Katy Perry singing on stage in 2008 — 2008 · ashley_r · CC BY 2.0

Katy Perry

She named an album after feeling prismatic. Here one white light from Santa Barbara splits into ten colours: turn the prism and each lands on a place you can go.

The bench · 10 colours · 10 places

Turn the prism

Katheryn Hudson is born in Santa Barbara to two pastors. The light goes in white and comes out as ten colours, red for Nashville in 2001 to violet for West Texas in 2025.

The colours and their order are our game. Each place, and what is said about it, comes from the sources one click away.

Sources

White light · 1984

0 of 10 colours lit. A white beam, a glass prism, ten dark bands. Turn the prism, or tap a band.

Light a band and its place comes up here: a photograph, what happened, and how to visit.

Santa Barbara · Nashville · Hollywood · 1984–2006

Katy Hudson

She sang in her parents’ church from the age of nine to seventeen, and gospel was most of what she heard at home.

Sources

A panorama of downtown Nashville — Downtown Nashville and Broadway, 2007. Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0

2000–2001 · Nashville

A gospel record

Rock artists Steve Thomas and Jennifer Knapp heard her sing and brought her to Nashville to work on her writing. There she recorded demos and learned to write songs and play guitar.

As Katy Hudson she signed to Red Hill Records; her gospel album Katy Hudson came out on 6 March 2001.

It sold between 100 and 200 copies before Red Hill went bankrupt nine months later.

Named, not mapped: the city is open to all, but no single studio for the Katy Hudson sessions is known. The photograph is downtown Nashville.

Sources

The Hotel Café in Hollywood — The Hotel Café, off Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, 2009. The Hotel Cafe · CC BY 3.0

2003–2006 · Cahuenga Boulevard

A new name

In 2003 she briefly performed as Katheryn Perry, then took Katy Perry, her mother’s maiden name, to avoid confusion with the actress Kate Hudson.

At seventeen she moved to Los Angeles to work with the producer Glen Ballard. Between record deals she tried out new songs on stage at the Hotel Café.

The venue opened in 2000 as a coffee shop and became known for starting singer-songwriters’ careers in the 2000s.

A working music venue entered from an alley off Cahuenga Boulevard. Go in on a show night.

Sources

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Pictured above: on stage in August 2008, the summer I Kissed a Girl was number one.

The round Capitol Records Tower with its spire — The Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, May 2008. Rob Young from United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

1750 Vine Street · April 2007

The tower

After Columbia dropped her, her demos reached Jason Flom, and she was signed to Capitol Records in April 2007.

Capitol put out I Kissed a Girl on 28 April 2008; it went to number one in the US and stayed there seven weeks.

.... --- .-.. .-.. -.-- .-- --- --- -..

The light on top of the tower blinks the word Hollywood in Morse code. Finished in April 1956, the thirteen-storey tower is counted as the world’s first circular office building.

A working office and studio building, not open to the public. See it from Vine Street, just north of Hollywood and Vine.

Sources

Budapest · Belfast · 2010–2015

Bursts

The Hungarian Parliament lit up at night across the Danube — Budapest at night: the Parliament on the Danube, 2009. Karelj · Public domain

September 2010 · Budapest

Firework

The director Dave Meyers says the Firework video’s sponsor wanted Eastern Europe, and he chose Budapest.

Filming began on 28 September 2010; fans from around Europe were recruited through Deutsche Telekom, and 38,000 people answered the open casting call. The video opens with her looking down on the city from a balcony at night.

In December 2010 Firework became Teenage Dream’s third number one in a row in the US.

Katy Perry performing in 2010 — Katy Perry on stage in November 2010, the month after the Firework video came out. dephisticate (Flickr) · CC BY 2.0

Named, not mapped: the video’s streets and balcony have not been pinned down. The photograph is the Parliament at night.

Sources

The Odyssey Arena in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, 2010; it is now The O2 Belfast. Ardfern · CC BY-SA 3.0

7 May 2014 · Titanic Quarter

Prismatic opens

She named her 2013 album Prism after saying she felt prismatic. The Prismatic World Tour opened here, at the Odyssey Arena, on 7 May 2014.

It ran until October 2015: 149 shows and more than $204.3 million. For the encore she wore a firework dress, and fireworks went off on stage during Firework.

