Floyd Cush
Reporting from New York City

We’ve hit the reported start time of the festivities of 17:00 EST (22:00 BST) and SUVs are still lined up along 7th Avenue waiting to drop off guests at Madison Square Garden.

Some guests rolled down their tinted windows to capture the media spectacle here and others ditched their rides and walked up to the venue.

The sun has finally dipped beneath a skyscraper giving us a small reprieve from the scorching temperatures.

Sakshi Venkatraman
US reporter in Manhattan

I just spoke to the manager of a local shop which sells New York City memorabilia right across from Madison Square Garden. “I have no idea what is going on,” he says of the chaos and blocked streets outside. He tells me that this is normally a busy time for the business, with the large tourist crowd in Midtown stopping by to purchase souvenirs. “Normally we get a lot of customers,” he said. “Today is less than usual.”

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

Taylor Swift invited BBC Radio 1's Greg James to her wedding live on his radio show last October. My colleagues at the station have been busily checking his holiday schedule ever since...

But doubts were raised he could attend the bash this weekend, because he was due to take part in the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield.

He was there last night, on stage with his friend Alice Levine. On Radio 1 this morning, she confirmed he'd gone out drinking afterwards. But this morning? No-one could get hold of him.

He wasn't on air for his breakfast show. And when stand-in hosts Sam and Danni tried to phone him, his voicemail had been changed to a Taylor Swift song.

And then, just 25 minutes ago, he posted a photo to his Instagram story of a woman in a gown and a man wearing formal shoes.

The plot, as they say, is thickening like a stodgy custard.

Taylor Swift may be busy with wedding preparations, but she still has time to make it into the top singles charts.

Her new song "I Knew It, I Knew You" is currently charting in the UK top 10 of the Official Singles' Chart, after it was released it early last month for the movie Toy Story 5.

It is currently seventh on the chart, behind hits from Olivia Dean and Sam Fender, and Olivia Rodrigo among others.

Across the Atlantic, the song is at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, behind Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas"

Kansas City Chiefs player Chris Jones, retired US women's footballer Abby Wambach and author Glennon Doyle are among those who have been seen arriving at Madison Square Garden.

Here are some of the latest pictures from Manhattan:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Singer Benson Boone has just arrived for the event, making his way through the Madison Square Garden barricades and past security while wearing oversized sunnies,a dark suit and bowtie.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Among the guests to shun the black SUVs are retired US football legend and Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach and her wife, author Glennon Doyle.

Their connection to Taylor Swift goes back a long way... Swift invited Wambach onstage with her teammates during the 1989 tour, after the US Women's team won the World Cup in 2015.

Swift has also credited Doyle’s writing, including her memoir Untamed, with being a "huge help" during the Covid-19 lockdown, as she wrote her companion albums Folklore and Evermore.

Christal Hayes
US reporter

Image source, TheStewartofNY/GC Images

Tabloids and paparazzi across Manhattan have captured some of Swift and Kelce's potential guests ahead of the expected festivities.

Model Gigi Hadid was spotted getting into a vehicle with a floor-length pink sparkly dress. She was accompanied by boyfriend and actor Bradley Cooper, who was seen in a black tuxedo.

Outside a hotel near Madison Square Garden, Swift's longtime publicist Tree Paine was spotted getting into a black van. She was seen in a brown, off-the-shoulder, floor-length gown.

Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from New York City

It’s a balmy 38C at the cross streets between 7th Avenue and 31st Street from where we can see a row of cars waiting at the intersection.

Every now and then police will allow them to go inside one or two at a time.

Spectators stop by and ask each other what’s going on and I heard a man loudly say “ah, I see. Wow!”

Image source, Getty Images

Sakshi Venkatraman
US reporter in Manhattan - Favourite song: The Way I Loved You

Midtown Manhattan is extremely chaotic even on an average Friday. It’s home to offices, tourist attractions like the Empire State Building, and the city’s busiest transit hub, Penn Station.

But today, with the holiday weekend and a celebrity wedding coinciding, the area around Madison Square Garden is at an absolute traffic standstill.

Pedestrians and drivers are stuck behind dozens of black SUVs with tinted windows, presumably carrying some of the most famous faces in entertainment on their way to the rumoured Swift-Kelce wedding at MSG.

I was stuck behind all of the black cars for about 20 minutes before I decided to jump out of my Uber and walk the remaining few blocks to the venue.

The celebs in their formalwear probably don’t have that choice. I hope they’re not late to the function!

A group of four people - two men dressed in black tie and two women dressed in evening dresses - have just been seen walking through a security gate at Madison Square Garden.

They hold their phones up to a member of security at the gate who has a look at the screen before typing on a tablet, and they disappear behind a cordoned off area.

Moments later another couple, including a woman in a silver dress, arrive at the same gate and also have their phones checked.

Meanwhile, a queue of three black 4x4s can be seen travelling through a black curtain into a secluded area.

We're starting to see suited-up guests arriving at Madison Square Garden, where there's a considerable New York Police Department (NYPD) presence.

Temperatures could reach highs of 38C (100.4F) in the city today, and police officers already appear to be feeling the heat.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York City

It’s all happening here at Madison Square Garden now.

Black SUVs with tinted windows carrying guests are going through a few checkpoints, with women dressed in sleek black outfits there to check names.

