SINGAPORE — Taylor Swift fans aged 13 to 35 get a chance this weekend to win one ticket to watch her in concert here, along with a political office-holder as concert companion, that is.
Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State of Communications and Information, will be attending the concert with the winner.
To score a seat at the concert that will be held at the National Stadium in March next year, these younger set of fans will have to go through a few hoops.
First, they have to be registered youth participants at the “first youth festival in the east” on Saturday (Nov 4). The inaugural Heartware-East Coast Youth Festival, organised by youth-focused charity Heartware Network, is set to take place at an open field in front of Block 131 Bedok North Avenue 3.
Then, youth attendees who have pre-registered for the event via a Google Form by Friday will each be given a bingo card to complete at the festival. The link to the form was put up on Heartware Network’s social media accounts such as Instagram and TikTok.
Once completed, the bingo cards will be entered into a lucky draw where the grand prize will be a VIP seat with Mr Tan at the Taylor Swift concert.
The Eras Tour global concert series by the American singer-songwriter is sold out for its Singapore stop where there are six shows from March 2 to 9.
When asked about the design of the grand lucky draw prize, Heartware Network said that it chose a Taylor Swift concert ticket as a prize because she is “quite an icon for the youth”.
Going to watch the concert with Mr Tan is also in line with the “youth engagement” that Heartware Network has been doing in collaboration with him. Mr Tan has partnered its programmes in his capacity as Member of Parliament (MP) for East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC).
“We wanted it to be something meaningful, as an engagement opportunity with Mr Tan himself,” Heartware Network said.
Established in 2000, the registered society and charity seeks to instil positive values and build strong character in youth aged 14 to 35. It launched the Heartware-East Sustainable Youth Leadership Development Programme in November last year.
The programme has since trained more than 200 youth leaders who engage the residents and merchants in East Coast through a range of projects aimed at benefitting seniors, children and sustainability initiatives.
Young attendees aged 13 to 35 who pre-register via the Google Form will be able to gain early-bird perks such as event coupons and the chance to take part in the lucky draw at this Saturday’s festival.
However, the event is open to attendees of all ages, as well as those who walk in without having pre-registered.
Youth participants will be able to explore career options and opportunities by the festival’s industry partners such as Mediacorp and the Singapore Police Force, and they may take part in games and activities at creative art-and-craft booths.
The festival will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is guest-of-honour and also MP of East Coast GRC.
Other East Coast GRC MPs including Mr Maliki Osman and Ms Cheryl Chan will also be there.
The festival will be run by more than 100 youth volunteer leaders from the Heartware-East Sustainable Youth Leadership Development Programme launched by Mr Heng last year.
This is not the first time that tickets to Swift’s much-anticipated concert have been offered as an incentive for event participation or purchases made at businesses here.
Some examples include Artistra Studio, a sneakers art jamming studio along Beach Road, which organised a giveaway in July for a pair of tickets for those who “liked” a TikTok video on its account. The video has since attracted more than 3,000 likes to date.
Singyan, a company selling birds’ nest products, is offering a pair of Category 1 tickets worth S$717 for anyone who places an order via its website and follows its Instagram account by Nov 30.
Separately, bank cardholders of Frank by OCBC stand to win tickets to a screening of the concert film titled Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour at Golden Village cinema in VivoCity mall on Nov 4.
The bank is giving away free tickets to the film to the first 300 Frank by OCBC cardholders who turn up and queue at the Golden Village cinema there that day.
There was already a giveaway on the Frank by OCBC Instagram account for more free tickets to the screening, which ended on Tuesday.