Taylor Swift Eras Tour – Tips & Notes for Sydney Concert
It’s the most anticipated concert of the year and it’s finally here in Australia.
After going to the Night 3 concert on Sunday night in Melbourne I thought I would just jot down a few little tips and observations for anyone heading to the Sydney concerts.
Get ready for an incredible 3.5 hours experience. It’s not like any other concert. With incredible stamina and without breaking a sweat, Ms Swift literally performs for most of the show – there’s very little time she’s not on the stage singing and dancing. Her stunning costume changes are fast and plentiful. It’s an extravaganza that keeps audiences spellbound.
Merchandise
In Melbourne the merchandise sold like hotcakes. Who knew that merch was going to be another struggle after all the Ticketek battles.
The sizing is American sizes so is on the big side. As there are many young fans, the Youth sizes, XS and S are the most popular sizes and seem to sell out as soon as they are restocked. Unfortunately by the last 2 days of the concert there were very few, and by the last concert day there was very little left of anything and only large and XL sizes left.
We had the grand plan of going to the merchandise stalls outside of the MCG on the Friday or Saturday night while the concert was on, as there would be no lines up then. It partially worked. There were no line ups. But there was also barely any stock by then. All smaller sizes gone. There was more stock delivered on Saturday but the line ups during the day were huge and by Saturday night when we went, there were only a couple of items still in stock (one of the hoodies and one long sleeve top) but only in large sizes. No t-shirts at all.
So if you have your heart set on buying merchandise in a smaller size go early is my advice. We spoke to some girls who were triumphant in buying merch at around 1.30pm on Saturday. They said they lined up from 10am. The stores did not open until 12.30pm that day as there was a delay in the shipment of stock arriving. That’s the kind of dedication you need. We were not dedicated enough.
Things may be different in Sydney but be aware that just like Melbourne there are thousands and thousands of people who missed out on tickets but still want to buy merch on top of the 80,000 x 3 nights of people going to the show so basically a lot of people who are vying for a momento. Early pre-sales of merch have seen long lines already of eager buyers so there’s no guarantee there will be enough stock to keep everyone happy for the whole concert weekend. You can also buy online too so don’t despair if you can’t get them at the merch stall (but not all items are available online). Stock seems to be constantly added and currently you can pre-order (it says shipping is from 14 March 2024).
Click here for the official Taylor Swift merchandise store.
Taylor Swift merchandise prices:
* Black or Beige Tour T-shirt $65
* Navy Long Sleeve T-shirt $85
* Black or Beige Tour Hoodie $120
* Tour Sweater $120
* Quarter Zip Pullover $120
* Bracelet $50
* Water Bottle $40
* Tour Tote Bag $50
* Canvas Tapestry $55
* Midnights Vinyl $80
* Midnights CD $30
* Tour Poster $40
It’s Loud!
Swifties sing loud, and scream even louder. I have never been to a louder concert before and I’m pretty sure being surrounded by 96,000 fans had something to do with it. It’s worth getting some ear plugs for the concert (just the cheap foam ones from chemists or Bunnings do the job). They help to dull the singing and screaming around you so you can hear the music and Taylor Swift singing. This would be especially important for young children who may benefit from ear muffs. The amount of noise may be quite overwhelming for kids, and hurt their ears.
The ear plugs help to prevent that prolonged ringing in your ears which can sometimes continue long after the concert too.
It’s Busy Everywhere
The MCG was a total buzz as was all of Melbourne. Fans literally took over the city – footpaths were packed, stores were full of people and Taylor Swift songs played non-stop in every one of them. The vibe was friendly and happy – there was excitement in the air. Be prepared for crowds and generally people everywhere. Allow for the fact that restaurants and places to eat will be busy and may take longer to serve food.
Swifties are Dedicated
It was a pleasant surprise to observe that during the concert Swifties generally did not spend the whole night on their phones constantly taking photos and videoing. Instead they were way too busy singing their hearts out and dancing all night. They seem to know all the song lyrics and didn’t even seem to be making it up. Not an easy feat considering there are 44 songs, many with story based lyrics with a lot of words!
They enjoyed the moment, immersing themselves in the experience, and didn’t want to miss anything.
Shoes
You are going to be on your feet dancing for pretty much the whole concert – you won’t have a choice as everyone stands and you won’t see a thing otherwise. So the best thing would be to wear comfortable shoes. If you have boots or special shoes with heels especially to match your outfit, consider taking along some flats to change into, after you’ve taken photos of your outfit of course.
Friendship Bracelets
It’s a varied experience with friendship bracelets. While some people did a lot of bracelet swapping or giving, other people were a little shy to approach strangers. It may just depend on the people who happen to be sitting in your section. Some of the bracelet exchanges happen outside the stadium before going in. If you have made many bracelets to give or swap don’t be afraid to approach other Swifties – no one will say no to a friendly exchange and it’s such a lovely tradition at Taylor Swift concerts.
Sensory Room
There will be a Sensory Room for kids who may be overwhelmed by the noise or excitement and need a quieter space. Read more about it on the Accor site under Sensory Rooms/Packs.
Getting There
The trains are fantastic in Sydney and public transport is free for the concert. When we were at Harry Styles last year we found it super easy to get to Accor Stadium on a train and then get back to our city hotel after. They put on extra trains and they seemed to come along every 5 to 10 minutes. Express trains leave from Central Station and the trip only takes around 20 minutes. That night there was another concert on in the precinct so they were expecting over 120,000 people in that area but it all ran so smoothly.
For more info visit the Accor Stadium website here.
Whatever you do, have the most wonderful time, it doesn’t get better than this. You won’t forget the experience.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: photos by Play & Go Melbourne 2024
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