Taylor Swift will receive a special welcome in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday night with a projection on the city’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue as she continues the Latin American leg of her Eras Tour in Brazil.
Mayor Eduardo Paes confirmed that a projection would be displayed on the statue Thursday — and compared the impact of the singer-songwriter’s arrival to the likes of singers Michael Jackson and Madonna.
“We will properly honor Taylor Swift and her arrival to carioca territory tonight,” he said in a video posted on X, using a term that refers to the state and the people of Rio de Janeiro. “Welcome, Taylor Swift.”
Swift is scheduled to play three shows at the city’s Nilton Santos stadium starting Friday, followed by three more shows in São Paulo next weekend.
The mayor’s announcement comes after an online movement from fans who pleaded for Omar Raposo, rector of the sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer, to project a shirt from one of Swift’s music videos onto the statue upon her arrival, according to the Brazilian outlet Globo.
Raposo agreed, but only if Swifties managed to donate 20,000 units of panettone, a sweet bread eaten at Christmas, and clean water as part of a fundraiser to support local charities for the Holy See’s World Day of the Poor, Globo reported.
Christ the Redeemer frequently projects messages or visuals in support of social and cultural causes. In July, the statue displayed a clock symbolizing the urgent state of the climate crisis. And in 2020, an array of flags of countries impacted by the coronavirus pandemic was displayed.
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