I went to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and here's what every fan should know

Excitement is already building in the city as Taylor Swift is set to bring her critically-acclaimed Eras Tour to Liverpool's Anfield Stadium this week.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is a culmination of her entire musical career, with different sections of the concert representing each album. Already plans are underway to make the most of her arrival in Liverpool, from Liverpool's Taylor Town Trail to local businesses getting ready to welcome fans, known as Swifties.

From the friendship bracelet making trend to finding the perfect outfit for your chosen album era and speculating what the surprise songs will be, it's been a long time coming for dedicated fans.

READ MORE: Inside the famous buildings featured in Taylor Swift's Liverpool music video

READ MORE: Last time Taylor Swift was spotted in Liverpool ahead of the Eras Tour in Anfield

Last month, I was lucky enough to fly to Lisbon with my friends to see The Eras Tour in the sunny Portuguese capital for night one at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica. It was Taylor's first ever show in Portugal and like many dedicated Swifties, for us it was a military operation planning everything.

All the organising was worth it in the end, but there are some things I wish I had thought of or knew in advance. Ahead of the Liverpool shows, here are some top tips every Swiftie should know before they head to the Eras Tour.

Buy merchandise in advance

In Liverpool, Taylor Swift fans can now get their hands on official Eras Tour merchandise, after Liverpool FC announced it would be hosting an additional Early Merch Day for Swifties ahead of the gigs, which will hopefully help with the build up of queues. And this is something I would definitely recommend doing.

Similarly in Lisbon, merch stalls opened in the days leading up to the event. As a group, we queued for half an hour to buy ours without the stress or panic of purchasing on the day of the gig or not being able to get the item of our choice. It was a lot quieter than the merch queues we saw on the day of the concert and it meant we also didn't have to carry anything we bought.

Arrive in plenty of time

This may seem like a fairly obvious one - but leave no stone unturned. In Lisbon, we arrived before doors opened as we were given no alloted arrival time, but it was incredibly busy and took longer than we expected to get inside.

Anfield hosts regular football matches and concerts throughout the year and the club knows exactly how to organise an event, but whether you're seated or standing, it's worth planning your route in advance to avoid rushing or ending up arriving after your entrance time. Speaking to the ECHO at the Merseyside Police Headquarters, Chief Superintendent Zoe Thornton also urged Swifties without tickets to avoid travelling to the Anfield area for the gigs.

She said: “I think it's in the region of about 55,000, for each concert night. That's extremely high and we obviously need to get everybody in safely and out safely. So our ask really is for people to only attend if they have got a ticket, and to actually only attend at the time that their ticket gives them entrance, just so we can really manage the flow of crowds."

Prepare for the weather

Abroad, it was very hot the day we went to The Eras Tour - but that could be very different in Liverpool. There is no roof covering the whole Anfield stadium area, leaving attendees, mainly those standing, potentially exposed to the elements.

The ECHO previously reported how The Weather Channel is predicting showers across the three days, so it's best to be prepared. Swifties have put a lot of time, effort and money into their outfits, so it's definitely worth investing in something to keep you dry.

A light fold-up poncho could do the trick while standing in the crowd. And if you don't mind carrying it, another obvious is bringing a jacket to warm you up on the way home.

Wear comfy shoes

Another obvious one - but you don't want anything ruining your mood after months of waiting to see Taylor. When it comes to Eras-themed outfits, many will opt for the likes of cowboy boots.

But whatever you decide to wear, I'd make sure you've worn them in enough and don't wear any shoes too high. And if you're not wearing flats, I'd bring a small pair if you can fit them in your bag and plasters in case.

It has been confirmed that only bags that are A5 size or smaller or purchases from official show merchandise in the clear plastic carrier bag provided will be permitted in to Anfield stadium. Those bags will be subjected to a bag search on entry point.

Swap the friendship bracelets

Whether you're a fan or not, you may have seen Swifties making and trading friendship bracelets - a trend inspired by lyrics from one of her songs. Back in 2022, Taylor released her album, Midnights, which features the song, You're On Your Own, Kid.

The lyrics - “so make the friendship bracelets. Take the moment and taste it" - were taken seriously by the fans and has become a key element of the tour since its first few shows. When we went to Lisbon, we traded bracelets with Swifties from across the globe, something we'll keep to remind us of one of the best tours from our generation.

When you're at the show, don't be shy to approach other concert-goers and ask them to trade. We found more people got the confidence to swap bracelets when they saw others doing it.

Choose your 'toilet-break' song

Hear me out. Many Swifties have taken to social media, like TikTok, to share their tips of when to go for a toilet-break.

It's a long concert and while you won't want to miss anything, many Swifties recommended choosing a song they're willing to sacrifice. Try to be strategic and pick a song in advance.

If you're lucky, there may be no queues and you could be back in a flash. Queues for drinks or merchandise could also be quiet at these times.

Give yourself time to snap Eras photos

Social media is flooded with photos of Swifties living their best lives at The Eras Tour. And after queuing for some time, I'd recommend taking your obligatory ''I'm in the crowd' photo at these times.

After queuing for some time, we headed inside and immediately started taking our photos so we could put our phones away during the gig, as well as after the support act, Paramore and before Taylor came on stage. Among the crowd and with the staging in the back, it's a good time to capture the atmosphere before the show starts and it gets darker outside.

Are you seeing Taylor Swift at Anfield? Let us know in the comments section below.

Ask friends to film your favourite moments

In Lisbon, we had a system that worked quite well. At concerts, it's always a battle between enjoying the concert in the moment and filming keepsakes.

As a group of five, we knew what everyone's favourite songs were and often they don't really overlap. Embracing all things girlhood, we would film the songs our friends wanted to capture most, so they could enjoy it in the moment.

We'd film specific choruses or just under a minute so we weren't missing anything too. Later on, we all stuck them in a group chat and ended up with more videos and no duplicates.

Knowing the Swiftie trends

Many Taylor Swift fans will have likely already seen various videos on social media from her Eras Tour of certain chants and actions the crowds say or do during various songs. They're really fun to get involved in, so it's worth knowing a few.

From the 'One, two, three, let's go b****' during Delicate to Kendrick Lamar's line 'You forgive, you forget, but you never let it go' during Bad Blood, there are tonnes of videos on social media to give you an idea. But if you don't know them all, or the surprise songs, I wouldn't worry.

When I went to the concert, there was such a diverse crowd, from plus ones to Swifties who have followed Taylor's almost 20 year career. Celebrating her career, Swifties are there to have a good time and not judge everyone's knowledge or dedication to the fan base.

Plan a route home

Whether you're from the city or not, it's worth having a think about this. In Lisbon, we were abroad and had no local knowledge, so had to map out our route too and from the stadium well in advance.

But luckily, we've got you covered. Thousands of Swifties are making their way to L4 for the global superstar’s three shows at the home of Liverpool FC and gig-goers are being urged to make arrangements early to ensure they aren’t disappointed.

Merseytravel is working with rail and bus operators to make sure everybody’s journeys are as easy and safe as possible. And it was recently announced that a late-night service will run from Liverpool Lime Street this Saturday.

Get latest updates on Taylor Swift Eras tour sent straight to your phone

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here