Super Bowl viewing party for Taylor Swift fans coming to Long Beach
The Pop Star Pop-Up is hosting a Super Bowl viewing party for Swifties. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
The players certainly are “gonna play, play, play” on Feb. 11 when Kansas City takes on the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. So, The Ugly Duckling is inviting folks of all ages and varying knowledge of football down to Long Beach for a viewing party, with a Swiftie twist.
Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, have been making headlines since she started attending his games last fall. Now, fans are hoping she'll fly from her Eras Tour show in Tokyo all the way to Las Vegas to take in the big game.
The bar and restaurant has been hosting a Swift-inspired dining experience known as the Pop Star Pop-Up weekly since December, which features food and drinks named for anthems by the singer and competitive games. For the Super Bowl viewing party, guests pay $60 per person for an appetizer, entree, dessert and game-time snacks. Reservations can be made in advance.
The Taylor Swift-inspired dining experience in Long Beach runs through Feb. 28. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
During commercial breaks and timeouts, there will be trivia and prizes, says Max Feinberg, owner of The Ugly Duckling.
“The questions will intertwine Taylor’s career and the game of football,” he says. Swifties will be put to the test on both their favorite pop star’s career and how many points Kansas City earned after Kelce scored a touchdown in the AFC Championship Game, for example.
The event is for people of all ages, but Feinberg hopes that parents will consider bringing their Swiftie kids.
“We’re cognizant of the fact that there are a lot of young boys and girls that are Taylor fans who aren't necessarily familiar with football,” he says. “So we wanted to do something that was fun and exciting for younger Taylor fans that are now football fans, and also somewhat educational in terms of teaching the game.”
Bingo will also be played throughout the night, with boxes on the card related to the broadcast. For example, mark your card if Swift is shown on screen, or when Kelce makes a catch.
The weekly Swift pop-up at the Ugly Duckling is scheduled to end on Feb. 28. The event was previously slated to run only through December, but the restaurant kept extending it due to popular demand, Feinberg says.
“It was actually a surprise to us when we went with this pop-up theme; we expected 20-somethings to come drink, hang out and listen to music,” he says. “But the audience has been 80% families with little kids.”
Feinberg is looking forward to fans coming together to celebrate the Super Bowl and root for Kansas City to take home “a trophy or a champion ring,” as Swift croons in her song “Willow.” Until then, Swifties are still turning out in droves for the restaurant’s weekly offerings.
“We’re approaching our ten thousandth guest,” Feinberg says. “So it’s been tremendous.”
Super Bowl (Taylor’s Version) watch party at The Ugly Duckling, 906 W. Beech St, Long Beach, 516-208-3383, popstarpopup.com.
Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.
