Disappointed Taylor Swift fans who travelled to Vienna for cancelled concert get free entry to landmarks and club nights, merchandise and even Swarovski crystals

Devastated Taylor Swift fans who had travelled to Vienna for the popstar’s cancelled concerts are being granted a series of freebies to cope with the disappointment. 

The star had been due to perform three concerts at the Ernst Happel Stadium over the weekend before shocking news emerged that police had foiled an Islamist terror attack on the shows. 

Many Swifties – the term given to Taylor’s fans – had travelled across Europe and from the US to see her perform, and thousands had been left out of pocket after booking hotels and transport.

The singer is renowned for ‘never cancelling a show’ and performing even in the pouring rain so the unexpected disappointment left fans gutted. 

But the city has come together ever since the news broke to offer Swifties a series of exciting freebies, including free entries to venues, free meals and even a Swarovski crystal. 

Disappointed Taylor Swift fans who had travelled to Vienna have been offered a series of freebies during their stay in the city. Pictured: The entrance to the Albertina Museum

Disappointed Swifties have vowed to ‘shake it off’ – a nod to the American singer’s 2014 track – with defiant fans taking to the streets of the Austrian capital to make the most of things.

Pictures show scores of fans wearing their elaborate concert outfits and friendship bracelets meeting and dancing in the city, while Swift-themed events have also been put on at clubs and other venues to try to make up for the cancellation.

The Swarovski Kristallwelten store even offered fans a ‘crystal surprise’ upon displaying a valid ticket, delighting fans. 

Swifties have also been offered free entry to some of the city’s most famous attractions, including Mozart’s house, the House of Music, KunstHausWien, the Jewish Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts. 

Meanwhile the Albertina Museum, the biggest museum of modern art in central Europe, is offering free access to its museums over the weekend. 

The site even had ‘Welcome Swifties’ displayed on their ticket board, while tickets would usually be priced at €19.90. 

The Swarovski Kristallwelten store even offered fans a ‘crystal surprise’ upon displaying a valid ticket, delighting fans

Swifties can get a free Taylor-inspired drink at the Golden Harp in Vienna inspired by her songs

The star had been due to perform three concerts at the Ernst Happel Stadium over the weekend before shocking news emerged that police had foiled an Islamist terror attack

Museum staff had also made some friendship bracelets, which are a common sight at Eras Tour concerts, and enticed fans by comparing artworks by Monet and Picasso to each of Taylor’s Eras. 

For Swifties who are keen to party away their woes, they can enjoy free entry to U4 Club, saving €10-12 on a ticket. 

The venue wrote on Instagram: ‘This is really s***** for many people, whether they are visitors who have been looking forward to it for ages or for everyone who worked for the event.’ 

They can also enjoy a free Taylor-inspired drink at Golden Harp Vienna when showing a ticket. 

The Irish pub has created 11 signature drinks, including the ‘Mr Perfectly Fine’, ‘Wonderland’ and the ‘All Too Well’. 

It has also prepared friendship making kits and will host singalong events on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a pub quiz on Friday. 

The Albertina Museum has gone all out and has even made some friendship bracelets

Museum staff even compared some of their best known artworks to Taylor’s ‘eras’, including 1989 and folklore

Cineplexx meanwhile are offering a free bucket of popcorn and a Taylor Swift goodie

Vienna’s U4 club says it is offering free entry to all ticket-holders

U4 Vienna are hosting three nights of Swiftie singalongs and offering free entry

Le Burger World are offering a free burger to those with a valid Eras Tour ticket

And for fans who prefer a more chilled night, Cineplexx is offering Swifties a free Taylor Swift goodie and a bucket of popcorn, even without purchasing a cinema ticket. 

Le Burger World is also offering a free burger to those with a valid Eras Tour ticket.  

Fans will likely be heartened after a statement emerged from a source close to Swift saying she hopes to return to Vienna ‘as soon as possible in the future’.

‘She is very conscious of how disappointed her fans in Austria are,’ the insider told The Mirror.

