‘I want to be in the best spot’ – Swiftie queues at Wembley for more than a day
Thursday’s Eras Tour concert will be the first of five nights at the national stadium, following a run of three dates in June.
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Your support makes all the difference.The first person in the queue for Taylor Swift’s return to Wembley Stadium has said she has camped out at the venue since 11am on Wednesday to get “the best spot”.
Coco, 19, said the experience of her first Swift concert had already been “really fun”, adding that the atmosphere had been “really nice” with fans making friendship bracelets together.
The star will return to Wembley Stadium for five nights, starting on Thursday, before performing there on August 16, 17, 19 and 20, after initially playing three dates at the national stadium in June.
The concerts will bring the UK leg of her Eras Tour to a close, after three planned concerts at Austria’s Ernst Happel Stadium were cancelled following a failed terror plot.
It comes after Swift paid tribute to victims of the Southport attack last month, in which three young girls died after a mass stabbing at a holiday club themed on the singer, with Swift saying she was “completely in shock”.
Speaking of her experience at Wembley over the last two days, Coco said she had travelled three hours from Surrey to be at the stadium at 11am on Wednesday with their food and tent.
Lots of people didn’t want to camp but I’ve never felt so safe
“We wanted to come as early as we could, we wanted to be the first ones because you get the best view and you have the most space”, she said.
“It’s way more relaxed. Lots of people find it uncomfortable to camp out but I think it’s really fun. You get to meet other people.
“We were the only ones there until 8pm yesterday. We were relaxing, making bracelets but once people started arriving, the atmosphere was really nice. Everyone has common interests and it was really nice speaking with everyone.”
The Swiftie, who bought her £275 VIP package ticket a year and a half ago, added: “I’ve never seen her before so it’s my first time. That’s why I wanted to be at the front, I wanted to be in the best spot I could put myself in.”
Despite the concerns raised after last week’s foiled terror attempt, she said she “never felt so safe” camping out as there were security guards keeping watch the whole time.
The stadium has put a guide online for fans attending the dates which says there should be no chains, chain wallets, studded jewellery or spurs, no noise-making devices such as air horns, bells, bullhorns, thunder sticks, and no aerosol containers – including sunscreen, pepper spray, bug spray, or spray paint.
Additionally, ticketless supporters will be unable to congregate outside the arena on show day, thwarting a usually common practice among fans known as “tay-gating”.
Queues have been steadily growing throughout the day, with thousands of fans arriving early to snap up merchandise and get a prime spot in front of the stage.
Sophie Hutton, who has been in Great Ormond Street Hospital for cancer treatment for 72 days, said she could not wait to see the singer perform after she was offered tickets.
The schoolgirl, from Sutton, south London, said: “I won a Taylor Swift colouring book and we have been wanting to go ever since. (Being in Great Ormond Street) was quite scary and what got me through was colouring.”
Her mother, Angela, called her daughter “super brave” and said: “This is the best first place to go when you’re out of hospital. It’s absolutely fantastic.”
One 19-year-old fan even received her exam results while in the queue for the Eras Tour gig.
Martyna Smoniewska, who bought a £277 VIP ticket for the concert, got an email telling her she had distinctions in her BTecs, which will enable her to go to Nottingham Trent University to study broadcast journalism.
She said: “Me and my best friend both woke up at 5am this morning. We came all the way from Nottingham yesterday. It took us about two hours to get ready so we were here for 7am.
“We are excited and also really, really nervous.”
On safety, Martyna added: “I am not feeling nervous at all really. There are a lot of police about and everyone that we’ve spoken to has been really funny and tried to make us feel safe. There are no worries for me just yet.”
She said she was most looking forward to the Reputation set and hoped Ed Sheeran would make a guest appearance, as he was also one of her favourite artists.
A group of four students – Reeba Tovee, 19, Imogene Gatherer, 20, Ellie Behan, 19, and Carrie Ferguson, 19 – were up in the early hours of the morning in anticipation of the concert.
Ellie said: “I’m also so excited for the atmosphere and all the girls, everyone is going to be there, it’s like girlhood. When you go to a club you don’t feel very safe, but I feel like this going to be so supportive and safe.”
Reeba added: “I was praying this wasn’t cancelled. I know they’ve put a lot of extra security in now.
“When the news came out, we were all very nervous but seeing the extra security measures that have been put in place makes us feel better, there have been lots of accounts on X and TikTok saying what the safest way to get there is.”
A mother and daughter said they did not feel stressed by last week’s terror threats, saying such things are always possible.
Sarah, 52, said that after growing up through the Troubles, and having friends who have fought overseas, she had learnt that you need to just “keep going” as threats are “forever” there.
Her 21-year-old daughter Chloe, a student at the London School of Economics, added: “The fact that we’ve just had that terror plot that she dealt with it, her team, the government, everyone dealt with it – this is probably the safest place we could be.
“As long as everything is respected, all the security rules are respected, I think it’s probably the safest place we can be because of the security presence.”
The London shows have drawn fans from across the world, including four siblings who have travelled from Canada, Budapest, Bristol and Surrey.
Among the family is Bailey Heath, 23, who was crowned “MTV’s Ultimate Stan” after taking part in a Swift-themed game show in which he had to answer 72 questions about the singer.
He said: “It was actually really hard questions, it was ‘What was her brother’s star sign?’, ‘What was her football team in high school?’
“Don’t ask how I know them all. It’s a lifestyle choice.”