A major Australian chain of fabric and craft stores has found itself under the spotlight as Taylor Swift fans descend in preparation for her local bout of concerts next year.

Swifties are showcasing their trips to Spotlight stores on social media, as they stock up on beads to make friendship bracelets for Swift’s Eras tour, which is set to hit Australia in February 2024.

While friendship bracelets might seem like a childhood relic, it’s become common practice for fans attending Swift’s concerts to bring along a bunch of homemade friendship bracelets to exchange with each other.

Many celebrity attendees have also gotten in on the action, such as the likes of Halsey, Selena Gomez, Taylor Lautner, Simu Liu, and even Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The new concert tradition was reportedly inspired by the lyrics from the Swift’s 2022 song, You’re On Your Own, Kid: “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.”

One Australian Swiftie said perusing Spotlight’s crafts section for colourful beads made her “feel like a little kid again”.

“I may have gone a little bit overboard, but I am way too excited about making these friendship bracelets and sharing them at the Eras tour,” she said while showing off her colourful haul on TikTok.

Another TikTok user commented, “I may or may not have spent over $100 for beads…the [concert’s] like eight months away but it’s never too early to prepare.”

But some Swifties were late to the party, with several complaining their local Spotlight had already run out of beads.

Others pointed out there are cheaper alternatives to Spotlight’s selection of beads through online websites such as Temu and and eBay.

Swifties’ preparations underway

Friendship bracelets aren’t the only tradition Swift’s fans are preparing for ahead of the singer’s local performances.

Swifties are also organising their outfits months ahead of the scheduled concerts, with an emphasis on dressing to represent one of Swift’s songs, or her ‘eras’ (albums).

Many have taken to social media to show off their prepared outfits, or share outfit inspiration and tips on which stores are stocking the most Eras-tour appropriate apparel.

And along with learning the lyrics to all of the songs on Swift’s massive 44-song setlist, fans will also likely be studying up on fan-made chants that have become popular during Swift’s current and previous tours.

Rather than being a put-off, the levels of preparation that have become customary for Swift’s shows seem to be adding to the excitement for the singer’s shows, which quickly sold out within hours of going on sale in June.

The singer’s Down Under length of the tour is also expected to provide a boost to local economy worth more than $400 million, with 1.7 per cent of the Australian population expected to see Swift perform.