Taylor Swift performs during the opening show of the Toronto dates of The Eras Tour on Thursday, November 14, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
VANCOUVER – Superstar Taylor Swift takes the stage tonight for the first of three shows in Vancouver.
Here is the latest on the event:
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5:30 p.m.
Eliza Sylvia, who’s attending tonight’s show with three friends, is sporting a “Midnights” inspired body suit under her winter jacket.
The Swiftie from Ottawa says she spent more than 100 hours bedazzling her outfit and making friendship bracelets to trade with fans.
It’s her first Swift concert after two years of watching grainy livestreams, but she’s on a tight schedule — she’ll be heading straight to the airport after the show to catch a 6 a.m. flight home.
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5:00 p.m.
Danica Bruintjes and her three sisters travelled to Vancouver from various parts of Canada to attend The Eras Tour together.
Though they have tickets for Saturday’s show, Bruintjes says she and her sisters decided to spend Friday doing Swift-themed events in the city, including a drag brunch at The Ventura Room on Cambie Street and seeing the 13 light installations around Vancouver.
She says they also wanted to do a test run to ensure they would be prepared ahead of Saturday’s concert and planned the best route into the stadium.
Bruintjes called the concert a “cultural moment in time” that she was grateful to experience alongside her “favourite people” — her sisters.
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4:45 p.m.
Thousands of Taylor Swift fans are flooding into BC Place as gates open ahead of the superstar’s show.
With umbrellas banned inside the arena, many had been braving the elements outside unprotected by much more that Lycra and sequins.
Some of the fans have been conducting impromptu singalongs to keep spirits high.
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3:35 p.m.
Drenching weather may hinder plans for some Taylor Swift concertgoers, as Environment Canada warns of heavy rainfall in parts of Metro Vancouver through to Saturday.
The forecast calls for up to 70 millimetres of rain in parts of Greater Vancouver, as well as in Howe Sound, Whistler and Abbotsford.
The weather office says a “robust and rain-laden frontal system” is sliding down the B.C. coast, which is also bringing heavy rain to western Vancouver Island.
The forecast says localized flooding is possible and visibility could be reduced.
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3:00 p.m.
Hundreds of Swifties are lining up at gates outside BC Place stadium as the Taylor Swift concert countdown nears its end.
Among them is North Vancouver’s Cassie Leonhardt, a Taylor Swift look-alike dressed in a red bodysuit similar to the one worn by Swift in her performances.
She says she tried to make her own bodysuit but she’s not very crafty and it didn’t fit, so she ordered a new suit online.
Leonhardt says she has been a “diehard fan” since 2009 and has travelled the world to attend Swift’s concerts before the Vancouver show.
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1:40 p.m.
The barricades are up around BC Place stadium in Vancouver as security tightens ahead of the first of three Taylor Swift concerts tonight.
While it appeared many people stayed out of the downtown core in the morning, by early afternoon on Friday traffic on the key thoroughfare of West Georgia Street was backed up for more than a kilometre.
Several key streets around the stadium were closed off at noon and will remain shut until midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the concerts.
Security has also increased around BC Place, with dozens of guards and several men in military clothing seen walking around the stadium.
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1:15 p.m.
Fans who are still without tickets to tonight’s Taylor Swift concert have not given up finding a last-minute seat to the most coveted show in town.
Melissa Camp and her 15-year-old daughter from Vancouver Island were in tears outside BC Place today after failing to get tickets, despite 14 months of trying.
Camp says she was almost scammed when she tried to buy tickets.
But she says the effort is about “making sweet memories” with her daughter and showing her the importance of not giving up.
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12:50 p.m.
TransLink and other transportation service providers are weighing in ahead of Taylor Swift’s weekend in Vancouver, with the transit agency posting a number of photos of redecorated SkyTrain stations ahead of the concerts.
The agency’s X account shows photos from stations at Stadium-Chinatown, Granville, Burrard and Waterfront, adorned with station names on friendship bracelet fonts, Taylor Swift-themed system maps – or both.
