If you’ve been online anytime in the last year, you’ve seen the proof: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is more than just a concert. It’s a full-scale phenomenon that’s taken over every corner of pop culture. Swifties have transformed the tour into a pilgrimage of sorts — a high-energy gathering that brings fans together in cities all over the world, armed with sparkly outfits, friendship bracelets and enough enthusiasm to fill stadiums to the brim.
From themed city makeovers to custom fan gear and countless TikToks, each stop on the Eras Tour was a unique celebration of Swift’s career, her music, and her connection with her fans. More than a concert, the tour has been a celebration of femininity — a shared safe place for women and girls of all ages to gather together and celebrate joy. As someone who has been a fan of Swift since I was in elementary school, I wanted to do this concert justice.
I attended the Eras Tour on Nov. 1 in Indianapolis and it was an experience I’ll never forget. From being surrounded by so many other Swifties to hearing Swift’s music live, I can’t help but keep reliving that night. So here’s my Taylor Swift concert day from start to finish!
8:15 a.m.: Woke up for the most important day of the year – Taylor Swift concert day!
My friends and I bought our tickets in August 2023, so we have had plenty of time to plan, prepare, and get excited about this concert.
8:45 a.m.: Breakfast in the hotel.
Our hotel was downtown and filled with other Swifties. We saw so many people wearing Eras merch, cardigans, and other Swift memorabilia. The hotel played Swift the whole morning and had cute Eras Tour photo-ops set up. The energy was very high.
10:00 a.m.: Bedazzled our concert sunglasses.
We wanted to DIY something special to remember this day and went for rhinestones, sparkles, and our favorite lyrics. It was a welcome break from bracelet-making!
12:00 p.m.: Walked around downtown.
After spending some time in our hotel, we walked around downtown to see all the Swift-ified street names and special activities. Since we’re staying at the Marriott, we stopped by the building’s giant Swift cutout and took photos. It was fun to see so many local businesses decked out with Swift decorations and lyric references. The whole city felt like it came alive in Swift’s honor, with Swifties everywhere, exploring, chatting, and soaking up the magic.
1:00 p.m.: Lunch at Bucca di Beppo.
There’s nothing like sharing a huge bowl of pasta with friends before a big event! We ate, swapped song predictions, and planned our final TikTok ideas over a seriously carb-loaded meal that kept us going for the rest of the day.
3:00 p.m.: Started getting ready!
We knew we needed a solid few hours to perfect our makeup, lace up our boots, and carefully layer on every piece of our outfits. Half the fun of the night was in the photos and videos we’re planning – and we want to be concert-ready with plenty of time to spare.
5:00 p.m.: Time for Polaroids, TikToks, and pictures!
We set up a little photoshoot in our hotel room and took an excessive amount of transition videos. Cue Swift’s “Bejeweled” blasting in the background.
5:45 p.m.: Left for the stadium!!
The butterflies and excitement were at an all-time high.
6:15 p.m.: Took pictures outside of Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I’ll take your group picture if you’ll take ours!” was heard so many times as the thousands of concert-goers tried to document our experience. There’s nothing like the pre-concert glow and seeing Swifties from all over come together, snapping pics and showing off creative, sparkly looks.
6:35 p.m.: Hotdogs and water secured!
6:47 P.M.: Gracie Abrams took the stage.
The crowd was already buzzing, and she was such a talented opener.
7:01 P.M.: Gracie Abrams played “That’s so true” and the tears started falling!
It’s one of those songs that hits you hard, and I was so in my feels.
8:08 P.M.: Taylor Swift took the stage.
It’s hard to describe this feeling — 70,000 voices coming together, screaming so loud it felt impossible. The stadium followed every lyric, every beat. She was here, we were there and it felt like a dream.
10:56 P.M.: Time for the surprise songs!
As the three-and-a-half-hour concert came to an end, it was time for one of the best parts of the show: the surprise songs! Swift makes every single concert special and different for her fans, and she loves to do different mashup combinations of songs. Our surprise songs were a mashup of “The Albatross” and “Holy Ground” on the guitar, and “Cold as You” and “exile” on the piano. Hearing “exile” live, a song that’s meant so much to me since 2020, made the night unforgettable.
11:45 p.m.: Left Lucas Oil Stadium.
Seeing so many people flooding out of the arena was a little unbelievable.
12:05 p.m.: Made it back to the hotel!
Staying downtown was the best call ever. No need for expensive Ubers or stressful driving experiences. We got all cozied up, reminisced, and scrolled through pictures until we fell asleep. Best day ever!