Ticketless Taylor Swift fans hoping for a “Taylgate” party in Vancouver are out of luck.
The gatherings outside venues have become a hallmark of Swift’s Eras Tour, but officials in Vancouver are actively discouraging fans without tickets to avoid the BC Place stadium district for the three shows on Dec. 6, 7 and 8.
In a media briefing Thursday, Chris May, general manager of BC Place, confirmed that areas around the stadium will be strictly limited to ticket holders for Swift’s shows, which mark the end of her record-breaking tour.
“Please, if you do not have tickets, there is no reason to Taylgate,” May said, adding that officials are “not going to alter” their plans.
“There is no designated outside gathering zone. Our focus is on keeping ticket holders and guests safe.”
When the Eras Tour touched down in Toronto this month, an unofficial Taylgate party was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre near the Rogers Centre concert venue. But there are no such plans in Vancouver.
Overnight camping outside the stadium will be banned, roads around the stadium will be closed from noon to midnight on show days, and a fence will be erected around the stadium perimeter early next week, officials said.
“I think the biggest thing to remember is that while these are the three closing shows of the biggest tour in the history of entertainment, they aren’t the only things happening in Vancouver that weekend,” May said, pointing to Canucks games as well as the nearby Cirque du Soleil show.
Police, city, stadium and transport officials told the briefing that 160,000 fans have tickets for the shows on Dec. 6, 7 and 8, and up to 40 per cent are international travellers.
Vancouver Police Sgt. Steve Addison said there would be a “significant police presence” in the area, but didn’t give numbers.
“This is something we have been planning since the moment we learned Taylor Swift was coming to Vancouver,” he said.
The giant inflatable friendship bracelet that has adorned other Eras Tour venues will be draped on BC Place, and police horses will also wear bracelets around their necks, gifted from the Toronto Police Service.
Addison said police are drawing on the experiences of other cities, including Toronto, in order to develop safety plans to deal with large crowds. He noted there is added excitement because the tour concludes in the city.
“That anticipation of that buzz is unlike anything that we’ve seen,” he said.
“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.”
Swift’s Vienna shows, which were set to occur in August as part of the European leg of the tour, were cancelled after authorities warned of a terror plot.
Addison said the department was also aware of safety incidents in other cities.
“There’s currently no specific safety threat that we’re aware of, but we continue to monitor and we’ll continue to assess and reassess. Public safety is obviously our top priority,” he said.
Traffic disruptions are expected, officials said, and people are being encouraged to leave their cars at home if possible.
Downtown parking garages are open, but there will be road closures in the stadium district over the weekend. An allocated passenger drop-off and pickup zone will also be set up for concertgoers.
TransLink is also responding by providing a fare-based shuttle between the stadium and Waterfront station, continuing Skytrain services for the Canada and Expo lines until after 1 a.m. and running a midnight West Coast Express train on Dec. 7.
Officials told the briefing that stadium bathrooms will be modified because up to 95 per cent of concertgoers are expected to be female.
Fans who downloaded their tickets before Nov. 16 are being asked to redownload them to make sure they have the most up-to-date information.
