#trending: 'Singapore is winning' — Taylor Swift-themed art trail at Marina Bay Sands has global fans enchanted

SINGAPORE — With American megastar Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour in Singapore set to kick off this Saturday (March 2), excitement among fans has reached a fever pitch. 

Some businesses here have also jumped on the hype train, with several of them organising Taylor Swift-themed events to cater to the hundreds of thousands of fans — or “Swifties” — who are set to descend on the city-state for the singer’s six sold-out concerts here.

The Eras Tour Trail organised by Marina Bay Sands (MBS), in particular, recently caught the attention of international Swifties for its elaborate installations.

The trail features seven photo-worthy art displays, tailor-made to match the unique aesthetics of each of Swift's albums. The singer has released 10 albums so far.

A sneak preview of the trail was shared in a video on Wednesday by TikTok user Teresa C Herman, who expressed amazement at the colourful installations.

The fan who is based in the United States frequently posts content regarding Swift on her TikTok account. She says in the video of the displays: “They set up separate Taylor Swift stations and I’m pretty sure they are photo (opportunities).” 

The first installation in her video features lavender floral arches, illuminated butterflies and a fairytale carriage, presumably in reference to the song Today Was A Fairytale.

She then shows a photo of a large, curved screen displaying the word "Lover" — also the title of Swift’s seventh studio album — against a backdrop of purple and pink.

“It gets better, it gets better,” Ms Herman enthused before flashing a photo of a grand piano enveloped in moss, like the one featured in Swift’s music video for the song Cardigan.

She then goes on to show images of a majestic golden throne in reference to the song Look What You Made Me Do, a pyramid of old television sets to represent the album 1989, as well as a gazebo of fluffy white clouds for the album Midnights.  

“Singapore is winning right now and I cannot wait to see the photos,” Ms Herman says, concluding her video. 

In less than a day, Ms Herman’s video swiftly got more than 337,000 views, 32,000 likes and 650 comments as of Thursday afternoon.

Many viewers were in awe of the installations and praised Singapore for pulling out all the stops.

A TikTok user remarked: “They understood the assignment!”

Another wrote that Singapore is "changing name to Swiftngapore now”, while one viewer quipped: “One thing about Singapore is they never half-*** anything. Go big or go home!”

Singaporean Swifties were equally excited and expressed pride in their country.

One person said, using the slang for going crazy over Swift: “I live here and the island’s gone Tay Tay Cray — loving it!”

Another wrote: “I’m just glad my home country has made an effort to celebrate Taylor. Can’t wait to see her this weekend!”

The installations for The Eras Tour Trail are spread across The Shoppes and Sands Expo and Convention Centre at the integrated resort, and are open to the public for free from now until March 13.

Apart from the trail, visitors may also catch a 14-minute water and light show synchronised to some of Swift’s biggest hits.

MBS' iconic facade will also be illuminated in the colours of the Eras Tour upon nightfall between now and March 7.

Elsewhere, fans eager for a warm-up before the concerts may join a sing-along session at Jewel Changi Airport on Friday.

Even Chinese hot-pot chain Haidilao cannot shake off "Taylormania", offering diners the opportunity to make friendship bracelets for free at its City Square Mall and Bedok Mall outlets.

Swift arrived in Singapore at Seletar Airport on Tuesday to a welcome party of around 60 fans.

She will perform at the National Stadium on March 2 to 4, and March 7 to 9. Singapore is the only Southeast Asian stop on her Eras Tour.