Going to Taylor Swift Sunday? Here are tips from fans who went Saturday night
With night one of Taylor Swift’s Seattle Eras Tour extravaganza in the books, what should fans know before going to day two?
We asked fans at the Saturday show what they would’ve wanted to know before getting into their long-awaited seats.
Here is our mega-guide to Taylor in Seattle.
Arriving
Expect crowds early. Hundreds of fans formed merchandise lines in the wee hours Saturday morning to wait for the merch truck to open at noon.
A fan with floor seats, Do Le, who’s been listening to Taylor for more than 14 years, recommends not waiting in merch truck lines. Le waited for hours before giving up.
“They were just too long,” Le said. “It wasn’t worth it.”
Merch lines inside the stadium are much shorter than the snaking line created in the Lumen Field parking lot. There are merch stands open throughout the stadium before, during and after the show.
If you’re not into Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour merch, or more likely you already have enough, fans at Saturday’s show recommended coming closer to the show.
“No need to come sooner than 1 p.m.,” said Ruthe Graybeal, a fan from Woodinville who came with her sister for her birthday.
If you’re driving in, fans recommend parking farther from the stadium.
A Taylor fan since 2007 and ticket holder Saturday, Alix Kersavage parked in South Lake Union and took a 20-minute Uber to Lumen.
Ticket entry lines began cropping up around noon Saturday, so if you’d like to be the first ones in Lumen, get there before 1 p.m.
Getting into Lumen
Lumen Field has multiple entrances and it can be difficult to find the specific one for your seats.
“Look at the map,” Kersavage said. “You’ve got to go to a specific entrance.”
An interactive map to Lumen Field can be found here or more detail on the venue in our stadium guide.
Unexpected things Day 1
Saturday’s show at Lumen Field mixed with a Mariners game so we saw heavy crowds show as Mariners and Blue Jay fans flooded Occidental Avenue leaving T-Mobile Park.
The final game in their three-game series is Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Occidental was heavily crowded and jammed from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday.
“Prepare for a lot of people,” said Sophie Busschan, a fan for 10 years who was at Saturday’s concert. “It can be overwhelming, so be ready.”
For unexpected traffic delays, fans at Saturday’s show brought snacks to wait out the gridlock.
“Have enough snacks for before and after the show,” said Giovanna Contrigiani, a fan at night one with front row floor seats. “You don’t know how long the commute there and back might be.”
Leaving Lumen
Saturday’s show ended around 11:25 p.m. after 46 songs and three hours of Taylor. But getting out of the stadium can be a hassle.
If you’re lucky enough to have floor seats, you should be out of the stadium 10 to 15 minutes after the show.
With seats higher up, expect a 20-30 minute walk until you get out.
With all the preparation and planning that fans go through for Taylor Swift, don’t forget why you’re all going. To have fun!
Enjoy the experience, stay safe and be patient.
This story was originally published July 23, 2023 at 10:23 AM.
