Taylor Swift’s 6 SoFi Stadium Shows: What you need to know before you go

Signs are OK as long as you can fit all your love for Taylor Swift on an 11-inch by 17-inch piece of paper.

Friendship bracelets are fine – no need to fret about unfriendly venues elsewhere on The Eras Tour.

And if you don’t have a ticket, well, you’re better off staying home.

Taylor Swift is coming to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood for six sold-out shows from Aug. 3-5 and Aug. 7-9. This is like the Super Bowl times six. It’s the most shows at a single venue in any city in the country. It’s the longest run of shows at the still-young SoFi.

Fans of Taylor Swift have been gathering outside of the stadiums she’s bringing her massive The Eras Tour to since it launched back in March (Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. pictured). While the shows are sold out, thousands of fans without tickets have shown up to listen to the show outside and sing along with fellow Swifties. The tour wraps up at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood Aug. 3-5 and 7-9. (Photo by Seth Herald, Getty Images)

Since her Eras Tour sold out so quickly in stadiums across the country, Swifties have resorted to attending Taylor Swift Parties where they can at least get together to sing and dance along to their favorite songs. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil, Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Fans of Taylor Swift have been gathering outside of the stadiums she’s bringing her massive The Eras Tour to since it launched back in March (Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. pictured). While the shows are sold out, thousands of fans without tickets have shown up to listen to the show outside and sing along with fellow Swifties. The tour wraps up at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood Aug. 3-5 and 7-9. (Photo by Seth Herald, Getty Images)

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s massive The Eras Tour wraps up at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood with shows on Aug. 3-5 and 7-9. (Photo by Suzanne Cordeiro, AFP for Getty Images)

Fans of Taylor Swift have been gathering outside of the stadiums she’s bringing her massive The Eras Tour to since it launched back in March (Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. pictured). While the shows are sold out, thousands of fans without tickets have shown up to listen to the show outside and sing along with fellow Swifties. The tour wraps up at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood Aug. 3-5 and 7-9. (Photo by Seth Herald, Getty Images)

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s massive The Eras Tour wraps up at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood with shows on Aug. 3-5 and 7-9. (Photo by Suzanne Cordeiro, AFP for Getty Images)

It’s a very big deal, in other words, and to help fans prepare for the big day, or days, if you’re somehow blessed with more than one show, we consulted the officials at SoFi, we talked to Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr., and we’re breaking it all down for you here.

Unlike some stops on Swift’s tour the folks at SoFi are not allowing ticketless fans to gather on the grounds outside the stadium to catch muffled snippets of her performance inside or breath molecules of air that might have been graced with her presence.

“Guests may not remain in the parking lots or outside of the stadium once the show begins,” the SoFi rules decree. “At the time of the headlining act, any guests in the parking lots or outside of the stadium will be asked to enter the stadium with their ticket.”

If you are asked to show your ticket and all you have is your love for Taylor, you will be asked to leave the property.

One more note about tickets: Only mobile tickets will get you through the turnstiles, so you’re advised to put tickets and parking passes into your mobile wallet to make the process easier.

Also see: 11 Taylor Swift Eras Tour Themed Experiences for Southern California Swifties

To ease the crush for T-shirts, posters, hoodies, postcards, guitar picks, and whatever else you might want to take home as a memento of your night with Ms. Swift, you’ll want to get to the merch booths early.

To make that easier, Swift and SoFi have announced that the day before the first show, Wednesday, Aug. 2, a merchandise stand outside the stadium will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. In addition, on Sunday, Aug. 6, when SoFi is dark for Swift to take her one night off during the run, that same merch stand will be open the same hours.

On show days, the merchandise stands outside the stadium will open at noon each day, with additional merchandise booths inside the stadium as well.

Also see: SoFi Stadium’s Taylor Swift merch sale brings out the masses – a day before the shows even begin

Here’s the key thing to remember as you’re planning your trip to see Swift at SoFi: Leave early. Like, earlier than you think.

Parking lots open at noon on show days and if you’re planning to park in the SoFi lots you have to purchase your parking pass in advance. Go to SoFiStadium.com to buy this.

There’s plenty of off-site parking nearby too. Go to Inglewoodparkgo.com or TheKiaForum.com/stadiumparking for more on those options.

Public transportation is another great option. the LA Metro is running free shuttles from the K and C lines to SoFi Stadium. Go to Metro.net/riding/gameday or Metro.net/riding/trip-planner for more information in this.

Also see: For Taylor Swift fans headed to SoFi, Metro will run some trains late, add 2 free shuttles

And then there’s the Rally Bus. These shuttles leave from 35 or so locations around Southern California, with round-tickets available for advance purchase at Rally.co/taylor-swift or the Rally app. A bus full of fellow Swifties? Take my money, please!

One special note on the need to get started early: On Monday, Aug. 7 the neighboring Kia Forum is hosting a co-headlining tour from Beck and Phoenix, so the parking and traffic situation will be exponentially worse. Plan. A. Head.

Most of the rules and regulations for what you can and cannot bring into the stadium are the standard stuff. No professional cameras or cameras with extendable or attachable lenses. No professional audio or video gear. No banners or poles.

Maybe the most important reminder is this one: If you’re bringing a bag it must be clear and it cannot be bigger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches. There’s not a sadder sight than that person turned away at the gate who’s forced to walk all the way back to the car to leave their too-big bag behind.

The sign rule bears repeating here, too: Keep it to 11 inches by 17 inches and no more and you’ll be fine.

For the full list of prohibited items, go to sofistadium.com/taylorswift.

The opening acts for Swift’s six nights at SoFi change slightly from night to night. To make sure you know who you’ll see before Taylor takes the stage, check the lineup below and plan accordingly.

Aug. 3: Haim and Gracie Abrams

Aug. 4: Haim and Owenn

Aug. 5: Haim and Gayle

Aug. 7-8: Haim and Gracie Abrams

Aug. 9: Haim and Gayle.

Also see: What surprise songs are left for Taylor Swift Eras Tour LA tour dates?

With SoFi Stadium and the Kia Forum drawing tens of thousands of fans for everything from concerts to the 2022 Super Bowl, the city of Inglewood has plenty of experience dealing with huge crowds, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts said. Their twin focuses are safety and traffic, with the overall fan experience foremost in mind.

“Well, you know we’ve been the site of the Super Bowl,” Butts said. “We just had the Gold Cup (soccer championship). That was a sellout-plus, 73,000. We had Wrestlemania. And so what we do is we have a very vigorous security matrix that includes not only Inglewood police officers, but the California Highway Patrol, officers of (Los Angeles) Sheriff’s Department and other agencies like lLAX police department, Hawthorne, and other agencies in the South Bay.

“In addition to that, we have a traffic control deployment that is probably three times what we normally have on duty,” Butts said. “And of course, we have different security protocols to make sure that the acts get into the facility safely, and then we make sure that they are secure leaving.”

Like the folks at SoFi, Butts also urged Swifties coming to SoFi to get there early and avoid the traffic crunch, and subsequent fear that you’re going to be late for the show. And, when the night is over, be patient and careful as you’re heading home, he added.

“The outbound, that’s where things, if they’re going to be messy, they get messy,” Butts said. “Because people have been inside. Some have had too much to drink. Some people don’t really know where their car is. So that’s something to manage.”

Also see: All the coverage of Taylor Swift at SoFi

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