Taylor Swift fans spent Saturday night screaming the lyrics to “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space” and “Wildest Dreams” at The Outpost’s release party for (Taylor’s Version) of her album 1989. 

The 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album dropped Friday, and The Outpost Concert Club in Kent blasted the new versions of her songs all night. Attendees were encouraged to dress up in Swift-inspired outfits or other Halloween costumes. 

Gemma Constantine, a freshman exploratory major, was one of the attendees who chose to dress up in a replica of one of Swift’s sparkly concert outfits. 

“I’m a person who just likes to dress up all the time, especially for special events,” Constantine said. “Yeah, I’m the crazy person who went on Amazon and bought this.” 

For Eliana Bennett, a freshman human development/family science major, the best part of the night was spending time with her friends while celebrating Taylor Swift and her community of fans. 

“I love the light show and the nice little dance floor,” Bennett said. “You can see who the super-fans are because they’re doing trivia in between songs.”  

The event was planned through Le Petite Fete, a self-described pop culture-obsessed traveling event company from Florida. This is where co-founder Brittany Gibson works as an event planner. On Saturday, she doubled as the DJ for the night. 

Gibson described DJing at the events as an exciting privilege to her job. She said she especially enjoys DJing for the community that Swift-inspired parties bring in. 

“It’s always a great, safe environment for people to come into,” Gibson said. “There’s no judgment, and the music is just so fun and inspiring, and everybody is here to love Taylor.” 

Gibson said the night was all about celebrating Swift and the friendship and love within the fan community. She also passed out friendship bracelets throughout the night, which have become a staple for attendees of Swift’s Eras Tour to wear and share. 

“It’s really encouraging to see everyone from all walks of life come together,” Gibson said. “It’s just beautiful to watch people come in alone and leave with friends that they have for a lifetime and have groups of friends come in and just bond over the same music.” 

The Outpost hosts events every Thursday, where students from the university can get in free for the first hour, but those under 21 have an additional fee. The venue’s next show, “Ohio Against the World” on Nov. 3, will feature various artists from across Ohio. 

Kayla Gleason is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].