Sydney Swifties have demonstrated their passionate dedication to Taylor Swift, queuing for hours hours and handing over thousands of dollars for Eras Tour merchandise.
There were wild scenes at at Olympic Park on Wednesday morning as fans queued for up to seven hours to get first dibs on the collection.
Little did they know, Taylor herself was inside the arena doing a soundcheck as fans lined up at the merchandise stall outside.
Fans Leyla Prior and Mackenzie Palmer said they have already spent about $4000 between them on the event.
‘The tickets were about $1600, then the merch was probably $1000, flights for me from Queensland, I spent about $500 and then bracelets and outfits were probably another $500 each,’ Ms Palmer said.
Sydney Swifties have demonstrated their passionate dedication to Taylor Swift, queuing for hours hours and handing over thousands of dollars for Eras Tour merchandise. (Pictured: Fans lining up at the merchandise stall at Qudos Arena)
Despite shelling out a fortune for the event, the pair were unfazed and said they were just grateful they would be among the lucky fans watching Swift take the stage this weekend.
‘We are just so grateful that we actually got tickets,’ Ms Prior said.
The pair joined the queue about 9.30am, just as a second merch tent opened up, so they only had to wait about one hour in the queue.
There were wild scenes at at Olympic Park on Wednesday morning as fans queued for up to seven hours to get first dibs on the collection
‘Everyone was so nice, showing us the sizes and what they bought so it was really smooth,’ Ms Prior said.
‘It was such a fun time, we can’t wait for the concert.’
Thea Belmonte and her friend Shaznee Villaruz missed out on tickets to the concerts but still wanted to get a taste of the tour fever by grabbing some merchandise.
Little did they know, Taylor (pictured) herself was inside the arena doing a soundcheck as fans lined up at the merchandise stall outside
‘The atmosphere was electric,’ she said.
‘You could feel everyone was really excited, some people were handing out friendship bracelets, and dressing up.’
She said she was hopeful they might still be able to score some last minute tickets, but if not, they might join the dozens of fans who plan to camp outside the stadium and listen in.
The stands are open between 10am and 6pm on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and will be available on a first come, first served basis.
The stands are open between 10am and 6pm on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and will be available on a first come, first served basis
Roadies were hard at work setting up the stadium on Wednesday ahead of Swift’s sold-out shows
If you are not able to make it to the merchandise tents early, the stands will be open before and during the show as per usual.
However, it is anticipated they will be very busy on concert days.
There were long lines for merchandise in Melbourne last week, with some fans on Sunday claiming most of the stock had been sold out.
If you are not able to make it to the merchandise tents early, the stands will be open before and during the show as per usual
There are a number of items up for grabs at the merchandise stands, including T-shirts, water bottles and posts.
Posters are priced at $40, while a tour hoodies cost $120. T-shirts are priced at $65.
Water bottles are priced at a huge $40 and canvas tapestries were available to buy for $55.
Taylor Swift arrived in last week and has already performed three shows in Melbourne from February 16 to 18
Taylor Swift arrived in last week and has already performed three shows in Melbourne from February 16 to 18.
She has a few days off before taking the stage in Sydney from February 23-26.
She is scheduled to perform in Singapore from March 2, giving her just four days off in between shows.