It’s been a long time coming…

If you’re an anxious Swiftie hoping to make the most of your Eras Tour experience (especially after surviving the Great Ticketmaster War), then this post is for you. 

In this Eras Tour guide, I’m going to give you a breakdown of must-knows and tips for attending based on my experience attending Paris Night 2 in the VIP 7 section, starting with general Eras Tour tips, as well as ideas for what to wear to the Eras Tour, and common Eras Tour chants and crowd interactions to catch you up to speed.

… Are you ready for it? 

1. Wear ear plugs 

It sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out: the Eras Tour is a LOUD experience. Beyond just the regular loudness of concerts, you will inevitably have some ultra passionate Swifties screaming bridges into your ear… which is fun until you go home and have ringing ears for weeks.

Luckily, there’s an easy solution in ear plugs. Ear plugs not only protect your ears from damage but also help drown out the noise around you (i.e. violent Swiftie screaming) while allowing you to hear Taylor and the band better. It’s really a win-win and I’m SO glad I decided to wear ear plugs. Plus, worst case scenario is you hate them and take them out. Definitely better to go with than without so at least you have the option.

A lot of people on TikTok recommended the Loop Experience ones here but since I don’t go to concerts that often, I wanted to spend less.

These are the cheapest ones I found with good reviews. They definitely helped SO much! 

NOTE: I found that if I shoved them all the way in my ear like an earbud, I could hear my own singing voice all too well… so instead I wore them in a way that they were stood up in my ear instead, which helped drown out the noise around me without making my own voice super clear.

2. Look up rules specific to your venue 

Speaking especially to international Swifties, often stadium and arena rules vary a great deal, so even if you’ve been to an Eras Tour show before, it’s important that you read rules closely for every venue you attend!

Just to illustrate how extreme these differences can be: in Paris you could bring (non clear) bags up to 10L capacity, whereas in Stockholm there’s a bag ban in place.

So, be sure to always check specific rules for your venue and don’t make any assumptions about what is and isn’t allowed.

This has two major benefits: 1) it can help you get through security more smoothly (by not accidentally bringing prohibited items) and 2) it can also help you navigate your rights as an attendee.

In France for instance, they are legally obliged to provide free water anywhere that food is served. This means that free water is available at all French shows. At the Paris shows for instance, they had cups (that required a one euro deposit) that you could use to get free water. There was also security personnel handing out small cups of water throughout the show as well. 

NOTE: It’s important that you do take venue rules seriously. I’ve seen some really bad horror stories from Swifties who were caught out by arena rules, like a girl who brought a point & shoot camera, only to have all her photos deleted by staff. Not just the concert photos – all of them! So yes, don’t take any rules for granted – they can vary easily based on venue. 

3. Do lots of local research to plan your arrival

If you’re reading this right now, I probably don’t need to preach to you about the advantages of research when it comes to the Eras Tour, but I will emphasize one thing: the more specific your research, the better!

Sure, reading tips from the US shows might help you get a head start in planning, but if you’re attending a second or third night in a city, then you have the advantage of having thousands of Swifties do the leg work for you on Night One, so take advantage!

From experience, it seems that many Swifties are happy to document their experiences/share tips on social media in detail(especially TikTok) so be sure to search up “Eras Tour ____ [your city]” to get the scoop on what the process for your city whenever possible.

Pay attention to crucial details like…

• Arrival times for floor tickets/VIP
• Venue restrictions on what to bring
• Best ways to reach the venue 
• Different venue entrances based on section, etc. 

4. Make a plan for your arrival

What time should you arrive at the Eras Tour? This question comes up a LOT and depends on a variety of factors, including…

• The type of ticket you have (seated vs. floor)
• Whether or not you are VIP
• Designated venue time slots
• How much you want to get barricade (e.g. front row on the floor)

Generally speaking, if you have seated tickets, then you do not need to worry too much about arriving early UNLESS you want time to get merch and soak in the experience.

