Taylor Swift fans without tickets for the final shows of her historic Eras Tour in Vancouver next week are being discouraged from "Taylgating" outside BC Place stadium, which will have a fence erected around its perimeter prior to the performances.
As CityNews Toronto reports, in a media briefing yesterday (November 28), Chris May, general manager of BC Place, confirmed that areas surrounding the stadium will be strictly limited to ticketholders. "Please, if you do not have tickets, there is no reason to Taylgate," he said, adding that officials are "not going to alter" their plans. "There is no designated outside gathering zone. Our focus is on keeping ticketholders and guests safe."
Vancouver Police Sergeant Steve Addison added, "We anticipate possibly in excess of 300,000 people over the course of that weekend, just in the stadium district alone and our major goal — our only goal — is [to] foster an environment that's safe and memorable, so that people who have anticipated these shows for so long can come and have a weekend to remember."
While there was an unofficial fan experience event held at Toronto's Metro Convention Centre when the pop star performed six concerts here earlier this month, this isn't the first time Taylgating has been banned during the Eras Tour: following a foiled terror plot that resulted in the cancellation of Swift's Vienna gigs this August, London's Wembley Stadium warned that fans without tickets were not welcome to gather during her five-show stint.
Given how notoriously difficult to procure (and not to mention expensive) Eras Tour tickets have been, Taylgating became a trend that allowed left-out fans to still partake in the experience. An estimated 45,000 ticketless Swifties congregated outside Olympiastadon in Munich this July hoping to catch an earful — but, given Ticketmaster's release of "no view" Vancouver tickets (and their subsequent resale value priced at thousands of dollars by scalpers), even just the Eras Tour Finale (Audio Version) experience has a high price tag.
Officials also said that overnight camping outside BC Place will not be allowed and roads around the stadium will be closed from noon to midnight on December 6, 7 and 8.