The post also references the song “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from which the friendship bracelet theme was adopted by Swift fans.
BC Ferries says it has increased sailings on its route between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, the main link between Vancouver and Victoria, to accommodate the expected crowds.
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12:20 p.m.
While waiting for the concerts to start, many Swifties are taking part in a Taylor Swift-themed scavenger hunt after Destination Vancouver put up 13 installations across the city.
Chris Waldman of San Diego, Calif., who calls herself a “senior Swiftie,” is busy exchanging friendship bracelets with other younger fans at Canada Place today.
Waldman says she does not have tickets to tonight’s show but wanted to familiarize herself with the city before attending Saturday’s concert.
She says she and her sister’s accommodation expenses for one night in Vancouver are more than $1,000.
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11:40 a.m.
Vancouver police have issued a video message to Swifties ahead of tonight’s show, even offering to swap friendship bracelets with fans.
The video posted on X features two female officers, announcing that Vancouver police will be deploying hundreds of officers to ensure the weekend is “safe and memorable” for fans.
The message also includes safety tips such as planning ahead for getting to and from BC Place, as well as setting a meeting point in case people are separate from their group.
They say their officers will be wearing high-visibility yellow vests, so anyone can come say hello and perhaps swap a bracelet or two with them.
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11:20 a.m.
Fans are starting to share they experiences online as they make their way to Vancouver for tonight’s Taylor Swift concert by air or by land.
A video posted on TikTok shows a boarding announcement for a WestJet flight from Calgary to Vancouver, with the airline staff welcoming guests with “Taylor’s version” of a boarding call, featuring instructions littered with song titles and lyrics.
Boarding fans can be heard cheering loudly as each reference to Taylor Swift music was made in the announcement.
Another fan posted on X that her group is driving from Prince George to Vancouver after their flight was cancelled, a distance that would take roughly nine hours to complete.
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10:00 a.m.
A large Taylor Swift Eras Tour friendship bracelet that has been seen at other tour stops hanging from concert venues has now made its way to Vancouver.
Several posts made on social media by fans and BC Place management shows the bracelet attached to the side of BC Place, that reads, “Taylor Swift, The Eras Tour.”
The giant bracelet first appeared at Swift’s shows at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in October and has since made its way to tour stops in Indianapolis and Toronto.
Swifties have taken on the friendship bracelet trend – created from either beads or braided material and exchanged between fans – after the singer referenced making them in the song “You’re On Your Own, Kid.”
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8:00 a.m.
Vancouver police say they’re ready for one of the biggest cultural events to come to the city in years as Taylor Swift wraps up her Eras tour with three shows.
Police say they’re expecting more than 250,000 people in the city’s stadium district this weekend alone as fans flock to Swift’s concerts, as well as Canucks games tonight and Saturday, and the Cirque du Soleil show nearby.
Police say 700 officers will be working to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for everyone, including the many young concertgoers.
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7:45 a.m.
It’s the beginning of the end of the Eras Tour for Taylor Swift tonight in Vancouver.
She’s in the city for the first of three shows this weekend that wrap up a world tour, bringing thousands of fans and millions of dollars in economic benefits.
Security will be tight around the venue, with barricades surrounding BC Place, and ticketless fans being told not to gather outside for traditional “Taylgate” parties.
The city has asked fans who aren’t attending to stay away from the area and advises those who come to the downtown core to use transit, bike or walk.
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7:45 a.m.
Vancouver-area businesses are trying to cash in on Taylor Swift’s visit to the area, offering everything from tattoos to Swift-themed ice cream.
Jarrett Vaughan, an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder school of business, says such promotional events offer a “spectacular opportunity” to reach both current and new customers.
He says entrepreneurs are often looking for unique opportunities to capitalize on business, and it’s not often a whole city comes together to celebrate something.
About 160,000 people are expected to attend the three sold-out shows at BC Place, and tourism organization Destination Vancouver has said Swift’s economic boom is estimated to bring about $157 million to the city.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.
