Swiftie fever grips Cardiff ahead of sell-out gig

Taylor Swift fans queued outside Principality Stadium on Monday, more than a day before the concert

They are Never Ever Getting Back to work on time today.

The first Taylor Swift fans have begun arriving at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium – 36 hours before her concert is due to begin on Tuesday evening.

Some fans queued before Daylight, knowing All Too Well they would have to move quickly to get their hands on merchandise before the sell-out performance.

The Welsh capital is the only city on the American superstar’s 152-show Eras Tour that she will play just once.

At the front of queue on a bridge crossing the River Taff was Shelley Phillips, 33, from Cardiff, who had been at the stadium since 05:30 BST on Monday to buy merchandise.

“I am so excited for tomorrow, but also terrified because it’s going to be a long day,” she said.

Ms Phillips last saw Taylor Swift in London in 2009, and is “looking forward to seeing her perform in Wales”.

She said she hoped to hear the star sing Long Live, from her 2010 album Speak Now, but which has been taken off her set.

“But I’m hoping she performs it in Wales, as we are the land of castles and dragons,” she said.

Fans were out in force to bag some pre-gig merchandise

Most of those the BBC spoke to outside the stadium had not seen Taylor Swift before.

They included Elanor Tuckwell, 19, who had travelled to Cardiff from Bristol, and is going to the concert with her sister for her birthday.

The pair have VIP standing tickets, and plan to start queuing at around 06:30 on Tuesday.

“We’re going to bring our friendship bracelet with us, so we’ve got that to do,” she said when asked how she will cope with the long wait.

“I’m bringing three portable chargers to make sure I’m fully charged.”

Felipe Sabbag, 25, is from Sao Paulo in Brazil, but now lives in Bridgend.

He had tickets to see Taylor Swift in his home country in 2020, but the concert was cancelled due to Covid.

“There’s loads of people from all over the UK that have come to see Taylor Swift,” he said, having made friends with some fellow Swifties in the queue.

Swifties Ollie Purdie, Katie Gray, and Sarah Wills have travelled from Cornwall for the concert

Ollie Purdie, 22, Katie Gray, 27, and Sarah Wills, 32, had travelled by car to Cardiff from Cornwall, a journey of four hours, and are staying in a hotel in Cardiff Bay.

They all described themselves as die-hard fans, with Taylor Swift tattoos and their friendship bracelets ready.

“We’ve not seen her before, we can’t wait,” said Ollie.

With excitement building for the concert, organisers have warned fans that camping is not allowed on the Principality Stadium site.

A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “The only place where camping is permitted is at our camp site in Bute Park, and obviously this has to be pre-booked and paid for.”

Meanwhile, police said that two people arrested over allegations of “significant ticket fraud” relating to concerts in Cardiff have been released on bail.