Taylor Swift will bring her long-awaited Eras tour to Cardiff tonight for one night only, and Swifties are Ready For It... as some began queuing outside the Principality Stadium at midnight.
It is the first time the global superstar has ever performed in Cardiff, and clearly it's the moment that fans have all been waiting for - as almost 100 fans were already waiting in line for the show by 5.30am this morning.
Excited Swifties have travelled from far and wide to enjoy the three-hour Eras tour extravaganza, with some early birds in the queue having even ventured over from the USA for tonight's show.
And while those already in line have a long day ahead of them, thankfully the sun is shining in Cardiff, with the Met Office predicting "a dry and fine day for most with plenty of sunny spells", with maximum temperatures of 21°C.
And those already outside the stadium can treat themselves to some Taylor Swift merchandise while they wait - as the official merch stand will be open outside Gates 1 and 6 of the Principality Stadium all day, from 10am until after the show.
Full road closures around the stadium will be in place from midday, with VIP early entry opening at 15.00, and the public gates opening at 16.00, ahead of a 17.45 show start time, as Paramore open the show.
And if you haven't yet grabbed yourself tickets for the Cardiff show tonight, there are still a limited number of seats up for grabs on resale sites such as viagogo and VividSeats - starting at £260 for restricted view seats, or £320 for a view of the stage, on viagogo, at the time of writing, and at £380 for a restricted view, or £415 for a seat with a view, on VividSeats.
Floor standing tickets are also still available, but will set you back anything from £370 on viagogo, or £510 on VividSeats.
And with tickets being so pricey, business insurance comparison site, Bionic, has urged concert-goers to ensure they have purchased ticket insurance, in case of instances such as serious illness, theft of tickets, traffic accidents, traffic or transportation delay, or severe weather.
A spokesperson for Bionic said: "Those who could be travelling quite a way to get to their event, or who may have an ongoing illness may find the additional cost for protection worth it, even just for peace of mind.
"However, remember that not all circ*mstances are covered under ticket insurance policies, so do your research on what you would be able to claim against before paying for a policy that might not meet your needs."
Costs for insurance cover varies, but is usually around 10 per cent of the ticket cost - meaning the more expensive the ticket, the more insurance is likely to cost. If you need to claim on insurance for missing your event, be sure to contact your insurance provider as soon as possible.
For all the build-up to the big night in Cardiff tonight, as well as weather and travel reports, and fans' reactions, scroll down:
Cathy Owen
Soundcheck is underway
The soundcheck for tonight's gig is currently underway.
People near the stadium have described it as "loud", but it is difficult to work out if it is Taylor or not.
There was also a sound check yesterday afternoon.
Cathy Owen
M4 congestion warning alert
It is starting to get busy on the M4 now heading towards Cardiff.
Traffic Wales has warned of delays westbound from junction 24 The Coldra to junction 26 Malpas. Follow live traffic updates here.
Ryan O'Neill
‘We got tickets at 10pm last night after Facebook plea’
Jessica Beasley is taking her 11-year-old son Austin who is a huge Taylor Swift fan.
“He’s just making me poor!” She laughed as they emerged from the merch stall with a t shirt and Swift banner.
Jessica said that although she isn’t a huge fan, they only got tickets last minute last night after she returned from holiday. “I came back yesterday from Turkey and I put up a plea on Facebook asking for any genuine tickets. I am delighted to be here but I would have even paid someone to take him if I couldn’t as he’s such a fan. We ended up getting tickets last minute at 10pm.”
Jessica said Austin is a dancer and that he made his own Swift T-shirt last night in tribute to the one she wore in one of her music videos, which he is wearing along with - of course - a blue cowboy hat. “It’s the merch but also the music. I’ve loved her forever really,” he said. “I think you [Jessica] played her when I was younger and I’ve loved her since
Cathy Owen
Taylor Swift Cardiff concert timings
There's only a few hours to go before Taylor Swift brings her Eras Tour to Cardiff - and it's safe to say the Welsh capital is fizzing with excitement.
If you'll be attending Swift's Cardiff gig, hopefully by now you'll have got your outfit sorted, made your friendship bracelets and memorised all the lyrics in her discography. But you might still be wondering about the exact timings for the show - such as the best time to head to the stadium on the night. Read more here too.
The Principality Stadium has confirmed the following timings for certain:
- 3pm - VIP early entry
- 4pm - General admission
- 5.45pm - Show begins
- 10.30pm - Curfew
Cathy Owen
Road have now closed
Cardiff Council has confirmed that the 12pm road closure is now in place with roads not re-opening until midnight.
