The New Jersey beach town of Long Beach Island is still abuzz after a celebrity-filled weekend that saw visits from Taylor Swift, Channing Tatum, Zoe Kravitz and more.
The A-list stars flocked to the Jersey Shore destination for the wedding of music producer Jack Antonoff and actress Margaret Qualley. Their presence sparked huge excitement among local residents and fans.
On Friday, August 18th, Swift was briefly spotted walking into the Black Whale Bar & Fish House in the LBI community of Beach Haven. Her appearance instantly drew crowds of cheering fans, with resident Ruth Hawthorne estimating thousands of thrilled teens gathered outside hoping to see the pop superstar.
“It was very exciting. Unexpected,” Hawthorne said of the Swift sighting. “I thought it was a rumor of Taylor Swift coming to town, but she was here in our backyard, literally in our backyard.”
Eyewitnesses described Swift’s fans quickly flooding the streets near the restaurant once word of her arrival spread. Anthony Cirillo, who lives across from the bar, said that despite not seeing Swift himself, he was amazed by how rapidly families around LBI hurried to the scene after the singer was spotted.
“Once the Taylor sighting got public, news spreads fast,” Cirillo remarked. “Cars were backing up, and kids were piling up everywhere.”
In addition to the Black Whale, Swift and the other celebrities hit up wedding events at two other local venues – Parker’s Garage and Bird and Betty’s, which are all located along the same street.
Representatives for the three restaurants have not yet responded to requests for comment about hosting the A-list nuptials. But local resident Hawthorne said LBI should embrace its newfound reputation as a celebrity hotspot.
“They could get married anywhere in the world, these people, and they picked LBI,” she emphasized. “So, to me, that was my amazement was when you can do anything, anywhere, and they chose to do it here. We’re pretty lucky. We’re in a special spot.”
Beyond Swift, Antonoff and Qualley’s wedding brought several other big name stars to the island, including Tatum, Kravitz, Cara Delevingne, and Lana Del Rey.
It provided a major celebrity boost for the Jersey Shore town. And it seems Swift’s brief public appearance outside the Black Whale created the biggest frenzy, with crowds of cheering fans rapidly descending on the area.
Swift just finished the U.S. leg of her Eras Tour, which broke records as the highest-grossing tour in history by a female artist. She is currently taking a break before the tour heads to Europe in early 2023.
So for Swift to make time to attend her friends’ Shore wedding after months on the road showed she wanted to celebrate their big day.
Her A-list pals joining the occasion also proved the strength of Antonoff and Qualley’s celebrity social circle. The guest list read like a who’s who of young Hollywood stars and music world cool kids.
While Swift’s public sighting sparked mania, she and the other celebrities primarily stayed under the radar as they enjoyed the wedding festivities in Beach Haven. But their presence alone was enough to create major excitement across Long Beach Island.
After hosting huge stars like Swift and Tatum, the island is now looking to capitalize on its raised profile. Though just a short ride from the mainland, LBI suddenly finds itself put on the map as a hip celebrity destination.
Moving forward, local businesses and tourism officials hope to continue leveraging the splash caused by last weekend’s A-list invasion. With warm months left before the end of beach season, there’s still ample time for more stars to uncover the Shore town’s charms.
The restaurants involved with the Antonoff-Qualley wedding may look to tout their new celebrity cache and status as a top venue choice. And if more big names flock there in the future, LBI could see a long-term boost thanks to its unlikely brush with fame.
At the very least, Swift and company’s Jersey Shore jaunt gave the small island community an unforgettable and exciting moment in the spotlight. For years to come, residents will fondly remember the summer Taylor Swift took over their sleepy beach town, even if just for one stunning whirlwind weekend.