If you have floor seats however… oof! If you want any chance at getting barricade (e.g. front row), then two things need to be true:

• 1) You have a VIP ticket
• 2) You are able to camp out WELL in advance to secure your spot in line

How early do you need to start lining up? Based on some TikTok sleuthing here, it seems the Swifties who were near the very front of the queue on Night One in Paris started camping out THREE DAYS early (sleeping in a tent outside the venue).

In another TikTok, a Swiftie who arrived at 9:45am got barricade about 1/3 down the catwalk.

So, I hope that gives you a rough idea of the timings you would need in order to secure the best spots for the show. Again, this will depend on your specific venue and show, but in any case just know that it’ll require a lot of dedication.

For me personally, I got there relatively late at 3:10pm, and ended up in the centre left section maybe 20 rows deep (if I were to estimate). Based on this TikTok, the Swiftie who got barricade in my section (VIP 7, centre front) arrived at 2am and was 10th in line.

In any case, it’s important that you set realistic expectations, and if your goal really is to be as close to the front as possible on the floor, then you need to make a plan that may or may not include…

• Tents/comfortable things to sit on
• Sun protection
• Plenty of water and snacks
• A bathroom game plan
• Portable chargers
• Games/entertainment

5. Dress comfortably and cooly 

I’ll be talking about what to wear to the Eras Tour a little more later but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to find an outfit that will help keep you comfortable and cool! 

Inevitably, you’ll be in a “can’t stop won’t stop movin” kind of mood throughout the concert, which means you will get hot. You’re also very likely to be packed and close to tons of other people (especially on the floor) so wearing a super sweaty outfit will not be ideal.

NOTE: If you have floor tickets, I wouldn’t advise bringing a big bulky jacket because the crowd tends to shift a lot throughout the concert so keeping track of something you’ve left on the floor can be a huge pain. Wear something light, comfortable, and something you can easily sit in for a few hours, as (depending on when you get in) there’s quite a bit of sitting involved.

Especially important to consider are shoes. Whether you have a floor ticket or an assigned seat, you’ll be spending a lot of time on your feet, so comfort is key! I personally wore flat sandals and had zero regrets. 

Of course, comfort varies for everyone! My friend wore platform sandals and was fine – the most important thing is bringing shoes that YOU know are comfortable (based on past experience).  The Eras Tour is definitely not the place to be breaking in new shoes. 

6. Pack as light as possible

Again, you’ll be dancing and smushed up against a lot of other people, so the less you back the better. During my concert, I saw a lot of Swifties attempting to dance while carrying a giant tote on their shoulder – definitely not ideal if you can help it!

Plus, some venues won’t allow bags anyway, so the less you bring the better.

That said, some random things to include in your packing list are…

• Tissues in case of crying (likely)
• Portable charger (if allowed)

7. Strategize your food for the day

Yes, I know you’re excited for the show, but planning your pre/post concert meals is key to survival. 

Once you get inside the venue, there will be few opportunities for food, apart from some snacks (venue-dependent). In Paris for instance there was popcorn and fries for sale, which aren’t the most satisfying things to keep you fuelled for a long day.

What I would recommend is a protein rich meal that makes you feel good, since protein keeps you full for longer.  I’d avoid eating junk that makes you feel blergh because you need fuel to last until the end of the night! 

The same logic goes for ensuring you have food afterwards. The Eras Tour usually wraps up just after 11pm, and depending on your commute home/back to the hotel, you might not get an opportunity to buy food… at which point you’ll probably be starving, so remember to have a backup plan for post-concert munchies. Even something simple like instant noodles, bread, etc. can be a lifesaver!

8. Buy merch before the show (not after) and inside the venue 

At least from what I noticed in Paris, the merch line-ups were MUCH longer outside of the arena than inside, so I’d advise getting merch once you’re inside the venue.

Also try to buy your merch in advance of the show rather than after, as sizes can run out.

