Opening day for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium
The long-awaited Taylor Swift mini-residency at SoFi Stadium will finally begin Thursday, although hundreds of people lined up at the Inglewood venue Wednesday for a chance at buying Eras Tour merchandise before the shows even begin.
The pre-event merchandise sale began at 10 a.m. at the Lake Park adjacent to SoFi Stadium, and it will continue until 7 p.m. The merchandise stands will also be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday -- an off day in Swift's six-night schedule at SoFi.
The Eras Tour at SoFi officially begins Thursday, with additional performances set for Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tickets were highly coveted, and stadium officials are reminding the public that people who don't have tickets shouldn't bother coming to the venue, thinking they can listen to the music by standing nearby or just hoping to soak up the atmosphere.
According to the stadium's website, nobody will be permitted to remain in the parking lots or outside the stadium once the show has started, and only ticketed guests will be given access to the venue.
On-site parking is very limited, and concert-goers are urged to purchase spots in advance, although most may be already sold out.
Metro officials are urging Swift fans to take mass transit to the concerts to avoid the parking hassle. Additional bus and train service is being offered on show nights to help people get to and from the stadium.
Fans can take the recently opened Metro K Line to the Downtown Inglewood Station and ride a free shuttle bus to SoFi. The shuttle will run from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. before each show, then 90 minutes after the concert ends. Riders can take the E (Expo) Line to the Expo/Crenshaw Station then transfer to the K Line.
Fans coming from the South Bay or other locations can take the C (Green) Line to the Hawthorne/Lennox Station, where a free shuttle will also be provided during the same hours.
For out-of-town fans who may be staying at hotels near Los Angeles International Airport, the Metro 117 bus is accessible from multiple stops on Century Boulevard and can be ridden to the Century/Yukon station adjacent to the stadium. The bus will run until 90 minutes after the concert.
Metro plans to have agency staffers, ambassadors and additional security personnel present at multiple stations to help Swift fans who may be unfamiliar with the train system. Additional staffing will be available at the Expo/Crenshaw Station (for the E and K lines), the K Line Downtown Inglewood Station, the C Line Norwalk and Hawthorne/Lennox stations, and the Seventh/Metro Center Station downtown, which serves the A (Blue), B (Red), D (Purple) and E lines.