The vehicles then go into a white tent, so it’s very hard to see anyone.

There is also now a group of fans who have gathered to watch it all.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent - (favourite song: Seven)

Image source, Reuters

A steady stream of cars is entering Madison Square Garden now. Each one approaches a black curtain before being ushered into the venue and disappearing into a marquee.

Tantalisingly, the curtains keep billowing in the wind, giving brief glimpses of the activity behind the scenes (mostly credential checks, I'm afraid).

Some guests are skipping the queue and walking into the venue. So far, however, none of them have been immediately recognisable.

Adam Goldsmith
Favourite song: August

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Long story short, here's a rundown of all the big developments around New York's Madison Square Garden:

• Swifties might remember how an Eras Tour clock ticked through the minutes before her arrival each night; there's a similar countdown under way at the MSG today, with events expected to get underway soon
• The exact nature of the event remains anyone's guess, but streets around the arena have been closed as our reporter on the ground describes a huge black tent to swaddle the arrival of star guests in secrecy
• While the word "Garden" might feature in the venue's name, some fans in New York are surprised at Swift and Kelce's decision to host a party in a windowless bowl - Canadian teenager Emily says she expected "more gardens, more flowers"
• What's indisputable, though, is the couple's connection with the Big Apple - our music correspondent describes the popstar's alchemy with the city
• As preparations ramp up, even the city itself is hotting up; Central Park recorded temperatures of 100F (37.7C) for the first time in 14 years on Thursdy as it experiences a prolonged and dangerous heatwave

While we wait for any sign of celebrity guests, you can familiarise yourself with tonight's anticipated itinerary - which includes a cocktail hour and a late-night reception.

Floyd Cush
Reporting from outside the arena

Lines of black SUVs are making their way towards the black tented entrance to Madison Square Garden.

Crowds have gathered on the other side of the street to try and catch a glimpse of potential celebrity guest arrivals, but security is very tight and from this angle it’s impossible to catch who’s going inside.

Madison Square Garden has been a hive of activity this afternoon ahead of the rumoured wedding celebrations, which have been billed as America's version of a royal wedding.

Police have cordoned off the roads surrounding the arena and fans have been seen stopping for pictures outside Swift's Manhattan residence.

Here are some of the latest pictures we've received of the preparations.

Image source, MEGA/GC Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Mark Savage
Music correspondent - (favourite song: Seven)

If we were to list Taylor Swift’s achievements in music, we’d be here 'til next year.

She currently holds more than 100 Guinness World Records - from the most weeks spent in the Top 10 of the US albums chart (more than 440) to the largest seismic activity caused by a pop concert (at a 2023 Eras Tour show in Washington).

The key to her success? Well, it’s the music. It sounds obvious, but her songs are accessible and catchy. The lyrics are memorable, relatable and authentic. And she works hard to make sure people hear about it.

Her fingerprints touch every aspect of the writing, production, performance, visual presentation and marketing. And she is, as this weekend’s wedding proves, a master at building anticipation.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Lana Del Rey, who duetted with Swift on the 2022 song Snow On The Beach, once told me that Swift “wants it more than anyone”.

“She’s driven, and I think it’s really paid off.”

On top of that, she has created an incredible sense of community with her fans. They see her as a role model - a woman who has fought misogyny and come out victorious - and empathise with the ups and downs of her love life.

That’s why more than 10 million people attended the Eras Tour in 2023-24, swapping friendship bracelets, dancing together and bonding over their favourite songs.

For those Swifties, today’s wedding is the fairytale ending of a story they’ve shared for the last 20 years.

Image source, Getty Images

Taylor Swift's upcoming wedding is set to take place in New York but there's another capital city that has a special connection to the popstar - London.

Taylor set a new record in London during her Eras Tour when she became the first solo artist to play Wembley eight times in a single tour, overtaking Michael Jackson's record set in 1988.

And it's clear she has a huge fanbase in the UK - during the 2024 tour she played to almost 1.2 million people, generating an estimated £1bn for the country's economy.

London is also heavily referenced in her music and parts of the capital, including Croydon and Stoke Newington, feature in her music video for Opalite.

A south London pub, The Black Dog, is the subject of the 17th track on her album The Tortured Poets Department.

The lyrics "And so I watch as you walk - into some bar called The Black Dog - and pierce new holes in my heart" appear in the first verse. Swift sings of spotting an ex - who had forgotten to turn off his location-sharing - going into the venue.

Speaking of exes, Swift's dating history is one key link to the UK.

Before saying yes to Travis Kelce's marriage proposal, Swift had dated several Brits: Music sensation Harry Styles, 1975 frontman Matty Healy, actor Joe Alwyn, Scottish DJ Calvin Harris and Avengers star Tom Hiddleston.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York City

The white canopy tent on 31st Street has grown noticeably bigger compared to last night, no doubt to handle to influx of star-studded guests expected to arrive this afternoon.

Black curtains and screens have been added to ensure there isn’t any opportunity to snap photos.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce still haven’t commented publicly, but the scenes around Madison Square Garden speak to a massive bash in the works.

It’s impressive how little has leaked beyond the occasional delivery photo and celebrity spotting.

The big question now is how much the couple will share later. After all, Swifties - her loyal fan base - are used to their idol sharing her major milestones.

So what will be made public and what will be kept private from this love story turned cultural phenomenon?