By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
The big day has arrived for Irish fans as superstar Taylor Swift brings her mega tour to Dublin for three nights.
The billion dollar Eras Tour, which sees the Pennsylvanian singer play hits across her discography, has travelled through the Americas, Asia and now hits Europe.
Around 50,000 fans are expected to descend on the Aviva Stadium for each of the three gigs in the capital, with some travelling from abroad to see the pop spectacle.
Businesses surrounding the stadium have embraced the Taylor-mania, with The Bridge Pub – self-dubbed ‘the home of rugby’ – announcing a list of album-themed cocktails to mark the blockbuster shows.
Elsewhere in Dublin, businesses have gotten into the spirit with Taylor Swift-themed brunches, bracelet-making classes, quizzes, and spin classes featuring her music.
On Thursday, Irish Swifties queued up to buy jumpers, hoodies and t-shirts at Dublin’s 3Arena stadium.
Children and adults alike were seen sporting handmade friendship bracelets, a colourful feature of the Swiftie fandom.
Two young girls from Belfast, Nyla Dempster and Sophie Hyland, said they love Swift because they can dance and perform to her music.
Dubliner Eilis Brown, who had picked up some merchandise for her two granddaughters, said that Swift was a great role model for young people – though admitted being more of a fan of Irish folk singer Liam Clancy than Swift herself.
Thirteen-year-old Bree from the Netherlands said she likes Taylor Swift so much because “all her songs have some meaning and are for anybody”.
“Mostly it just makes me feel happy, because she just makes really good music,” she said.
Amy from Co Meath, who collected merch for four people, described the level of excitement among Swifties as “like a cult”.
She said: “I think people think we’re a bit too old for it because we’re in our 20s, but you know what, we’ve seen her through all the Eras, we’ve grown up with her music, so we feel like we’re the real fans.”
Swifties from the USA also travelled to Dublin, some of whom said they had already seen an Eras Tour performance.
Erin Delgehausen from Arizona said she became a huge fan after seeing the opening Eras night in Phoenix.
She said: “It was a transformational experience. Everyone makes fun of me and teases me about it, but I went in and came out a different person. So I’ve listened to nothing but her music non-stop since that night.”
Some who had missed out on tickets for the shows in the UK – for scheduled shows in Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London – said they had managed to nab some for the Irish leg.
The musician is expected to take to the stage from 7pm and perform for around three-and-a-half hours.
Swift’s blockbuster show is expected to boost businesses in the cities she performs in, a phenomenon which also happened during Beyonce’s Renaissance tour as it pulls masses of tourists to regions.
The concert is one of several cultural events taking place in Dublin this weekend, described by a deputy commissioner of An Garda Síochána as a “jam-packed” three days.
Dublin’s Pride Parade, all four quarter-finals of the GAA senior football championship, the Longitude festival and Shania Twain will also be drawing crowds to the capital.
