Queen Bey or Mayor Bey?: Santa Clara to name Beyonce honorary mayor, give her the key to the city ahead of Levi’s show

SANTA CLARA — Mayor Taylor Swift has left the dais after last month’s two-night stint at Levi’s Stadium — and as the leader of Swiftie Clara — and Queen Bey is expected to take over her mayoral duties.

On Tuesday night, the Santa Clara City Council will vote on whether to name Beyonce honorary mayor the following day and present her with a key to the city. Beyonce is set to play Levi’s Stadium on Aug. 30 as part of her Renaissance World Tour, which has been projected to gross $2.1 billion in ticket sales.

“The city of Santa Clara is excited about Beyonce’s upcoming visit to the world-renowned Levi’s Stadium,” Santa Clara spokesperson Michelle Templeton said in a statement. “Her concerts will certainly bring a great deal of energy and excitement.”

The proclamation to make Beyonce the honorary mayor, which bears Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s name, said the pop sensation “has had a tremendous cultural impact as one of the most influential pop culture figures, and attaining wide success with the R&B group Destiny’s Child, Beyonce (also) broke out on her own as a solo artist.”

The proclamation lists Beyonce’s many accomplishments over the course of her decorated career, including selling more than 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time, as well as her 32 Grammy Awards — which is more than any other artist in history. Her other listed accolades include 26 MTV Video Music Awards, 24 NAACP Image Awards, 35 BET Awards and 17 Soul Train Music Awards.

For her philanthropic work, the proclamation references her “profound dedication to numerous charitable causes.” Beyonce has helped co-found several organizations including the Survivor Foundation, Chime for Change and her nonprofit BeyGOOD.

Swift was bestowed the title of honorary mayor last month when she stopped through Santa Clara on The Eras Tour. Instead of a key to the city, Gillmor and other city leaders decided to temporarily rename the city Swiftie Clara. The mayors of other cities like Minneapolis and Pittsburgh temporarily renamed their cities to Swiftieapolis and Swiftsburgh to commemorate her concert.

Beyonce has received similar red carpet treatment from elected officials during her Rennaissance World Tour — her first solo tour in seven years. Both Atlanta and Minneapolis proclaimed her tour stop dates as Beyonce Day.

The Renaissance World Tour marks Beyonce’s fifth visit to Levi’s Stadium. The tour is named after the singer’s seventh studio album of the same name, which earlier this year won the Grammy for the best dance/electronic musical album.

City officials have already granted Queen Bey a weeknight curfew extension for Wednesday’s show, allowing her to play an extra hour until 11 p.m. In 2021, the council amended the controversial weeknight curfew, allowing the city manager to grant five extensions a year. Beyonce has been one of the many repeat offenders of Levi’s Stadium’s curfew in the past.

Swift blew past the 11 p.m. weekend curfew twice last month, and while no fines have been issued for the curfew violation, the city did fine her pyrotechnics company, Pyrotek, $2,000 for setting off fireworks after hours.