Taylor Swift mania arrives in Wales as 70,000 fans of the music icon begin pouring into Cardiff for the latest leg of her sell-out Eras tour

Taylor Swift mania arrives in Wales as 70,000 fans of the music icon begin pouring into Cardiff for the latest leg of her sell-out Eras tour

Over 70,000 Swift supporters poured into the Welsh capital for her latest concert tonight at the Principality Stadium.

The home of Welsh rugby was taken over by pink cowboy hats, ankle boots and sequins as Cardiff ground to a halt for Taylor Swift.

It may be the first time that the stadium, built in 1999 for the Rugby World Cup, has hosted such a female-dominated crowd, buzzing with excitement to see their favourite artist on stage.

It comes after fans were warned to leave early with traffic expected to swell by 15 per cent on the already congested M4 around Cardiff and Newport.

Huge queues were also seen for official Taylor Swift merchandise, however unofficial street traders complained of poor sales, with many left hoping for an uptick in business after the show – Swift’s only night in Wales.

Several hundred fans without tickets still turned up to listen to the show after arriving with chairs and blankets to line the banks of the River Taff as the music drifted out of the stadium.

Schoolgirl Emma Parry, 17, from Cardiff, said: ‘I’ve been looking forward to seeing Taylor Swift for years and now she’s playing on my doorstep.

‘It’s going to be the best three hours of my life.’

A police presence was also seen around the building, with two officers pictured watching the crowds while riding on horses.

Huge queues were also seen for official Taylor Swift merchandise, however unofficial street traders complained of poor sales, with many left hoping for an uptick in business after the show – Swift’s only night in Wales.

Several hundred fans without tickets still turned up to listen to the show after arriving with chairs and blankets to line the banks of the River Taff as the music drifted out of the stadium.

Schoolgirl Emma Parry, 17, from Cardiff, said: ‘I’ve been looking forward to seeing Taylor Swift for years and now she’s playing on my doorstep.

‘It’s going to be the best three hours of my life.’

A police presence was also seen around the building, with two officers pictured watching the crowds while riding on horses.

Earlier in the day there were concerns over the presence of pro-Palestinian activists, some of which were reports that some would meet fans arriving on busy trains at Cardiff station.

But police said it was a ‘damp squib’ and the peaceful protesters drifted off before the city centre was swamped by thousands of teenage girls, some accompanied by their mums.

Swift herself has come under increasing pressure to speak out on the bloodshed in Gaza with concertgoers taking Palestinian flags to gigs in Madrid and Lisbon in May.

The singer was also under fire from protestors who accused her tour’s sponsors Capital One of investing $500million into Israel’s largest arms firm Elbit systems.