I’m quite a chill Swiftie, so I usually try to shy away from Swiftie drama, preferring to post thesis-length analyses of her new albums or get Taylor Swift lyrics tattooed permanently on my skin. But this time, I couldn’t stay quiet. While I had grown used to the outside world trying to scam Swifties with $7000 Eras resale tickets, I believed in the community of Swifties. That faith is shaken by the New Orleans “Holiday House” drama.
Rebecca Fox enticed hundreds of Swifties to participate in a weekend-long event around the Eras Tour in New Orleans. What initially started as booking 191 hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn transformed into a complete convention, dubbed the “Holiday House,” leaving Swifties short thousands of dollars. Is this the Swiftie equivalent of Fyre Festival, where Rebecca dreamed too big and couldn’t deliver? Is she the Anna Delvey of the Eras Tour, intentionally scamming her fellow fans out of their hard-earned money? Or is she a new kind of fanatic, desperate for the fame and attention of her favorite star, and losing herself in the ambition and greed of her Facebook cult? I decided to find out.
The Taylor Swift New Orleans “Holiday House” Drama Explained
Who is Rebecca Fox?
Before all of this, Rebecca Fox was just a huge fan of Taylor Swift. She saw Taylor live in Phoenix, although she spent less than 24 hours there due to how expensive everything was. This is apparently what inspired her ambitions to change Swiftie’s experience in the New Orleans leg of the tour. But things went very wrong, and proved once again that “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.”
What is “Holiday House”?
This drama started a year ago before Taylor had even announced the second North American leg of the tour. Rebecca claimed she just had a feeling her favorite singer would be stopping in New Orleans, where she was living. She supposedly had connections around the city, so she called the Superdome to inquire about a possible Eras Tour performance.
“[The stadium’s] response was so cagey that I kind of knew immediately that there was something that they were not saying,” Rebecca explained to People. “And so I started making plans to make the hotel block.”
She claims this was out of love for her fellow fans, wanting to snatch up rooms before the prices quadrupled. Initially, Rebecca booked 20 rooms at the Hyatt Regency next to the stadium. But her plans kept growing, until they didn’t have any more rooms to accommodate Rebecca’s requests. So she moved her bookings to the Holiday Inn and confirmed 191 rooms. Supposedly, Rebecca didn’t upcharge them, and visitors paid the $500 for the room with only an additional $25 deposit fee.
“I fought really, really, really hard for every single room and every single person and just so it’s entirely clear, I’ve done this all at cost,” Rebecca stated.
From there, the plans grew into a full convention for the weekend of October 24th to 28th, including bracelet-making sessions, scavenger hunts, a pool party, and special prizes. Over 1,200 Swifties attended the various events.
And so, the Swiftie convention of “Holiday House” was born. The name is inspired by the lyrics of “the last great american dynasty,” a Folklore track, and refers to the home built by another infamous Rebecca.
What happened on the Facebook group?
This convention was run through a Facebook group called “Eras Tour New Orleans 2024 Holiday House Information,” where Rebecca would post updates or individuals could ask questions. However, screenshots shared by users on social media demonstrate that Rebecca took her leadership role very seriously.
@jump4js #erastour #holidayhousetaylorswift #friendshipbraceletproject #taylorswift ♬ original sound – JS
In a TikTok video, user Julia (@jump4js) shared her issues with room changes and her fear of voicing this dissatisfaction, as she might lose her room. This was a daunting prospect, with New Orleans hotels booked solid for the weekend.
In a thread shared on X, Sydni (@foolishlysydni) shared various screenshots from the Facebook group, demonstrating that Rebecca’s behavior grew more erratic. She became agitated when people would mention other events in New Orleans, allegedly refused to offer refunds unless the Eras Tour ticket was gifted to her, and responded curtly to people airing complaints.
Hannah (@hannahcabanas) shared a full thread of the issues present during the weekend.
But the real cherry on top was when she shared a petition for her to receive the 22 hat at the concert. Please note for any non-Swifties who may have stumbled upon this article: the hat is always gifted to a child at the concert who gets to hug Taylor.
