I went to Swiftogeddon as a non-Swiftie and this is how it went

I’m sorry but you Taylor Swift fans are insane x

12 months ago

The day every Swiftie in Lancaster dreamed about finally came on Saturday – Swiftogeddon at Sugar. I have no doubt everyone had high hopes for it, and the air was buzzing with anticipation in the days leading up to the big event. Now, I’m not what you’d class as a Swiftie: I know half the songs from cooking with my swiftie friends, and I certainly couldn’t tell you what Taylor’s cats are called. Despite this, I was actually excited, not just because it was the weekend before my birthday and it was a night at Sugar guaranteed to be without shit remixes and house music (if you like that, good for you, but it’s not for me), but because I can appreciate a Taylor song when I want to.

While this may not be a special experience, it was genuinely one of the best nights I’ve had at Sugar, and if a non-Swiftie says this, then I definitely think it’s enough to petition for Swiftogeddon to come to Lancaster again.

‘You won’t know any of the songs’

This is along the lines of something my best friend (and possibly the biggest Swiftie I know) said to me leading up to Swiftogeddon. She’d made a Taylor playlist for me to revise, but life had got in the way and I was never in the mood to listen to it. I only had a very basic knowledge of the songs, so it’s understandable she was concerned.

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I wasn’t though — we were going with friends who probably had the same level of knowledge as me, and I’m a big believer in fake it til you make it. It probably helped that I was four quadruple shots of Malibu down by the time we got to Sugar, too. You can definitely tell I was mouthing the words and getting them wrong when I watch back the videos we took, but at least I tried, right?

The absolute chaos

Two of my friends (the bigger Swifties in the group) went absolutely FERAL during each and every song. As songs faded and the next one began, you’d hear them scream in excitement, gearing up their voices to shout the lyrics they knew so well once again. One of them wasn’t even that drunk, but I promise, the crazy look in her eyes would’ve made you think otherwise. I very much felt like telling her “you need to calm down”. But, from the vibe in the room, I know every other massive Swiftie felt exactly the same.

I think at some point this energy infected me, especially as Shake It Off (one of my fave songs, even though I know it’s basic) played just as we were leaving. It was so uplifting to see so many people full of joy, united through the love of Taylor’s music. People were coming up and dancing with us, offering to take pictures of us, and maybe I just don’t go out enough but I’ve never experienced that before.

The EFFORT everyone went to

Obviously this wasn’t any regular night out at Sugar, and people went all out. I felt very underdressed in my black dress (that I was told gave Reputation vibes) in comparison to those in cowboy hats, Folklore cardigans, and someone in Christmas lights as a reference to Christmas Tree Farm. You could tell people had thought meticulously about their outfits, and took joy in it.

There were also Taylor Swift-themed posters all around Sugar, and this just added to the vibe, showing even Sugar went to the effort to look good for Ms Swift. We definitely didn’t steal any to decorate our rooms with.

The horrors I witnessed

Although this was the best Sugar night I’ve been to, it wasn’t without the usual horrors of couples making out and basically shagging in the main room, and I thought it deserved an honourable mention. It proved that couples will still have a “good time” even while Cardigan is blasting. Like yes, I was with my girlfriend, and yes we exchanged a few kisses, but we made sure to pay our respects to Taylor too.

Why Swiftogeddon slayed

Swiftogeddon was one of the best nights I’ve ever been to at Sugar, and the vibes were so positive. I might not be a Swiftie, and maybe I never will be, but I can appreciate her music and I had such a good time. Each song was an absolute banger, and although I’m disappointed they didn’t play Betty while I was there, there was such a good range of eras, which slayed. People went absolutely feral all night long, and it was the longest my friendship group has stayed in Sugar, which must be a testament to Swiftogeddon, right?