Taylor Swift in Cardiff: Concert start time, likely setlist and road closures

For one night and one night only, multi-Grammy award winning Taylor Swift is bringing her Era's tour to Wales.

The 3-hour extravaganza kicks off at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Tuesday 18 June.

It promises to take Swifties on a journey through Taylor Swift's almost 20-year career, with hits including 'Shake It Off', 'Cruel Summer' and 'I Knew You Were Trouble'.

With more than 70,000 fans expected to attend, research by Barclays suggests Ms Swift's visit is expected to boost the Welsh economy by around £64 million.

So, what do you need to know ahead of this blockbuster night?

When does it start?

The Principality Stadium doors will open for revealers at 4pm. Those with early entry tickets will be admitted an hour earlier, at 3pm.

The show is scheduled to start at 5:45pm and Taylor's warm up act is set to start at around 7pm.

Taylor, herself, is then expected to make her appearance on stage at 8pm.

Who is supporting Taylor?

Taylor has been supported throughout her European tour by Paramore, who are led by her friend Hayley Williams.

The Tennessee rock band's hits include ‘Still Into You’ and ‘Ain't It Fun’.

What will she be performing?

According to the website Setlist.fm, Taylor has opened all of her shows with the 2019 hit, 'Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince'.

It's also expected fans can be treated to 'Karma' to close the performance, but be warned - don't expect an encore!

Other hits she has performed during the tour include, 'You Belong With Me', 'Look What You Made Me Do', 'Long Live', 'Blank Space', and 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart'.

Will the roof be closed?

Yes. According to the Principality Stadium the roof will be closed for the Taylor Swift performance.

How do I get there?

There will be several road closures across the capital to accommodate the tens-of-thousands of fans who will be descending on the Principality Stadium.

According to VisitCardiff, the High Street, Saint Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street and Central Square are among the roads that will be completely closed from midday.

Closures will have an impact on bus services. Cardiff Bus has warned people to "allow extra time for your journey" but says it has more staff across the city to help travellers get to their destinations.

For Swifties driving to the capital for the show there is limited parking available, but Park and Ride facilities are operating on the outskirts of the city.

At previous events, there had been criticism that the transport infrastructure was not up to the challenge major events pose.

The last time Cardiff hosted Ed Sheeran, concert-goers were stuck in car parks for hours and there were tailbacks on the M4. When international superstar Beyonce performed in the Welsh capital, no trains were running on several routes due to engineering works on rail lines.

There isn't any planned disruption for the Taylor Swift gig, but Transport for Wales have warned that "trains are expected to be very busy". There will be "additional capacity where possible on routes in/out of Cardiff".

A queueing system will be in place outside Cardiff Central after the performance. TfW have told customers "to allow plenty of time for their journey".

Are there still tickets?

The short answer is no. When tickets for her Cardiff show went on sale, the gig sold out within minutes. A few tickets did come out afterwards, but fans snapped them up almost instantly.

However it is possible to get your hands on a resale ticket. AXS and Ticketmaster, the official ticket merchant for the event, have warned fans to be very cautious of scammers if they are looking to purchase a resale ticket.

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