The Eras Tour is about to land in the UK! Taylor Swift’s three hour show stopping sell out concert has turned into somewhat of a phenomenon. I was mega lucky to attend the first two nights of the European leg in Paris. It was such an incredible night. I thought I would share some of my top tips for those lucky enough with tickets to any of the remaining shows.
Plan Your Outfit
You should already be preparing what Outfit you are going to wear – especially if you are dressing up. It’s obviously not mandatory to dress up for The Eras Tour but Swifties take this very seriously. Dressing up in an outfit inspired by your favourite Taylor Swift era, whether it’s the country style of her early years or the edgy look from Reputation. Sequins is also a very common theme, there is sequins and sparkle everywhere! There was some incredible outfits that I saw in Paris but I’m expecting the UK shows to be on another level.
Comfortable Shoes
Following from planning outfits, you definitely need comfortable shoes. There will be a lot of standing, queuing and of course, dancing! Especially if you have general admission standing tickets, you definitely need to wear trainers! I wore Converse to stand in and just about survived. The second night we had seats and I wore cowboy boots with a slight heel. My boots have been well worn in and I did find them comfortable until the walk home. My advice would be to wear a pair of shoes you find most comfortable (I’ve seen people in Crocs!!) and make sure they are well worn in! Don’t go wearing a brand new pair of boots!
Our show was actually in an indoor arena and the weather in Paris was pretty pleasant. With the UK shows, we need to remember that we are having a terrible Summer. A jacket may need to be considered!
Arrive Early
Try and arrive quite early even if you are seated. It took us nearly two hours to get into the París La Défense Arena on the first evening. I’m presuming it won’t be like this everywhere as I think this was just down to being unorganised. I think it’s a good idea to show up early even if you aren’t standing, just to make sure you have plenty of time, soak in the atmosphere, buy merchandise and see what’s going on. The London shows have two supports announced so there will be a lot of music on even before Taylor’s 3 hour set.
Friendship Bracelets
Friendship Bracelets are a HUGE thing at The Eras Tour. I think it was a bigger thing in the US but there was stil plenty of people swapping and trading bracelets in Paris. I expect it to also be in the UK. Friendship Bracelet kits are available from Amazon – I bought this kit and it came with elastic. There’s plenty of tips on how to tie them on TikTok – this is something i struggled with. I also put some clear nail polish on the knot to secure it. My Friends and I have made a ton of braclets and hope to trade them also at the UK shows!
Essential Items
Aside from your essential items like cash, phone etc.. these are a few items which I think you need to pick up:
- Phone Lanyard
- Ear Plugs
- Power Banks
I recommend buying a phone lanyard so you can wear it around your neck and it’s easy accessible to take photos/videos. I bought a phone charm so I could have it round my wrist but I think a lanyard would be so much easier. It’s a LONG show! Even if you don’t take that many photos, I still urge you to bring a power bank for your phone. Especially so you’re not left with 0% when you’re trying to get home. I personally like the Anker Power Banks & the Varta Power Banks.
I also recommend getting ear plugs or loop plugs for the shows. I had foam ones which were provided by the arena. It’s not something I’ve had at concerts before but I’ve also never heard as much noise at a concert before. Especially in the standing area, it is loud. Having some ear plugs will help you hear Taylor more clearly and drown out the screams. Loop earplugs have been recommended a ton.
Stay Hydrated
The Eras Tour is long. Make sure you stay hydrated and have some food beforehand. Food and Drink will be available in the stadiums and I do recommend getting a few drinks. It’s so important to drink plenty of water. I know a lot of people may avoid drinking plenty to avoid going to the toilet, but this isn’t wise at all!
Toilet Breaks
A big question about the Eras Tour is when is it a good times to go to the toilet and not miss anything. I won’t lie, the toilet queues were huge before the show started, even during Paramore. However, there is plenty of occasions during the show to go to the toilet. She does go off stage between each Era to do a dress change, giving you a couple of minutes. I’d also recommend a good point is after Champagne Problems when theres around a 4/5 minute standing ovation.
Merchandise
Finally, Merchandise! The merchandise trucks are usually open the day before the first show in the city. For Paris, the trucks arrived and opened two days before the first show. Personally, if you have time I would recommend going the day before. We queued for 40 minutes before getting served and I’d say you’d be looking at a similar time on show night. So it all depends if you want to queue on the night or not. The merchandise apparently runs on daily stock levels so the later you go, sizes and items may be sold out but will be replenished each morning. Check the stadium the week of your concert to find out opening times of the truck. I’ll be doing a TikTok asap of what I picked up and sizing (FYI, they run on American sizes).
Hopefully these tips will help you a little bit. To be honest, they are transferable for most concerts but I guess The Eras Tour is the big concert to be at in 2024. I didn’t want to delve into too much about the show in detail as I know people are avoiding spoilers. I also aren’t too helpful with the getting home aspect as every stadium will be different. For Paris we stayed about a 20 minute walk from the arena and I thought this was a great way to do it and avoid having to use taxis, public transport etc..
If you have any other tips, leave them below in a comment. Also let me know if you are going to The Eras Tour and which show!
I love u
At your show did the merchandise accept cards or was it only cash? Cant find the answer anywhere so if you could please help. Flying from Canada to Gelsenkirchen for July 18th show! Thanks!
I paid on card! 🙂