The arena holds 11,200 and is home to the Belfast Giants ice hockey team.

Katy Perry on stage during the Prismatic World Tour in 2014 — Katy Perry on the Prismatic World Tour, Newark, July 2014. Sleepyibis · CC BY 2.0

Still a working arena, now The O2 Belfast, in the Titanic Quarter. Go in on a show or Belfast Giants night.

Sources

Glendale, Arizona · 1 February 2015

Halftime

118.5million viewers, Nielsen
1golden lion in, one flying star out

Nielsen counted 118.5 million viewers, more than watched the game itself. On 1 February 2015 she played the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show here, with Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott.

She rode in on a giant golden mechanical lion and left on a flying star. Two dancers dressed as sharks were told to copy her moves; the one on the left became a meme.

The stadium has a retractable roof, and its grass field sits on a tray that rolls in and out.

Home of the Arizona Cardinals. In on game and event days.

Sources

Santa Barbara · Las Vegas · Windsor · 2018–2023

Rooms of her own

The Santa Barbara Bowl amphitheatre full for a concert — The Santa Barbara Bowl on a concert night in 2013. Mark Krynsky · CC BY 2.0

19 May 2018 · Milpas Street

Coming home

On 19 May 2018 she came home to play Witness: Coming Home at the Bowl, a benefit after the Montecito fire evacuations and mudslides.

She was born Katheryn Hudson in Santa Barbara on 25 October 1984, the daughter of two Pentecostal pastors.

The 4,562-seat Bowl was carved into a hillside in 1935 as a WPA project.

An open-air amphitheatre in the hills above the city, open for concerts from about April to October. The 2026 season has ended; 2027 shows are still to be announced.

Sources

2021–2023 · The Strip

Play

Play opened here to a sold-out house on 29 December 2021. She said the show was made for this theatre, with sets she could not take from arena to arena.

It took its cues from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Pee-wee’s Playhouse: a giant bed, a giant toilet and a huge red rocking horse. The furthest seat is about 150 feet from the stage.

Play closed on 4 November 2023, having grossed $46.4 million.

A 5,000-seat theatre inside Resorts World on the Strip. Go in on a show night; the resort’s site lists what is on.

Sources

7 May 2023 · The East Lawn

The Coronation Concert

On 7 May 2023 she sang Roar and Firework at the Coronation Concert for King Charles III.

The BBC staged the concert on the castle’s East Lawn for 20,000 people; 5,000 pairs of tickets went by national ballot.

An average of 10.1 million people watched on television.

A working royal residence open to visitors on most days with a ticket from the Royal Collection Trust. The East Lawn is in the private grounds.

Sources

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West Texas · 14 April 2025

Engines off

On 14 April 2025 she flew to space on Blue Origin NS-31 with Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, Gayle King, Amanda Nguyen and Lauren Sánchez.

Engines on: climbing out of West Texas.

It was the first all-female flight since Valentina Tereshkova flew alone in 1963.
The flight lasted 10 minutes and 21 seconds, crossed the Kármán line and gave a few minutes of weightlessness.
Up there she sang part of What a Wonderful World and held up a daisy for her daughter, Daisy.
Reaction to the flight was mostly negative, with criticism of its messaging and timing.

Jeff Bezos bought the 165,000-acre site in 2004.

Named, not mapped. Private: Blue Origin’s launch site is named, not mapped. Van Horn, the nearest town, is on Interstate 10.

Sources

The small town of Van Horn in the West Texas desert — Van Horn, West Texas, 2018: the nearest town to Blue Origin’s launch site, about 30 miles to the north. Christopher Michel · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pictured: Van Horn, the nearest town, in 2018; and Katy Perry on the Lifetimes Tour in Budapest, October 2025, six months after the flight.

Where it is now

Back to white: 7 places to go.

In Hollywood the Hotel Café and the Capitol tower are a short walk apart, either side of Hollywood and Vine. Santa Barbara is up the coast. Glendale and Las Vegas are desert trips of their own; Belfast and Windsor are across the Atlantic.

Where it is now

7 places you can visit, from Milpas Street to Windsor. Nashville and Budapest have no single spot to pin, and the launch site is private, so they are named, not mapped.

Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.