But as news broke of the cancellation last night, Swifties took to social media to express their upset, lamenting months of preparation for the performance.

Many spent thousands of euros on travel, hotels and food in one of the most expensive European capitals.

Swifties trade bracelets in the city centre in Vienna

Fans were still smiling today and wearing their concert outfits despite the shows being cancelled

Swift fan Jenny, who is from Vienna, trades bracelets in the city centre

Many spent thousands of euros on travel, hotels and food in one of the most expensive European capitals

Fans of US singer Taylor Swift – swifties – fix their beaded bracelets at the Swiftie Tree in Cornelius Strasse street in Vienna

One mother said: ‘I’m shocked and at the same time glad that they found out. We would have been there tomorrow. My little daughter is crying so bitterly.’ 

Annmarie Timmins, a journalist who traveled from the United States for Thursday’s show, said she and her husband were waiting for the subway after dinner when they heard the news.

‘I can’t even believe it,’ she said. ‘There was a girl with her mom who looked so sad – even more than me. I gave her one of my bracelets. I wanted to hug her.’

For Fredrikke Blekastad, a Swift fan from Norway, it was the second time she tried to attend a concert. The first time, it was canceled because of the pandemic.

‘We had planned to get up really early, stand in line and get to the very front and see her,’ Blekastad told Norwegian broadcaster NRK, but ‘nothing will come of it either.’

Other Norwegian fans, Jenny Moltubakk and Marie Hov Aanæs, told NRK about their disappointment.

Taylor Swift fans ‘shake it off’ in the streets of Vienna after the concert is cancelled

Swifties trade bracelets in the city centre in Vienna

Fans were seen strumming guitars and singing along together

‘At first we were in shock when we saw the message, I didn’t really believe it,’ Moltubakk told the broadcaster. ‘It’s very strange when something you’ve been looking forward to for a whole year is suddenly canceled.’

‘I am very disappointed, to be honest, but I understand that safety is the most important thing,’ she added.

Aanæs said that ‘we must ‘Shake It Off,’… Actually, we are just very grateful that security was tightened enough for them to unravel this,’ Aanæs told NRK.

Police arrested the 19-year-old who allegedly plotted the foiled attack on Wednesday morning. His accomplice, aged 17, was detained in the afternoon. Authorities say both suspects appear to have been inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida. 

Concert organizers in Austria said they had expected up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium at each concert and as many as 30,000 onlookers outside, where authorities said the suspects planned to strike. 

The foiled attack was planned for Thursday or Friday, according to Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner.

The main suspect confessed – identified as ISIS fanatic Beran A. – that he had started planning the attack in July, authorities said. 

Concert organiser Barracuda Music said in an Instagram post late Wednesday that it had ‘no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.’

Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans flooded the streets of Vienna yesterday to unite in song after the Austrian leg of the singer’s sold-out Eras Tour was cancelled over an ISIS terrorism plot

Swifties trade friendship bracelets in the city centre in Vienna on Thursday, Aug.8, 2024

Barracuda said all tickets would be refunded. The same message was posted under the Vienna dates on Swift’s official website. Austrian rail operator OeBB in the meantime said that it would reimburse fans for unused train tickets for the concerts.

Swift has not spoken publicly about the plot or cancelled shows. ‘Taylor Nation,’ a verified Instagram page widely believed to be run by her team, reposted the announcement from Barracuda Music in a ‘story,’ which is only visible for 24 hours. Her main account has not posted anything.

Swift’s biggest fear has always been that such large-scale violence could take place at her concerts, the superstar told Elle magazine in 2019 ahead of her Lover Tour, which was ultimately cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The attack at Ariana Grande’s concert at Manchester Arena in 2017, as well as a mass shooting at an outdoor country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip that same year that saw 58 people were killed, worried Swift as she prepared to circle the globe.

‘I was completely terrified to go on (the Lover Tour) this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,’ she told the magazine. ‘There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.’