Traffic monitors from the M4 are also showing that traffic is already very busy heading westbound around the M4 at Newport. You can find more traffic advice here.
The advertised roads in the city centre are now closed and will not re-open until midnight. Castle Street, Duke Street and Cowbridge Road East will close at 3pm. All of the road closures can be seen here: https://t.co/CgAM4762Zi pic.twitter.com/gvtl8uWFMB
— Cardiff Council (@cardiffcouncil) June 18, 2024
Ryan O'Neill
Ten-minute wait for merch near stadium
The queues for merch at Stadium Plaza appear to be running smoothly with one fan telling us they haven’t been waiting long and are near the front of the queue.
“We’ve only been here ten minutes,” she said. “It’s really efficient.”
The queue which previously stretched across the bridge near the railway station has now almost gone.
Ryan O'Neill
‘I’ll watch a movie in the car during the concert’
The day is a family affair for James and Sarah and daughter Ella, 14, who have just picked up some merch from the Stadium Plaza stall.
Ella has proudly made a host of friendship bracelets and excitedly said it is her first time seeing Swift. James is sadly not going to the gig as it is Ella and Sarah who have tickets.
“I’m designated taxi for the night,” he laughed. “We’ve only got two tickets so they’re both going. I’ll go back and watch a movie in the car [while the concert is on].”
Cathy Owen
Getting busy in Cardiff city centre
The pubs in Cardiff city centre are starting to fill up.
The Prince of Wales Wetherspoon is already busy with many of the tables inside and outside taken. Security staff are already patrolling the doors ahead of a busy day.
Ryan O'Neill
‘I’ve seen her four times in 11 years and still have my first photo’
Friends Elin, 19, and Abi, 18, have just bought hoodies, T-shirts and a bracelet in the Utilita merch stand.
“I’ve seen her four times - across 11 years, not just on this tour!” Elin laughed.
Showing us a picture of her as a child wearing a Taylor Swift T-shirt at her Red tour in 2013, she said: “I still have the T-shirt and it even still fits me!”
Ryan O'Neill
Update on merchandise
Most sizes are still available in the Utilita arena but some of the regular t-shirts and hoodies are running low on sizes XS and S.
Posters for the Cardiff Eras tour date are sold out in the Arena and have been since yesterday.
Cathy Owen
Where you can buy merchandise today
Merchandise is being sold at three different areas today.
Before entering the stadium, merchandise can be purchased from:
• Gate 6 & Gate 1 of Principality Stadium (10am - After show)
• Westgate Street retail unit (From midday - After show)
• Utilita Arena (10am - 8pm)
We have been to the Utilita Arena (CF10 2EQ) and the queues are between five and 10 minutes.
Ben Summer
Great atmosphere in Cardiff this morning
Sienna and her mum Eigen have travelled down from Pontypool for the concert and have been swapping bracelets with the local PCSOs!
“We’re both big fans,” said Eigen who could’ve missed the chance to get tickets - a friend messaged her offering them but the message went unread for six hours while she was at work.
“I’ve made the bracelets inspired by the songs, said Sienna. “I’ve got Eras Tour, Cardiff, Swift and Bad Blood - then the Tortured Poets Department.”
Cathy Owen
Train line has now re-opened
Transport for Wales has confirmed that the Rhymney Line has now been cleared and services expected to return to normal by 12pm.
The line had been blocked for most of the morning when a piece of engineering machinery broke down.
Ryan O'Neill
Water being handed out to fans
Free water is being handed out to the fans who are queuing to get into the stadium at the Millennium Plaza on Wood Street.
The crowds are getting bigger, but there is still a long wait for them.
Ryan O'Neill
Long queues for merchandise
There are more queues this morning for the merchandise stalls ahead of tonight's gig.
The skies overhead look pretty grey, but the forecast if for it to stay dry in Cardiff today and will feel warm if the sun gets out.
The queues at the Millennium Plaza on Wood Street is over the bridge to the Taff Embankment.
Cathy Owen
M4 warning for fans
Fans heading to Cardiff are also being warned to "expect delays" on the road network this afternoon afternoon. Traffic Wales is warning anyone heading to the city for Tuesday night's gig to "allow extra time" for their journeys.
The warning comes after drivers experienced 19 miles of tailbacks on the M4 when Pink played at the Principality Stadium last week, and two years ago some fans missed the Ed Sheeran gig when they got stuck in three-hour delays.
Traffic Wales, the organisation which monitors the main routes in Wales, says: "We expect delays on the network this afternoon, plan your journey and allow extra time. And remember to check before you travel." You can check traffic alerts with with them here.
