Taylor Swift Sparks Nationwide Midnight Release Mania

Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, prompted nationwide midnight-release mania on Oct. 3, 2025, with fans lining up for hours at Target and independent record stores from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to Kansas City, Boston, Garner and Los Angeles. Many Target locations extended hours (some until 1 a.m.), handed out numbered tickets or wristbands, and stocked multiple Target-exclusive editions, including a limited “The Crowd Is Your King” Summertime Spritz Pink Shimmer vinyl and several exclusive CD variants. Stores leaned into the event with themed touches and entertainment—era-specific drinks, music and bakery tie-ins—while fans showed up as early as the previous evening to secure copies and plan listening rituals for the digital drop at midnight. Local TV outlets captured the hustle and atmosphere, underscoring the continued size and energy of Swift’s fanbase at physical retail release events.