How Taylor Swift rang in her 35th birthday on December 13 remains a mystery: Many assumed that photos of a bash in Swift’s honor posted to fellow Kansas City Chiefs WAG Brittany Mahomes’ Instagram account Wednesday were a birthday celebration, but a source with knowledge confirms to Vanity Fair that it was, in fact, a surprise congratulations party to mark the end of Swift’s Eras Tour Era. Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, played host for his superstar girlfriend, gathering friends and family to toast Swift completing the 149-show, 21-month, record-shattering global tour.
Yes, Swift got applause from swarms of folks dressed up like her at each of those hundred-plus dates around the world, but this time she didn’t have to sing and dance for over three hours to earn it. Plus, birthdays roll around every year without any active effort on the birthday-haver’s part. Pulling off the highest-grossing tour in history (which, at nearly $2.1 billion, raked in roughly twice as much money as the act in the No. 2 slot, Coldplay) took more than a little bit of hard work.
Guests were encouraged to show up at the Kansas City venue decked out in their Eras finery. Kelce himself recreated the look he wore for his London Eras Tour onstage cameo in June, donning the “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” tails getup that immediately became one of the fashion-savvy Kelce’s most iconic ‘fits of the year. Kelce’s teammate and close pal, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, twinned in his own version of the look. Mahomes’ wife, Brittany, chose a sparkly fringed minidress and bedazzled cowboy boots to represent Swift’s Fearless costuming. Ashley Avignone RSVPed and made a note that the event was BYOS (Bring Your Own Snake), draping a replica reptile around her neck to rep the Reputation era, while fellow WAG Lyndsay Bell was pretty in pink in a Lover-coded look.
Travis’ mom, Donna Kelce, is seen in photos cutting it up on the dance floor in coordinating maroon pants and a top, and teammate Ross Travis struck one of Swift’s signature onstage poses next to the couple in photos he posted to Instagram, using a pink bedazzled mic (perfectly matching his festive pink suit) as a prop.
Swift herself donned a black Balenciaga minidress with a sparkly halter detail for the party, grinning in photos with her signature red lipstick. The venue was decked out with theme details: A giant retro-style light-up sign spelled out “ERA,” and revelers including Swift wore beaded friendship bracelets and light-up bracelets like the ones used for effect at the Eras Tour shows. In photos, it also appears that the party had a themed drink menu.
Travis Kelce is shown holding a microphone and making a speech in photos. It makes sense that the tour would hold a special place in his heart: Not only was it a history-making achievement in his girlfriend’s career, it’s also an essential part of the couple’s origin story. In July 2023, Kelce attended a concert stop in Kansas City and tried and failed to meet Swift and give her a bracelet he’d strung with his phone number. He complained on New Heights, the podcast he co-hosts with brother Jason Kelce, about being “butt-hurt” that he didn’t get to meet the singer, and the comments apparently got Swift’s attention somehow.
“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” Swift said in an interview. “We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other.”
And there you have it: The best possible outcome of “how it started vs. how it’s going” to bring us into 2025.
