Taylor Swift Pays NYC Over $160,000 for Wedding Security Amid Criticism

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Friday that Taylor Swift has reimbursed the city more than $160,000 for police and municipal services tied to her July 3 wedding ceremony with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Mamdani stated that Swift had already covered the cost of the city permit and public safety response surrounding the event at Madison Square Garden. “Swift has paid already the cost of the permit that was lodged, which was over $160,000 for that event and for the response to that event,” Mamdani told reporters.

The permit, finalized days before the wedding, authorized street closures around Madison Square Garden on the day prior to the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebration. Several blocks were closed to traffic, and pedestrian access was restricted in some areas.

The celebrity wedding drew criticism after reports that roughly 150 to 200 New York Police Department officers were assigned to the event during a sweltering holiday weekend. One officer reportedly said some police worked shifts lasting up to 30 hours without a break as the department balanced wedding security with Fourth of July festivities.

Representative Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., argued that city taxpayers should not shoulder the cost. In a post on X, she wrote: “Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce should reimburse NYPD for the 130 officers needed per day to keep their multi-million dollar, thousand person wedding at MSG safe.”

“Our officers are already working overtime for 4th of July festivities & NYC taxpayers should NOT be on the hook,” Malliotakis added.

Swift’s supporters countered that the singer had always intended to reimburse the city, a point Mamdani confirmed Friday.

The mayor previously warned that New York would have to limit some large-scale events this summer due to demands from the New York Knicks’ championship run, the FIFA World Cup, and America 250 celebrations. “We have made clear that there would be limitations in terms of what the city would be able to do,” Mamdani said. “However, that would not actually limit New Yorkers’ ability to go to the park, to have a barbecue, to have a lot of the things that were feared about at first.”

Despite these concerns, the city moved forward with security plans for the wedding, which reportedly attracted about 1,000 guests from entertainment, sports, and business circles. Thousands of fans gathered outside Madison Square Garden, where digital billboards displayed the message “JUST&T MARRIED!” after the ceremony.