Cathy Owen
Rail line blocked as thousands of fans travel to gig
Rail passengers are facing disruption on the day thousands of fans will be heading to Cardiff for Taylor Swift's Eras tour gig at the Principality Stadium. Broken down engineering equipment has blocked one of the main lines in south Wales causing widespread disruption.
Rail bosses are hoping that it will be cleared by lunchtime when services are expected to be extremely busy ahead of the gig.
On Tuesday morning, the Rhymney line at Heath High Level was blocked in both directions as engineers wait for a part to be delivered. More details here.
Cathy Owen
Swifties to splurge £14.3m in Cardiff, according to report
It's Cardiff’s turn for Taylor-mania to sweep the city with one report speculating that fans will splash out £14.2 million at local businesses for the only Welsh tour date.
The Eras Tour Spending Report by VoucherCodes.co.uk reports that more than 80,300 Swifties are set to flock to the Welsh capital, spending an average of £515.81 per head to see Taylor in person.
It says that local retail and hospitality businesses can look forward to an £8.4m boost just from one day - around £105.05 per fan.
This figure includes a forecast £2.3m to be spent on drinks, or £30.52 per person, and another £1.7m is set to be spent on food, or £25.84 per person.
Whilst accommodation costs in the city are set to be more reasonable than in other tour cities, prices are still set to rise 58%, the report says. This takes the average stay to £103.16 per person and the total accommodation spend to £2.8m. An additional £37.94 per person and £3m in total is expected to be spent on travel to and from Cardiff.
Cathy Owen
Roads set to close later today
Just an update on the roads from Cardiff Council.
They have said that the roads around the Principality Stadium will close today between 12 noon & midnight for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour.
Cowbridge Road East, Castle Street and Duke Street will remain open until 3pm. More traffic and transport details are here.
Ryan O'Neill
'We've been here 17 hours and nobody is getting in front of us'
Dylan Izadseta, 42, has come all the way from California to Cardiff for the show with her 11-year-old daughter Brooklyn.
They arrived around the stadium at 3pm yesterday and haven't left the area since.
"We actually came here as a joke," she said. "The Eras presale tour was sold out [in the US] within minutes so my daughter had mentioned maybe looking internationally. We had a look and tickets were pretty reasonable so we booked them and within a week we had booked our plane tickets, hotels and decided to make a family vacation of it. I am terrified of flying.
"The UK is so beautiful and it's been amazing so far. We hope to come back."
Ryan O'Neill
'I've seen Taylor Swift ten times and have come from Chicago to see her in Cardiff'
Michelle, 30, has travelled from Chicago to Cardiff especially for the gig. She is top of the queue on Westgate Street having arrived at midnight and has seen Swift 10 times stretching back to before her Fearless tour in 2006.
"I was the first person on this side. Some friends are in different sections," says Michelle (who didn't want to have her picture taken). "We walked over here and talked to security and knew we weren't supposed to camp so I didn't have a tent or anything. They were nice enough to let me sit there with them for the first few hours until some others came and then we moved across the street."
Michelle said she was in middle school when Swift's first album came out and that she has grown up with her music.
"The first time I heard Teardrops on my Guitar definitely spoke to my teenage self and got to where I was as a middle schooler. She's just a few years older than me so I felt I've had different seasons of my life [with her]. Whatever she releases speaks to where I am in my life."
After a long haul flight from Chicago to London yesterday and the queuing, Michelle admitted her "sense of time is a little warped" but she said she's managed to keep going so far, gesturing to the Starbucks paper bag next to her.
"She is only doing one night here and I think it's special to be a part of that because it's just for us," she said of the Cardiff show.
"I've got my sleeping bag and a pillow they gave me on the flight, my charger. Right now it's 1am where I live and I'm ok now but as the afternoon goes on I'm probably gonna get tired but the adrenaline will keep me going. I probably won't get a nap."
In what will make many fans jealous given Cardiff hotel prices, Michelle - who bought one of the £400 VIP tickets - said she is spending just £80 a night on an Airbnb in Cardiff.
"My ticket was slightly cheaper than a US resale ticket. I was able to use miles to make the travel work. The opportunity to take a vacation in the summer is really nice too."
Cathy Owen
Taylor has brought the sunshine!
There is good news in the forecast for fans today.
The Met Office outlook for Wales says:
A dry and fine day for most with plenty of sunny spells. Feeling warm out of the wind and in any sunshine, but cooler on exposed coasts. Maximum temperature 21°C.
Some fine evening sunshine, but cool in the breeze especially on the exposed north coasts. Winds turning lighter in the southeast overnight. Mild. Minimum temperature 8°C.
