Taylor Swift fan first in Cardiff queue spent £700 on tickets and no sleep

The first person in the queue for Taylor Swift's huge Cardiff show has said she has spent more than £700 on tickets and will have spent nearly 24 hours waiting by the time she goes onstage. Huma Ali came from Manchester to the Welsh capital and was the first in the queue having arrived after midnight on Tuesday (June 18)..

She will have been waiting almost 24 hours by the time Swift takes to the stage, likely after 7pm. The 23-year-old decided against camping but arrived late on Monday night and has been organising the queue of early morning arrivals, writing numbers on people's hands with a marker as they join.

"I wasn't sure about camping but the atmosphere is always really friendly with people in the queue," she said. "The journey wasn't too bad as I was mainly just excited about the show."

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Huma said she has been a Swift fan for "such a long time" and has spent over £700 on tickets for her Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London shows.

"This is my third show. I didn't get to see her last time when she came here so I'm just trying to see her as much as I can," she said. "If you book hotels and trains beforehand it's not too expensive. It's all worth it in the end, I'm seeing Taylor Swift and she's my favourite person in the world. This is the first time I've camped out, I haven't done it for other shows.

"The number system is the best way I think because we know once we get inside... It gets overwhelming and we want to make sure people have a chance to go and get changed and have their place."

While her friend suggested they might lose track when the queue gets too long - there was 25 by 6.30am currently - Huma said: "I'm not giving up! People are getting their numbers! Well maybe when we get to 100... But by then we'll be let in."

Huma said they have been told people queuing on the bridge might be allowed to move inside the stadium area later this morning but doors don't open until 4pm. Get your limited edition Taylor Swift OK! glossy mag here

Groups of fans have been queuing outside the Principality Stadium since midnight and on Tuesday morning there were groups on Westgate Street and near the Millennium Plaza on Wood Street.

In the meantime Huma came equipped with blankets, pillows and plenty of snacks to keep her going.

"I spoke to a security person when we arrived and I think we aren't supposed to be camping but if we are on the pavement and it's organised it's fine," she said. "I've had about four hours sleep and am quite delirious! But I am a night person and I think the adrenaline will keep me awake.

"I've got three layers, my duvet, my pillows so I don't get back pain - because I'm an old woman at this point even though I'm 23!

"I've had a lot of water but I'm not that hungry. I've tried to doze off but haven't quite managed to. I don't need sleep - I can sleep after I've seen Taylor Swift."

She said she has been "waiting for this for so long" adding that she feels she and others have grown up with Swift and matured with her, which is why fans feel so close to her.

"It's the most exciting time of my life, and it's happening in the summer.

"She gets us, she has worked really hard to get to where she is. We all relate to her music in different ways. Her songs have been with us since childhood - she's kind of grown up with us and is a family figure to us really. We've all built a family in our community, it's really nice."

Huma said she filmed her reaction to Swift coming onstage in Edinburgh and was in tears. "I cried. As soon as she came out I was in disbelief, I was crying, shaking. It was so surreal, I couldn't believe she was there. I've looked up to her for so long."