of a reported wedding between singer Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce on on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
A full street closure will then go into effect overnight, allowing crews to erect a “drive-through tent” next to a separate “entrance tent,” according to the permit.The “main event” will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, per the application, with the option to continue until 4 a.m. Saturday morning. The party can host up to 1,000 people, records show.Beginning on Friday afternoon, several blocks surrounding the arena will be off-limits to vehicles and partially closed to pedestrians, according to information shared by police on Thursday afternoon.Access to Penn Station — the busiest rail hub in the U.S. sits directly below the arena — will be heavily restricted, with transit users urged to use a separate entrance further from the venue.The approval of the permit comes as city officials and Swift’s representatives have remained silent about the festivities, angering some business owners and residents, who have called for more transparency about a private event that will soak up public resources.An NYPD spokesperson did not respond to a question Thursday about the purpose of the street closures.Behind the scenes, emails obtained by the Associated Press show city officials have been aware of the wedding and its impact on city streets for nearly a month.Taylor Swift fan Aviana Sweeney waits outside Madison Square Garden as preparations continue for Swift’s and NFL player Travis Kelce’s wedding in New York on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
