NEW ORLEANS — We are days away from pop superstar Taylor Swift taking over New Orleans. Swift will headline three sold-out shows at the Superdome starting Friday night.
Swifties will be able to purchase official Eras Tour merchandise from Wednesday to Sunday, October 27.
The Eras Tour Merchandise Opportunities
Fans do not need a ticket to purchase merchandise at Champions Square on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fangoers should enter at Dave Dixon Drive/Girod Street at Lasalle.
Ticketed guests are encouraged to purchase their merchandise during this time.
From Friday to Sunday, fans without tickets will only be able to purchase merch at the Smoothie King Center from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Fans with tickets can purchase merch in Champions Square before the concert on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However, Swifties can only enter Champions Square on their ticketed date.
Entering Champions Square requires your concert ticket to be scanned for the concert. So once you enter Champions Square, you are not allowed to enter. Non-ticketed guests are not allowed.
Merchandise will also be available for purchase inside the Caesars Superdome.
Eras Tour Parking
Parking is first come, first serve in Champions Garage (cashless payment only) on October 23 and 24.
Parking at the Superdome is sold out for Swifties, who were planning to drive to the stadium on the day of the concert.
Eras Tour Rideshare
The Superdome has a designated area for drop-offs and pick-ups starting Friday at 7 a.m. until Monday at 7 a.m.
The rideshare zone includes the streets surrounding Duncan Plaza, located at 343-349 Loyola Avenue, which includes Loyola as well as Gravier, LaSalle, and Perdido streets.
New Orleans is one of 23 U.S. stops on Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour, which is reportedly the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
No act has ever headlined the Superdome three consecutive nights, let alone sold more than 150,000 tickets in one day.
Tourism officials at New Orleans & Company are calling it a 'Taylor takeover.'
There are 26,000 hotel rooms across the CBD, French Quarter and Warehouse District. All of them are sold out Friday and Saturday night, and they are at 80 percent capacity for Sunday night, according to New Orleans & Co.
Some fans will opt for a short-term rental. The list below shows where the highest number of Airbnb guests are traveling in from for the weekend of the concert, according to Airbnb.
- Houston
- Austin
- Denver
- Atlanta
- San Antonio
- Dallas
- New York City
- Seattle
- Memphis
- Salem
It's obvious Swift's three-night stop will boost our economy, but just how much?
The U.S. Travel Association estimated the average 'Swiftie' spent $1,300 in local economies during the first leg of the Eras Tour. That includes travel, hotels, food, merchandise and costumes.
If you multiply $1,300 by the 150,000 fans who are expected to attend the three concerts, it comes to $195 million.
Of course, we won't know the exact figure of Swift's impact on the Crescent City economy until she's gone.
We do know that restaurants, bars and other businesses are ready for it. Advertisements for specialty cocktails, themed menus and friendship bracelet events have been going around on social media for months.
“It’s really a nice thing to see our hospitality community and how creative they are," Senior VP of Communications at New Orleans & Co. Kelly Schulz said, "And we think that when her fans come to New Orleans they’ll get a unique experience and we’re happy to be part of this global, iconic event.”
Tickets are sold out on TicketMaster. However, some resale sites show them ranging from $1,000-$115,000 depending on location. If you are buying tickets, beware of scammers.
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