General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. An open-air amphitheatre in the hills above the city, open for concerts from about April to October. The 2026 season has ended; 2027 shows are still to be announced.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working music venue entered from an alley off Cahuenga Boulevard. Go in on a show night.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working office and studio building, not open to the public. See it from Vine Street, just north of Hollywood and Vine.

The Santa Barbara Bowl on a concert night in 2013. Mark Krynsky · CC BY 2.0
1122 North Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara Bowl
She was born Katheryn Hudson in Santa Barbara on 25 October 1984, the daughter of two Pentecostal pastors.
An open-air amphitheatre in the hills above the city, open for concerts from about April to October. The 2026 season has ended; 2027 shows are still to be announced.
Sources
The Hotel Café, off Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, 2009. The Hotel Cafe · CC BY 3.0
1623½ North Cahuenga Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles
The Hotel Café
At seventeen she moved to Los Angeles to work with the producer Glen Ballard.
A working music venue entered from an alley off Cahuenga Boulevard. Go in on a show night.
Sources
The Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, May 2008. Rob Young from United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
1750 Vine Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles
Capitol Records Tower
After Columbia dropped her, her demos reached Jason Flom, and she was signed to Capitol Records in April 2007.
A working office and studio building, not open to the public. See it from Vine Street, just north of Hollywood and Vine.
Sources

Stay

A room on the Strip.

Resorts World Las Vegas, home of the theatre where Play ran.

Resorts World Las Vegas

3000 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas · See the site

Three hotels in one resort on the Strip: Hilton, Conrad and Crockfords Las Vegas, with the theatre where Play ran. Rates show only when you search dates. Pictured: Play in 2022.

See rooms

Go there

Hollywood and Windsor.

Walks around Hollywood and Vine, and trips to Windsor Castle.

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Hollywood, Los Angeles

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What’s on

At Resorts World Theatre.

The shows the theatre lists for November and December.

Checking current event dates…

Take it home

Three Capitol records.

One of the Boys, Teenage Dream and Prism on vinyl.

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One of the Boys

Katy Perry · 12-inch LP, Capitol, 2008

The first Capitol album, with I Kissed a Girl.

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Teenage Dream

Katy Perry · 2 × 12-inch LP, Capitol, 2010

Five US number ones, Firework among them.

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Prism

Katy Perry · 2 × 12-inch LP, Capitol, 2013

The album the Prismatic tour took to Belfast and beyond.

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Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.

The full record

Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.

Search all places and Moments Current state Sort

10 of 10 places · 12 of 12 Moments

Santa Barbara Bowl
1122 North Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, California
- Born in Santa Barbara
  Katheryn Hudson is born in Santa Barbara to two pastors.
- Coming home
  Witness: Coming Home, a benefit concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee (no studio or street is named in the sources)
- Katy Hudson
  A gospel album, Katy Hudson, made after learning to write in Nashville.
The Hotel Café
1623½ North Cahuenga Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles
- A new name
  In Los Angeles she becomes Katy Perry and plays new songs at the Hotel Café between deals.
Capitol Records Tower
1750 Vine Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles
- Capitol
  Signed to Capitol Records.
- Number one
  I Kissed a Girl tops the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.
Budapest
Budapest, Hungary (the streets used are not identified)
- Firework in Budapest
  Dave Meyers shoots the Firework video in Budapest.
The O2 Belfast (Odyssey Arena)
Sydenham Road, Titanic Quarter, Belfast
- Prismatic opens
  The Prismatic World Tour opens at the Odyssey Arena.
State Farm Stadium
North 95th Avenue, Glendale, Arizona (University of Phoenix Stadium in 2015)
- Halftime
  The Super Bowl XLIX halftime show, watched by 118.5 million.
Resorts World Theatre
Resorts World, 3000 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas
- Play
  Play opens at Resorts World Theatre, built for that room.
Windsor Castle
Castle Hill, Windsor, Berkshire (the concert was on the East Lawn)
- The Coronation Concert
  Roar and Firework on the East Lawn at Windsor.
Launch Site One
About 30 miles north of Van Horn, West Texas (Blue Origin’s private land)
- NS-31
  Ten minutes and 21 seconds to space and back from West Texas.

Katy Perry

Turn the prism

Katy Hudson