New Yorkers outraged over 'selfish' Taylor Swift wedding that will shut down Penn Station AND Midtown as everyone tries to escape sweltering July 4 heat

By SHAWN COHEN, US SENIOR REPORTER and KELLY GARINO Published: 17:50, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 17:59, 2 July 2026 Taylor Swift’s wedding extravaganza in the heart of Manhattan is facing the heat - from both sweltering temperatures and the cops ordered to police the event. With the mercury expected to hit 100F in the city for the first time since 2012, NYPD officers are being pulled from other duties on an already busy holiday weekend. ‘It's the 250th anniversary of the United States of America,’ one detective fumed. 'The NYPD should be watching out for terrorists. A wedding should be last thing the NYPD should be worried about.' ‘I understand to an extent that Taylor Swift may need a uniformed detail,’ another official told the Daily Mail. 'But now, detectives and supervisors need to come off investigative assignments to stand around Madison Square Garden so she can get married.’ The NYPD put out an order to commands throughout the city to work uniformed details starting Thursday afternoon with the 'Taylor Swift wedding rehearsal’. Additional details were assigned for Friday morning into the night. ‘Hundreds of cops are going to be reassigned from today until the wee hours of Saturday morning to cover her wedding at the garden,’ the official said. ‘No one is investigating anything.' The NYPD has not provided specific numbers, or estimated costs. The Daily Mail has reached out to the NYPD, mayor’s office and Swift’s spokeswoman for comment. A beefed up police force outside MSG proved necessary last month when the Knicks won the NBA championship there, triggering destructive chaos on the streets and mass arrests. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are shutting down Midtown Manhattan ahead of their wedding ceremony. The two have gripped headlines for years, including when Swift was seen on the field with Kelce at the AFC Championship Game on January 26, 2025 New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that a detail will be assigned to Madison Square Garden, adding to the mounting speculation that Kelce and Swift will wed this Friday at the venue  Police were seen setting up barricades outside the venue on Thursday morning  Truckloads of equipment have been unloaded at MSG this week, with objects spotted including boxes of lobster, trees and other shrubbery While cops do not necessarily expect riots at a wedding, many see Swift and her fiancé Travis Kelce’s decision to hold their wedding near bustling Herald Square during July 4 Semiquincentennial weekend as an unnecessary risk. 'I’m sure some of her fans will be worse than the Knicks fans after the championship—but I mean knowing all this why would you have this gigantic wedding in MSG?’ the official sniffed. 'Doesn’t make much sense. ‘ The detective called the police detail a waste of taxpayers' money' and 'definitely unnecessary.' 'This is why our overtime budget is out of this world,’ the officer told the Daily Mail. 'MSG have their own private security,' he said. ‘And she could hire private security for her wedding. Taxpayers should not be footing the bill for a Taylor Swift wedding.’ But with the perhaps ill-advised event now a reality, many recognized the need for the NYPD to step up. Outside Madison Square Garden, the operation is impossible to ignore, with dozens of officers starting to appear all around the stadium. Road closures have caused frustration for commuters and New Yorkers alike, as Swifties have also descended on the arena in droves. Across town in Tribeca, Swift's $50 million townhouse has become its own security operation, with multiple SUVs parked outside the property around the clock. On Thursday morning, an marked NYPD patrol car was also seen parked outside the property as the celebrations start to ramp up.    The dress code for the rehearsal dinner is 'cocktail attire,' a source said, with only family members and close friends expected to attend at MSG's smaller Infosys Theater.  On Thursday morning, Madison Square Garden was barricaded, and the surroundings were eerily quiet in anticipation of the big bash.  Three large trucks were unloaded, but the objects inside were covered, adding to the mystery of the Swift-Kelce wedding.  Even though Swift has a notorious fanbase, barely any Swifties camped in anticipation of seeing the pop star.  Two separate deployments of cops scheduled to guard Friday's revelries will report to MSG at 2.45pm ET, with a third deployment following 30 minutes later. This suggests that 3.15pm is when the busiest or most crucial part of the ceremony will be taking place. A total of 139 officers have been assigned to oversee the monster bash, including five lieutenants and 14 sergeants, according to the Daily Mail's sources. Over 1,000 guests are expected to attend on Friday, with celebrations running into the early hours.  Security posts around MSG were erected earlier this week and special 'cooling stations' have been set up to allow cops periods of air-conditioning. Around 15 National Guardsmen were seen outside a VIP entrance to MSG on Wednesday, with members of Swift's own security team also present. Truckloads of equipment have been arriving at all hours in recent days. On Tuesday, 'carpenters' in T-shirts bearing the logo of Swift's 2011 Speak Now world tour were photographed driving forklift trucks, sending fans into a frenzy. Then on Wednesday, two enormous semis were carefully parked to block the view of one entrance to the Garden. Another loading dock has been covered by a black tarp. Boxes of lobster, trees and other shrubbery, as well as a sewing machine, have also been hauled into MSG. The massive undertaking comes as the city is under an extreme heat advisory and has been warned to conserve energy.  Two European tourists, Jaroslav Cerny, 40, and Patrick Palivka, told the Daily Mail outside of the venue that they could not 'imagine how the rest of the city is feeling' amid the madness.  The event is expected to have the hottest guest list, with celebrities already seen flocking to the Big Apple.  British TV host Graham Norton was spotted at John F Kennedy Airport on Wednesday with his husband.  Phoebe Waller-Bridge was also spotted arriving at the airport on Wednesday, accompanied by family. And Dua Lipa was among those already in the Big Apple. Ed Sheeran was seen dining with Swift's longtime collaborator Aaron Dessner at Buona Sera on the Lake in Malta, upstate New York, on Tuesday, just hours from the city.  Swift and Kelce have enforced a strict 'no ring, no bring' policy for the celebration – meaning only married or engaged guests are permitted to bring a date.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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