Courtney Gibson Gets Paid to Party Like a Rock Star!

Passion. Energy. Entertainment.

Welcome to Le Petite Fete, a company co-founded by Florida Southern College alumna Courtney Gibson ’12 in 2019. The public relations and advertising major hosts Taylor Swift dance parties and other pop culture themed events for the most enthusiastic fans, running high-energy events from coast to coast.

“Le Petite Fete was founded out of love of the world of pop culture to bring people together with a common interest after the pandemic,” Gibson said. “We throw wildly popular themed brunches, Taylor Swift, Y2K, Tay-Gates, and new Euphoria themed parties all across the country.”

Le Petite Fete has more than 15,000 followers on Instagram (@lepetitefetefl) and has been hosting “Tay-gates” before all the stops on Taylor Swift’s current “The Eras Tour,” which included a stop in Tampa this week.

“We have been hosting wildly popular Taylor Swift dance parties in 65 cities for almost two years,” Gibson said. “We have created such an amazing community. People meet up at our shows and make such amazing connections. So, we knew we wanted to do something similar and provide that in a pre-concert experience. These experiences are curated by us, as Swifties, for Swifties. We will have a Swiftie DJ, photo booths, costume contests, and lip sync battles. It will be so fun.”

Gibson said she loves the passion and the community that Taylor Swift fans share. She said anywhere you go, if you meet a fellow Swiftie, they can share their favorite era, song, and even lyrics that mean something to them. Gibson said Swift has an era and album for every part of her fans’ lives.

Gibson and her co-founder, Caitie Phillips, got the idea for Le Petite Fete when they were talking about how fun Taylor Swift themed events looked on TikTok. Gibson had previously experienced an event in Chicago where Britney Spears music was played the entire night. She knew she wanted to bring something similar to her hometown of Orlando. She and Phillips pitched the idea of themed nights to a local venue and things took off from there. They turned doing what they loved into a business venture.

The foundation for Gibson’s entrepreneurial path was laid at Florida Southern. Her communications writing, desktop publishing, and final advertising capstone courses contributed to her business expertise. She also got practice writing press releases, and during an internship was able to work in the promotions department at Hall Communications Radio Group, a female-owned company that has been in operation since 1964 in the Providence, R.I.; Lakeland, Fla.; Burlington, Vt.; Norwich-New London and Willimantic, Conn. markets.

Gibson was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha and the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) while she was at FSC. Besides having positive experiences with all her communications professors at the College, Gibson had a reason to feel a particular affinity for her alma mater.

“My grandparents went to Florida Southern in the 50s,” Gibson said. “My dorm room in JR (Joseph-Reynolds Hall) freshman year, was the same as my grandmother’s. I loved that it was close to home and had really fun activities.”

Gibson translated her love for fun activities into a business venture. She advises future FSC graduates to follow the same path.

“Try everything to find what you love,” she said. “Even if it takes you a long time, you can look around and see what is out there. If you want to move to a new city, try it. Don't take jobs for money or take bad jobs for experience. If there is not a space for you, carve it out yourself. There is space for you to combine your passions and work.”

Are you headed to the Eras tour in Tampa, or just a big Taylor Swift fan? Learn more about the Tampa Tay-gates and buy your tickets here.