9. Have a bathroom plan

This tip is more relevant to floor ticket Swifties, but make sure you have a plan in place for the bathroom! The closer you get to the start time of the show, the tougher it will be for you to leave your spot and go to the bathroom, because people will assume you’re trying to budge your way to the front.

My tip? Go to the bathroom as soon as you enter the venue and… try not to drink too much water.

If you do end up going to the bathroom out of necessity, be sure to memorize your route when going to the bathroom and try to inform people as you go that you’ll be coming back that way – anything that will help you squeeze back in.

And if you’re with friends, try to have an agreed upon signal to show where you are (as a beacon of sorts so they can find their way back to you), whether it’s a hand signal or a prop that you hold up.

NOTE: Don’t be shocked if people on the floor are aggressive about you pushing past them to get back to your spot. When you’re on the floor, it’s impossible to tell who is trying to cut their way to the front and who is legitimately just trying to return to their spot. My friend even says someone shoved her on the way back! 

10. Learn some of the inside jokes/chants/rituals

Swiftie culture and lore both run DEEP… so it should come as no surprise that there’s a lot of cute inside jokes and audience participation bits that take place throughout the concert.

Is it mandatory to learn all these before the show? Absolutely not – you’ll have fun regardless… but it’s sort of fun to feel ‘in the know’ when certain chants and moments happen.

While I only went to one show, I’ve heard from international Swifties that the European concerts are less involved with these chants, but still – there will be plenty of people getting involved, so here are some to keep in mind:

• When ‘Applause’ plays before the show, this is a sign that the countdown to showtime will start right after, so get REALLY excited and clap along to this song… because once it ends you’re only 3 minutes away from seeing Taylor!
• Heart hands during Fearless
• During ‘Delicate’, shout “1, 2, 3… Let’s go bitch!” before the first verse
• During ‘Don’t Blame Me’, shout “Take me to church, Taylor!” at the end of the bridge (right before she does the big “Oh Lord, save me, my drug is my baby” the precedes the iconic ‘ooohhhhhhOOOoohh”
• Right before the first lyric of ‘Style’, shout “What time is it Taylor?” so that she answers “Midnight”
• During the bridge of ‘Blank Space’, chant your city name between each line
• During Anti-Hero, sing “Taylor you’ll be fine” after the line “Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism”

If you want more, this amazing Swiftie has compiled a thorough spreadsheet of various chants… along with their origins. Gosh I love this community.

11. Brush up on basic concert etiquette

If this is your first concert, then it’s helpful to remember that concert etiquette is very much a thing, and includes things that you might not consider once you’re in the heat of the moment.

So, keep the following in mind:

• Remember that there are people behind you, so keep your arms and phones down for as much of the show as you can, especially if you’re taller
• Don’t push and shove – remember that everyone is here to have a good time
• Use your words – if someone is obstructing your view or otherwise bothering you, odds are they’re not doing it on purpose! A polite tap on the shoulder to let them know will be infinitely more effective than shoving or rolling your eyes to those around you
• Respect the order of arrival and don’t push to the front or else you’ll be making a ton of enemies

Random bonus tip: For a more pleasant experience, surround yourself with older Swifties. I’ve found that younger attendees were definitely the ones lacking the most concert etiquette (due to lack of experience, etc.) plus older fans are less likely to be filming Taylor/themselves the entire show.

12. Have a plan for photos/recording 

On that note though, I totally understand that capturing the night is just… part of the concert experience these days, so here are some extra Eras Tour tips in regards to capturing photos and videos:

• Turn down your brightness/exposure to get a crisper shot
• Prioritize capturing clips you can’t find online (e.g. photos/clips with you in them)
• Make sure you have enough storage on your phone
• Bring a power bank (if the venue allows it)

13. Make a game plan for getting home

The Eras Tour is super exciting experience that (for some) can take the entire day, so the last thing you want after the best night ever is to stress about how to get home. This is why it’s super important to have prepared for the journey home in advance.

