New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed on Friday, July 10th, that globally renowned pop singer Taylor Swift has paid the public safety costs for her wedding in the city.
Grammy-winning singer Taylor Swift, also known as 霉霉 (Mei Mei) in Chinese nickname, tied the knot with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in a grand private wedding held on July 3rd at Madison Square Garden (MSG).
Reportedly, up to 1,000 guests attended the hours-long celebration. The wedding attracted a large crowd, celebrity guests, and onlookers.
The day before, around 100 guests arrived at the Infosys Theater inside Madison Square Garden for a pre-wedding dinner lasting from 6 pm to around 10:30 pm local time.
Amid the spotlight on the wedding, some raised questions about who should bear the significant security costs of hosting a large celebration in the city center.
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis from New York’s 11th District took to social media platform X, stating, “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce should reimburse the New York Police Department (NYPD) for the cost of 130 officers needed to secure their multi-million-dollar, thousand-guest wedding at Madison Square Garden.”
“Our officers have been working overtime for the July 4th Independence Day event, and New York City taxpayers should not foot the bill for this.”
Addressing the issue, Mayor Mamdani stated at a press conference on Friday that the city had deployed a substantial police presence and issued permits for the wedding event, with Taylor Swift paying the related security costs.
He told reporters, “Taylor Swift will be paying… has paid the cost. The permit fees exceeded $160,000 for both the event application and the expenses incurred for the event.”
“I recall that the permit was finalized just a few days before the event took place.”
In the days leading up to the wedding, the NYPD had been deploying officers for traffic management, crowd control, and securing the venue’s surroundings.
Public records show that permits were issued allowing street closures near the venue, setting up canopies or tents, and facilitating the loading and unloading of stage decoration materials at Madison Square Garden.
For weeks, the prominent sports and entertainment venue had been a focal point for preparations for this grand wedding. Delivery trucks, exquisite decorations, catering supplies, and construction workers were seen bustling around, transforming Madison Square Garden into the wedding venue.
Large gatherings involving notable individuals typically require coordination between private security teams and local law enforcement, particularly when expecting large crowds outside the venue and the need to close roads for public safety.
Most of the overtime costs for NYPD officers are covered by the New York City budget. However, organizers of certain private events may be required to compensate the city for costs related to their event permits, traffic control, police deployment, and other municipal services.
The city has not disclosed a detailed breakdown of this payment. Hence, it remains unclear how much of the over $160,000 cost was allocated to permit applications, police services, traffic control, or other operational expenses related to the event.