Nearly 200 Swifties of all ages danced the hours away at the East Regional Library in Destrehan on Friday night.
Fans of all ages took part in themed crafts, trivia, food and dancing as part of St. Charles Parish Library’s Taylor Swift Eras Party. The event came about partly due to requests from patrons.
“We hosted a release party for adults when Taylor’s version of her 1989 album was released in October,” Lauren Campo-Pitz, assistant library director, said. “We received a lot of comments and questions about having a Taylor Swift party for all ages when we publicized it.
“We’ve seen a lot of other libraries around the country host Taylor Swift parties, and with the popularity of and excitement surrounding the Taylor Swift Eras tour, we decided to join the fun.”
Staff set up 13 stations throughout the library, all themed to Swift’s music. There was journal decorating, a DIY body glitter station, bejeweled hair clips, a craft where participants could make their own snake using beads and pipe cleaners, and of course, a dance party room with friendship bracelet making.
Maria Bilello, adult programming and outreach librarian, and Ashley Lay, East Regional librarian, coordinated the event.
“For participants who wanted to take a break from all the action, we also had an area where you could color and try your hand at some Taylor Swift trivia,” Campo-Pitz said.
She added that the dance party room was a huge hit, with Swifties requesting their favorite songs and singing along.
“The sleeper hit was the button-making station,” Campo-Pitz said. “We printed lots of different designs and you could pick out what button you wanted to make.”
Overall, 178 people attended with a good mix of ages in attendance.
“We had a lot of families come together, but we also had some adults attend without children and saw a lot of teens and tweens there with their friends,” Campo-Pitz said. “We even had a special group of girls who came out to celebrate a birthday.”
While the library doesn’t have another Taylor Swift event planned anytime soon, Campo-Pitz said they may have one when Swift’s Eras Tour makes its way to New Orleans in October.
Campo-Pitz enjoyed how Swift’s music was able to allow those of all ages to come together to enjoy the library space in a unique way.
“Many people might not think of a Taylor Swift party when they think of the library, but for us, this is one of the many ways we provide free programming to the community,” she said. “Social activities and having fun at the library have just as much value to the parish as our free books and electronic resources.”
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