If you’re taking public transport…

• Plan in advance and try to get tickets ahead of time if you can. With most public transport systems, you should be able to buy a ticket in advance and just validate it when the time comes, so try to figure out a solution like that instead of waiting in line with thousands of others.
• Memorize the walk from the station to the venue because your data might not work properly right after the show (with thousands of people walking out at once)

If you’re driving…

• Park near an exit 
• Drop a pin where you park 
• Take photos that help you remember how to find your car

What to Wear to the Eras Tour 

If you’ve been stuck on Swiftie TikTok like me, you’ll no doubt have seen some videos of incredible Eras Tour outfits, which might skew your perception a little as to just how many people dress up.

But let me ease your mind a little! 

While there were of course some fans in attendance dressed up in epic Taylor inspired outfits, there were just as many (if not more) wearing normal clothes. So if you don’t have the time or budget to get a new outfit for the tour, don’t worry!

Think of it more as an opportunity to have fun and dress up rather than an obligation. 

As is fitting with the ‘Eras’ tour, the most popular thing to wear to the show is something that suits your favourite era. Here are some ideas to help you mastermind the perfect Eras tour fit:

• Taylor Swift (Debut): Cowboy hats, cowboy boots
• Fearless: Gold/silver, sparkly, fringe dresses, sequins
• Speak Now: Purple, gowns, romantic vibes
• Red: Red (of course), high waisted fits, bowler hats
• 1989: Pastels (especially blue), fun preppy style, seagull/cloud motifs
• Reputation: Black, dark green, dark sequins, snake motifs
• Lover: Pastel pink, blue, purple, heart and butterfly motifs, tie-dye
• Folklore: Loose braids, long flowing dresses, boho vibe, cottagecore grandma
• Evermore: Neutrals, flowy pieces, plaid
• Midnights: Sparkly and ‘bejeweled’, dark blue/purple, star/celestial motifs 
• Tortured Poets Department: Black/white, literary motifs 

Alternatively, you can dress up based on your favourite song or lyric, e.g. dressing up as a ‘Mirrorball’, an ‘Archer’, etc. One of the ideas I toyed with was dressing up as a key lime green dog (as mentioned in the Last Great American Dynasty), but I’m glad I opted not to since this song was cut from the setlist! And in hindsight it was kind of a niche and ridiculous idea.

Finally, another option is to create an outfit that somehow incorporates all the eras, through including all the different colours and motifs.

The sky is really the limit on this one, so definitely have fun with it!

My Eras Tour Experience at Paris Night Two (May 10, 2024)

This is probably oversharing but just in case you want to hear exactly how my Eras Tour experience in Paris went (with time stamps), then read on! Do keep in kind though that timings and experience will 100% vary depending on your venue, so the info below should be used for loose reference purposes only. 

Long story short: my friend Sophie and I booked a hotel within walking distance of the arena for the night of the concert so that we wouldn’t have to battle all the crowds on the train home. We stayed here and everything was fine for a night – we even had a little glimpse of the Eiffel Tower! 

VIP ticket holders who don’t live in France couldn’t get their boxes shipped to them, so we had to pick up our VIP boxes at the venue. We arrived a few days early in advance of the show due to pure paranoia that our transport would get disrupted somehow, but we were staying in Central Paris so didn’t get a chance to collect the VIP boxes until the day-of. We caught a taxi from central Paris to La Défense and arrived around 12:45, at which point there was already this massive line-up:

According to our tickets, VIP ticket holders could actually do this as early as May 7 (two days before the first show) so by the time we went, there was actually no queue. Sophie walked right in, grabbed our boxes, and we were good to go! At this point, we realized we needed to eat something before we checked into the hotel (annoyingly a 10 min drive from the venue), so we went into Billy Billy and gorged ourselves with carbs and cheese. 

We then caught an Uber to our hotel, checked in, got changed, and immediately headed back to the venue, joining the VIP 7 line-up (which was already moving) at 3:20. According to our tickets, they would be opening VIP doors at 3:45 so there wasn’t long to wait! 

