New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani said Friday that Taylor Swift paid the city $160,000 for the police permit required to officiate her July 3 Madison Square Gardens wedding to Travis Kelce.
“Taylor Swift will pay… she has already paid the cost of the permit that was submitted, which was over $160,000 for this event and to respond to this event. Taylor Swift will pay…
The journalist went on to ask for clarification if that number was just for the permit fee or if it included NYPD overtime costs, and Mamdani said it was for the permit fee, leaving open the possibility that there could be additional costs to the city.
The cost of the New York Police Department to manage Thursday night’s wedding and rehearsal dinner was estimated at about $160,000, and Mandani confirmed that Swift has reimbursed the city for that bill. The mayor’s comments followed criticism over taxpayers having to pay for police security around the couple’s wedding in New York City.
Media reports indicated that the cost of the multi-day wedding amounted to about $15 million, including police security costs borne by taxpayers. The superstar singer-songwriter and her tight end NFL beau celebrated their nuptials with about 1,000 celebrity guests at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan on July 3, which required street closures and crowd control by New York City police.
Mamdani told reporters that the wedding’s private event application was approved by the New York City permit office just two days before the event itself, and that Swift has now covered the permit costs.
@NYCMayor Mamdani on Taylor Swift paying the NYPD for police overtime during her wedding: “Taylor Swift will pay…she’s already paid the cost of the permit that was filed, which was over $160,000 for that event and for the response to that event.” pic.twitter.com/rlYhUmi9AS
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 10, 2026
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