Temperatures in Cardiff will be around 19°C. during the day.
Ryan O'Neill
Fans taking it in shifts to queue
Some fans have been queuing since 1am and taking the queue in shifts with friends
University students Ella Osborne (left) and Daisy Gladding, both 20, arrived just after midnight and were the second group in the queue. They are taking it in turns with their two other friends who are also going to the gig and have gone home for a nap.
"We arrived at 1am and are taking it in three hour shifts at home and then we will all stay," Ella said. "They went home about four and will come back around seven and then we will go home about eight. "I've slept about an hour and a half. It's been a rough night."
The pair are aiming to be "right at the front" as they've never seen Swift before and the Cardiff show is the only one they have tickets for.
"One of my friends had Guitar Hero which had [2008 hit] Love Story on it and so we would always play that. I think that's when I first started listening to her,"
Cathy Owen
Warning for rail passengers today
A reminder from Transport for Wales that train services will be busy today.
There is a queuing system in place for after the gig tonight.
— Trafnidiaeth Cymru Trenau Transport for Wales Rail (@tfwrail) June 18, 2024'Are you ready for it?'
Bore da!Mae 'Miss Americana' wedi gyrraedd Cymru!Rydym yn disgwyl i wasanaethau o amgylch Caerdydd fod yn brysur heddiw.
Morning!'Miss Americana' has arrived in Wales!We're expecting services around Cardiff to be busy today. pic.twitter.com/jh8P6vejAw
Cathy Owen
The pink hats and feather boas are out
The stallholders are up early armed with pink hats and feather boas.
Ryan O'Neill
Groups of fans queuing before 7am
There are also some fans queuing on the Millennium Plaza side of the stadium near Gate 6.
Officals at the stadium and police had warned people about camping overnight, but lots of fans have got there early this morning.
When Harry Styles was in town, many fans camped on Westgate Street and this morning there are a small group of fans who have gathered opposite the main entrance to the stadium.
Ryan O'Neill
'I've spent £700 on tickets and slept four hours but it's all worth it'
The first person in the queue for Taylor Swift's huge Cardiff show has said she has spent more than £700 on tickets and will have spent nearly 24 hours waiting by the time she goes onstage.
Huma Ali, 23, has come from Manchester and was the first in the queue having arrived before midnight on Tuesday. She will have been waiting almost 24 hours by the time Swift takes to the stage, likely after 7pm.
She decided against camping but arrived late on Monday night and has been organising the queue of early morning arrivals, writing numbers on people's hands with a marker as they join.
"I wasn't sure about camping but the atmosphere is always really friendly with people in the queue," she said. "The journey wasn't too bad as I was mainly just excited about the show."
Huma said she has been a Swift fan for "such a long time" and has spent over £700 on tickets for her Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London shows.
"This is my third show. I didn't get to see her last time when she came here so I'm just trying to see her as much as I can.
"If you book hotels and trains beforehand it's not too expensive. It's all worth it in the end, I'm seeing Taylor Swift and she's my favourite person in the world."
Ryan O'Neill
Fans started queuing from midnight
This was the scene on Cardiff Bridge, near the Principality Stadium at about 5.30am where around 30 fans have already set up camp with blankets and duvets ahead of the Taylor Swift show tonight.
The first fans arrived just before midnight last night and they have been steadily building but security have said the queue will not be moved onto the stadium area until later this morning.
Phoebe Tonks
Fans are beginning to arrive ahead of tonight's highly anticipated show
Eager fans have already begun queuing ahead of tonight’s show, with numbers already being handed out for VIP entry. One particularly stylish attendee showed off her bracelet ahead of the highly anticipated Era’s tour after arriving shortly after 4am!
LETS GOOOOO pic.twitter.com/xQeLzVzku4
— isa | eras tour era !! (@prentisslvr) June 18, 2024
Phoebe Tonks
Reminder of road closures due to take place from 7am
From 7am today Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans. Cowbridge Road East, Castle Street and Duke Street will remain open until 3pm before being closed.
The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure which will take place at noon until midnight.
- Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.
- Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.
- Tudor Street from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhammon Embankment.)
- Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from their junctions with Despenser Place to their junctions with Tudor Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted.)
- The following roads will be closed in their entirety: High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.
- Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will be access for buses only during the times of the road closures. This is to ensure that there is reliable access for buses to the satellite points in Churchill Way.
- Additionally, Penarth Road will be closed 30 minutes before the concert finishes and up to hour after the concert ends on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the train station.
- At 4pm, Castle Street and Duke Street will close to all traffic.
Additions:
Civic Centre: Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with access allowed only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks.
Roads affected include King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.
