Estimating the Impact of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour on Local Air Quality

ABSTRACT Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is the highest‐grossing concert tour in history, with the average attendance of each concert exceeding that of the Super Bowl. While host cities largely welcome the economic activity that accompanies these events, a noted potential drawback is the effect on local air quality. This paper uses air quality data from the Environmental Protection Agency to analyze the impact of concerts on ozone and PM2.5 concentrations within 10 miles of concert venues. We find that, relative to baseline levels, Eras Tour concerts were associated with statistically and economically significant increases in ozone and PM2.5 concentrations that began before and persisted after the concert day. Air quality on concert days is also found to be twice as likely to be categorized as “unhealthy for sensitive populations,” a category that includes children. The increase in pollution associated with these events exceeds, on average that of any documented large‐scale sporting event. This finding contributes to the growing recognition of the broader environmental externalities associated with large public gatherings.