Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour is making its way across North America, with its next stop at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field for three sold-out shows from May 12-14. To welcome the superstar singer-songwriter, Visit Philadelphia is taking a cue from Swift’s history of philanthropy –and her love for the number 13– by making a $13,000 donation to Rock to the Future – a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization supporting youth development and economic empowerment through free, student-driven music programs for the city’s youth. This contribution supports 13 months of music education for an entire class of students.

"Music education is crucial to the development of young people and supporting safe communities," said Rock to the Future CEO, Jessica Craft. "Unfortunately, many youth lack access to creative opportunities due to funding inequities. With the support of Visit Philadelphia, youth in under-resourced areas will have access to the joys and benefits of Rock to the Future’s transformative music programs."

The donation was announced today on Visit Philadelphia’s social media accounts featuring students from the Rock to the Future program performing a cover of Taylor Swift’s hit song “Style.” To amplify the initiative, Visit Philadelphia has pledged an additional $13,000 to Rock to the Future if the video posts reach a combined 13K likes on TikTok and Instagram. 

Currently, the post on Instagram published three hours ago has 838 likes, while on TikTok it has over 300 likes. 

“As the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection prepares to welcome Taylor Swift for the Eras Tour, Visit Philadelphia wanted to honor the global superstar and her long-standing philanthropic efforts while making a lasting impact on the youth of Philadelphia,” said Visit Philadelphia president and CEO, Angela Val. “What better way to do this than by making a donation to Rock to the Future in support of youth music education in Philadelphia.”

The weekend of the Taylor Swift concert (May 12-14) is expected to be high performing for Philadelphia's tourism industry. Not only will Swift play three back-to-back sold-out shows at Lincoln Financial Field, but it is also the University of Pennsylvania graduation, which is causing significant compression among Center City hotels. According to TravelClick data, Center City hotel occupancy rates are expected to hover around 90% during the weekend, harkening back to pre-pandemic levels: the last time Philadelphia hit that metric in the month of May was Memorial Day Weekend of 2019.

To view the video and help achieve the goal, please visit: @Visit.Philly on TikTok and @VisitPhilly on Instagram. 

“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Visit Philadelphia to welcome Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour to Philadelphia in a meaningful and impactful way,” concluded Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “We hope this effort serves as inspiration for other cities on her tour to give back to their communities as a way to honor Taylor Swift and her fans.”