Rebecca asked people to sign the petition for her to be that lucky child, given her dedication to the Swiftie community. But then a mom of a child who had survived cancer asked people in the group to support their child getting the hat, and Rebecca did not like that. “I’m sorry everybody’s kid is cute. Everybody’s kid has problems. Every family has illness like fuck,” she wrote in a group chat with other admins.
Why is everyone mad about “Holiday House”?
Aside from the strong-willed leadership, many issues arose during the Swiftie weekend. Firstly, visitors noticed Rebecca managed to go all three nights of the tour, and it was RUMORED that two of those tickets came from the ones individuals had to provide to get a refund on their room. Rebecca disagreed with this and claimed that one night, she was traded for rooms, that she paid for the suite herself, and that she “had to go as [she] was responsible for the other people in the suite.”
Secondly, the events were not as promised and soon there was “Bad Blood.” Visitors claim the YNTCD Pool Party, which cost $50 for guests and $75 for non-guests, was just a pool with a few small decorations — one balloon arch lol. The appetizers advertised were a few defrosted snacks quickly snatched up, and the only music came from a small speaker provided by a guest. Organizers had promised a DJ for the event, but DJ Warm Advice has since shared screenshots showing she was ghosted by Rebecca.
The Breakfast at Midnight cost $45 and $55 and appeared to be very similar to a complimentary hotel breakfast. The Friendship Bracelet Making Party apparently included a small standard set of beads, only one pair of scissors, and a long line to wait. Rebecca had promised unique beads, which were nowhere to be found.
Some visitors had forked out for the All Access Pass ($550 and $750) or even the VIP Package ($1000 and $1250) and were severely disappointed. Rebecca had promised incredible prizes, such as a signed guitar, Eras Tour tickets, and VIP merch boxes. Some guests claim these were never handed out, but this is unconfirmed.
Did Rebecca intend to scam guests?
I think very few people go into these situations intending to scam their guests. I believe Rebecca started this endeavor with her claimed good intentions and yeah, perhaps to make some money along the way. As if the entire Eras Tour isn’t a money-making treasure chest for hotels, restaurants, Etsy sellers, craft stores, and even Taylor herself.
Rebecca feels a comparison to Fyre Festival is unwarranted, saying, “I don’t think the Fyre Festival comparisons are fair or warranted, those people paid like $20,000 each to be stranded on an island for three days with no running water, toilets, or beds. We all had accommodations, we all had a place to stay, we were all together.”
But I think this is actually a very accurate way of explaining how this event got out of hand. While visitors likely paid $2,000-$5,000, they also earn far less than Kendall Jenner and other celebs of Fyre Festival, so if we look relatively, it’s a similar amount to lose. Fyre Festival also started with the right intentions but got way out of hand, like “Holiday House” seemed to. Like Fyre Festival organizer Billy McFarland, it looks like power and fame clouded her judgment. Rebecca was interviewed by People magazine, attempting to get the 22 hat, and probably desperately hoping to meet her idol out of this. That’s not malicious intent, but it’s not as selfless as she perhaps portrayed it to be.
🚨 REBECCA POSTED STATMENT ABOUT THE SITUATION AT HAND
— sydni ⸆⸉ ♡ || heard HAUNTED🦇✨ (@foolishlysydni) October 31, 2024
In her “apology,” Rebecca claimed she was in debt on the event. This was also mentioned a few days prior when she asked for last-minute donations from those attending. Rebecca shirked responsibility by claiming the hotel overcharged them $17,000 and other “Really, really big things that happened that nobody knows about.” She urged members to stop filing disputes on her Paypal and Venmo, as her accounts would be shut down. She promises that she “will make this right.”
Rebecca does not deserve the death threats she has supposedly received, but she also doesn’t deserve to have made a profit off of this enterprise. I think this can act as a lesson to all Swifties, just because something uses our messiah’s name or an image of her, that doesn’t mean it will be a good event or worth your money. Focus on our girlie’s music, maybe get an Etsy jumper with an embroidered quote, and leave it there. Save your money for Eras Tour tickets purchased directly from Ticketmaster, and don’t find yourself in another cult like the “Holiday House.”
