City officials ready for Taylor Swift fans to take over Acrisure Stadium next week
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Thousands of Swifties are expected to flood the city next week for the highly anticipated Taylor Swift concert at Acrisure Stadium.
There's not expected to be a lot of "Blank Space" inside Acrisure Stadium or around it with thousands of fans expected to come down for the festivities.
To see "Sparks Fly" next Friday and Saturday, expect about 100,000 people between the North Shore and Downtown. Her past concerts seated about 60,000.
"We have a history of crowd control or when we get big concerts or venues in town, they go off without a hitch," City Councilman Anthony Coghill said.
Coghill chairs the council's Public Safety Committee. He doesn't have the exact plans yet but says on a normal Steelers' Sunday there are about 50 officers working near or in the stadium. He expects that number to be higher for the concert.
"It's much more heavy planning for a concert like Taylor Swift than there is for a Steelers game even," Councilman Coghill said.
Parking will be at a premium, so don't be "Mean" about finding a spot. Alco has about 7,000 spaces near Acrisure Stadium and PNC Park. There will be some cash parking both days, with gates opening at 1:30 p.m., but much of the pre-sold spots are already taken.
"We do request if you don't have a ticket to the concert, that they don't come over here to try to park. We will check for that," Alco Parking GM Ralph Reetz said.
To prevent "Bad Blood" with traffic, it's recommended people aren't dropped off or picked up right by the stadium. People are encouraged to take public transit.
"You're better if you could pick a spot that is somewhere from the stadium," Reetz said.
While Coghill still has concerns about the dwindling number of police in the bureau, he said if there is a need for more the city will contact Allegheny County police and the sheriff's office. He plans to meet with the Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt next week.
"I know that Director Schmidt is confident they will pull it off," Councilman Coghill said.
Public Safety is expected to release more of its plan next week, so we will know what "Style" it approaches this with