Taylor Swift’s billion-dollar blockbuster Eras tour arrives in the UK on Friday, amid a frenzy of fan excitement.
British and Irish fans have waited more than a year for the show to arrive, since she kicked off her marathon string of dates in Glendale, Arizona in March 2023.
Since then she has crossed the US, Asia and south America and made stops across Europe, often accompanied by her boyfriend, the NFL star Travis Kelce.
But the wait finally ends when she steps out onto the stage at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Friday, ahead of shows in Liverpool, Cardiff, London and Dublin.
She will then return to London in August.
The tour, which takes fans on a journey through the different musical stages of her career, has been a juggernaut and is predicted to provide a £997 million boost to the UK economy, according to a report.
Almost 1.2 million fans will spend an average of £848 on tickets, travel, accommodation, outfits and other costs to see the pop superstar at one of the 15 UK tour dates – more than 12 times the average cost of a night out, according to the Barclays Swiftonomics report.
Eras tour tickets sparked a 15.8% year-on-year increase in UK spending on entertainment when they were released last July.
The average amount spent on an Eras tour ticket is £206, although 14% of fans, including those who bought VIP ticket packages with premium seating and exclusive merchandise, spent more than £400.
It has already grossed more than a billion dollars, the biggest haul for any act ever and has bagged a Guinness World Record.
Cities will roll out the red carpet for her arrival, with special artworks being installed in Liverpool in celebration of her shows.
Dubbed the Taylor Town Trail, it will feature 11 art installations which are inspired by the studio albums from her back catalogue, including a huge butterfly installation, a regal throne and themed murals.
Capital Radio has also launched a pop-up station dedicated to all things Taylor Swift ahead of the start of the tour.
Capital (Taylor’s Version) will play hits from across her 11 studio albums, as well as offering trivia on the artist.
The station will also provide updates on Swift as she tours across the UK and will speak to fans before and after the shows to hear all the details of the experience.
Once upon a time, the planets and the fates and the stars aligned… and ✨Capital (Taylor’s Version)✨ was born 🤩@taylorswift13 | The Eras Tour is coming to the UK, and to celebrate we’re playing Taylor’s biggest tracks 24/7 on our dedicated Swift music station! Listen now on… pic.twitter.com/mc6WjXn178
— Capital (@CapitalOfficial) June 3, 2024
Capital has said it is the first time in the UK that a national DAB radio station has been dedicated to a single artist.
The appetite for the tour has not been dimmed by the fact it is currently available to view on streaming service Disney+.
It was during the six-night run at the So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles that the show was captured on camera by director Sam Wrench to make a concert film.
Swift flexed her considerable negotiating muscles by bypassing the traditional Hollywood studios and releasing the film directly to cinemas.
It is now available to stream for free for anyone with a Disney+ subscription.
However, UK and Irish fans will be treated to a significantly different show, after Swift overhauled her set list, staging and costumes following the release of her latest album The Tortured Poets Department.
She has cut songs from the previous set list, including fan favourite Long Live, and added a string of tracks from the new record, including But Daddy I Love Him, Down Bad, Fortnight, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived and I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, which are widely interpreted to be about her rumoured romance with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
The level of frenzy over the tour has prompted a major bank to issue a warning over the risk of scams.
Lloyds Bank estimates more than £1 million could already have been lost in the UK to fraudsters pretending to offer tickets to Swift’s concerts and says more than 600 Lloyds Banking Group customers have already come forward to report being scammed.
The average amount lost by each victim was £332, though in some cases the loss was more than £1,000, Lloyds said.
Swift’s show in Edinburgh on Friday will feature support from US rock band Paramore and is due to kick of at 7.15pm.