The line moved fairly quickly as we were ushered to the specific line/entrance for our VIP section. Honestly, the time passed really quickly since we had lots of fun outfits to look at and photos to take.

We entered the arena at pretty much exactly 4pm, at which point our bags were quickly checked and we were given our bracelets! 

Our first order of business was the bathroom, which was a really smart move in hindsight because trying to go after we got our places on the floor would have been VERY stressful (Sophie did it and seemed truly traumatized). After our toilet break, we made our way to the floor which at 4:05pm looked like this:

It was pretty stressful trying to decide which part of the floor to head to, but we opted for the centre and I don’t regret it! Everyone was sitting down at this point and overall being pretty respectful – people were holding spots on the floor for their friends and others who asked, and people would take turns going to the bathroom and getting food/drink (at our show there were fries and popcorn you could buy).

Things got a bit more chaotic once the General Admission crowds started to roll in. These are the attendees who probably camped for hours, if not overnight, for the best spots in line.

So, unsurprisingly, many of them were trying to get as close to the front as they could, often shoving past others who arrived before them. This is sadly something that happens – you can’t expect everyone to be abiding by perfect concert etiquette! 

This ‘forward charge’ was especially evident as we got closer to the opening act, since a lot of free space kind of opened up after the sitting crowd stood up. This resulted in a lot of people pushing through from the back, often refusing to move even when confronted.

Again, this isn’t ideal, but just a situation to prepare yourself for! I saw quite a few arguments erupt over this, usually to no satisfying conclusion… after all, there are no marked spots, so it’s not like security can get involved. Just stand your ground though and keep in mind that there will inevitably be people trying to push forward and get closer, even throughout the concert.

While we were waiting, they showed clips from different Taylor Swift music videos, along with behind the scenes clips, though never playing full songs. 

Paramore came on stage around 6:45pm (15 minutes later than anticipated), and sang the following set list:

• Hard Times
• Burning Down the House
• Still Into You 
• Caught in the Middle
• Rose Coloured Boy
• The Only Exception
• That’s What You Get
• Ain’t it Fun
• This is Why

Overall, I was surprised by how many songs I knew just from TikTok or general radio play. They were a solid opening act but a lot of people didn’t seem to be paying attention or dancing along, which I thought was a shame. 

Anyways, after the Paramore set concluded, everyone sat back down and we had a few more songs played, all of us of course waiting for ‘Applause’, which is the final song that plays before the countdown begins for Taylor to come on stage. 

The countdown began just before 8pm (about 30 minutes later than anticipated) and the show began almost at 8pm on the dot!

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how amazing the show was – it was only the second night of them doing the Tortured Poets’ Department section and it was INCREDIBLE – so theatrical and dramatic. Especially given that I had the foresight to do a TTPD inspired outfit, I loved every second.

Still, I have to say, as a 5’3” girl I really couldn’t see much of the stage, and instead resorted to watching most of the show from the big screens or through people’s phones. As you might expect, lots of people were recording throughout the whole night, which blocked a lot of the view, but I guess the flipside is I got to see things through their screens quite well! You win some, you lose some.

Our surprise songs for the night were:

• Is It Over Now x Out of the Woods 
• My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

The show concluded at around 11:10pm, at which point we proceeded on foot back to the hotel. We were lucky that we had some fast food options nearby so we got to eat something before passing out in bed after a truly incredible night! 

Overall, I would say if you can book a hotel close to the venue, do it, because the convenience of just walking back without getting on a stuffy train, bus or otherwise getting stuck in traffic was the BEST.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little write-up and that it helped relieve some of your anxieties about going to the Eras Tour. Again, things will vary a lot by venue and show but I hope this was at least somewhat helpful!

Did I Miss Any of Your Top Eras Tour Tips?

Please share them in the comments to help your fellow Swifties!