Taylor Swift in Cardiff: What you need to know for Eras Tour show (2024)

Published

15 June 2024

Taylor Swift will make a unique stop on her record-breaking £1bn Eras Tour this week, with Cardiff the only city on her 152-show tour that she will play just once.

The Welsh capital is among more than 50 cities on her 21-month long tour and it will be a 70,000 sell-out at the Principality Stadium on Tuesday.

The American superstar has already played three nights in both Edinburgh and Liverpool in the UK.

She will head to London after playing Cardiff for three nights at Wembley Stadium this weekend.

Her Cardiff concert is her first headline show in Wales, although she played the BBC's Biggest Weekend event in Swansea in 2018 before Florence and the Machine.

Postcode data suggests Tuesday's show will attract concert-goers from a wider catchment than most Principality Stadium events.

So fans have been warned to expect heavy traffic on the M4 motorway into Cardiff with people told to plan ahead, travel early and use public transport if possible.

Speculation is rife in the Swiftie community that an announcement of her latest album Reputation: Taylor's Version is imminent.

With Cardiff the only location on the tour with one date, some die-hard fans are predicting the superstar singer will pick the Welsh capital as the launch pad for her hotly anticipated album.

Going to Taylor's show? Well, get ready to swap friendship bracelets.

Fans have spent months making them - but anyone with last minute tickets or who did not get the bracelets, do not worry - Swifties with spares will be happy to share.

And of course, there’s the outfits. Oh, the outfits...

Fans have painstakingly been gluing rhinestones to cowboy boots or bodysuits for months, creating costumes from scratch or Swiftifying suitable clothes to reflect their favourite era.

But again, the Swiftie fandom will not leave anyone behind - and if you do not have an outfit or just want to wear comfy jeans, all that matters is having fun.

And which Taylor tot will be offered a hug from the superstar and the hat Swift wears during her performance of 22?

She used to use social media to pick a child recipient before her shows, but lately her team has been anonymously scouting the crowd before the performance begins.

Fans heading to Cardiff may also be wondering which surprise songs Swift will choose.

In her first few UK shows, she has opted for mash-ups, including The Bolter x Getaway car, and Haunted x Exile in Edinburgh.

Will we be treated to a surprise from her new album? Or a mash-up of much-loved tracks from back in the day?

Swift's support comes from Paramore - the band fronted by her long-time friend Hayley Williams.

The American punk rockers, whose hits include Ignoranace and Still Into You, are promoting their latest and sixth album This Is Why.

"We started around the same time, we're around the same age, especially in Nashville where it's very family," Williams told Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show.

Speaking of mates, one of the big questions on local lips is if her superstar buddies Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are going to her Cardiff show.

Deadpool star Reynolds has legendary status in Wales after taking over and helping Welsh football club Wrexham to back-to-back promotions in his Disney+ show Welcome to Wrexham.

The Canadian actor and his wife went to one of Swift's shows at Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium last month but will they be at Principality Stadium in his newly-adopted second homeland?

For VIP early entry ticket holders, the stadium gates open at 15:00 BST while general admission entry is from 16:00 BST.

The show will start at 17:45, according to the organisers, with Paramore opening.

Swift is likely to begin her set between 19:00 and 19:30 - but these timings are only an estimate.

Swift's marathon set will contain more than 40 songs and be between three to three-and-a-half hours long before the 22:30 curfew.

The show is officially a 70,000 sell out but some third party selling sites are selling tickets for inflated prices.

But one bank has warned fans against ticket scams, estimating that Swifties have lost an estimated £1m to ticket fraud trying to buy tickets for the UK leg of her Eras tour.

The stadium has advised fans who have bought tickets that they must have access to a smartphone to download the relevant ticketing app, external before they arrive.

Promoters have also warned screenshots of tickets won't be allowed.

Scott Road and Park Street will shut from 07:00 while a full Cardiff city centre road closure, external will then be enforced from 12:00 noon until midnight.

The roads included in this are:

The M4 motorway is likely to be very busy and drivers are urged to check the Traffic Wales website, external before setting off.

Swifties are also being warned against parking in restricted areas or face a fine. Cardiff council have said event parking is available at Sophia Gardens and the civic centre.

A park and ride service is being operated by Cardiff council from the Cardiff City Stadium in Leckwith.

The first bus leaves at 09:00 and fans will be dropped off and picked up from Fitzhammon Embankment, opposite the stadium.

Road works and rail engineering works have been suspended - and the Vale Of Glamorgan line between Cardiff and Bridgend has reopened for the day.

Transport for Wales, external and GWR, external will provide extra capacity on trains in and out of Cardiff wherever possible, but warned rail services across south Wales would be very busy.

Buses will be diverted due to the road closures. Full details of Cardiff Bus diversions can be found here, external.

BBC weather presenter Sabrina Lee forecasts "following what feels like a cool showery 'Cruel Summer'... the outlook is looking bright for the Taylor Swift concert".

"If you're joining the queue during the afternoon, there are signs of a dry trend and where the sun comes out it should feel warm, with the temperature peaking in the high teens," she said.

"Sun cream is a good idea, due to the higher UV levels. A cardigan or light jacket will come in handy for after the show, as the temperature drops away."

Organisers have warned that camping for fans wanting to get the best spot for the show isn't allowed on the Principality Stadium site.

South Wales Police and Cardiff Council have also advised that people shouldn't camp around the stadium before the concert.

A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “The only place where camping is permitted is at our camp site in Bute Park, and obviously this has to be pre-booked and paid for.”

Small bags and handbags no larger than a sheet of A4 paper are allowed in, but the stadium has said waiting times for fans with bags will be longer.

In addition, there are a number of things that you cannot take into the stadium - including professional cameras.

A full list of what can and cannot be taken into the stadium can be found on the Principality Stadium's website, external.

Swift has already played three nights at both Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium and Anfield in Liverpool.

After her Cardiff date, Swift has eight shows at London's Wembley Stadium - three over this weekend and five in August.

So after Cardiff, where else and when is the 34-year-old playing in UK and Ireland in 2024?

After her London shows in August, Swift has two months off touring then returns to North America for the final leg of the Eras Tour before it wraps up on 8 December in the Canadian city of Vancouver.

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