Ready for it? Taylor Swift fans mobilise for UK Eras Tour

It's T minus one day until Taylor Swift brings her worldwide Eras Tour to the UK.

But fans are already building up to the first gig on Friday.

The star kicks off three nights at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh and the city is already in full Swift mode.

Fans gathered at the stadium from the early hours on Wednesday to buy their tour merchandise ahead of the gigs.

Ailsa Cameron, 32, bagged hers and shared her luck with other fans on X.

"Merch secured," she said. "For anyone thinking of heading to Murrayfield today, I got there at 12:15 and there was literally no queue!"

She told BBC Scotland News: "I had my eye on a couple of things so was really happy to get them.

"I bought two sweatshirts. And I had to get the Edinburgh Eras Tour poster too.

"I’m so excited for the gig, I still can't believe Taylor is actually playing Edinburgh."

Cait Bartram, 19, from Seaham, has been a fan of Taylor Swift since she was four and the Fearless album had just been released.

She is one of almost 73,000 fans who will fill the Scottish Rugby home ground each night.

She said: “There are no words, it’s like Christmas, I can’t sleep because I'm so excited.”

Like many fans, Cait has thought hard about her outfit for the night. After seeing creative designs made by other fans online, she decided to recreate a bodysuit that Taylor wears during her performance.

Cait Bartram
Cait Bartram has recreated one of Taylor Swift's outfits for the gigs [BBC]

“It does take a lot of patience," she said. "I can’t even fathom the amount of time that I’ve spent painstakingly watching the Eras film, looking for photos on Pinterest, on Google images, zooming in on really fine details, trying to get everything to match perfectly.

"I marked out the symmetry, with fabric chalk, it’s a lot of measuring, there’s actually a lot of maths involved which did take a lot of time.”

Cait believes the process has brought her closer to the Taylor Swift community.

“She just inspires people to be their most authentic self, and I think with that it’s brought out people’s crafty side in a way. This outfit hasn’t been just a process for me, my whole family has been involved in it, that’s the sense of community that Taylor has brought with all the Swifties.”

Caitlin Bartram
Cait has spent hours researching her outfit [BBC]

Julia Baldwin, 21, is a student in her last year at Edinburgh University.

Originally from a small town in the US, she’s never had the chance to see Taylor Swift despite being a fan since she was a young girl.

When it was announced the superstar was going to perform for three nights in Edinburgh, Julia took on three part time jobs to save enough money for the tickets.

She has been working at a wedding venue, for an online data company, and early morning shifts at Edinburgh airport.

She said: “I remember listening to her music on the bus at 02:00 on my way to my job at the airport every day and being like 'this is what I’m doing it for', so I can hear these songs live.

Julia Baldwin
Julia Baldwin has crocheted a Taylor Swift blanket for the gig [BBC]

Julia has spent £1,300 on tickets for all three nights at Murrayfield. She wanted to make sure she was able to soak up every moment of the concerts.

“A lot of people have been reporting having concert amnesia, where they haven’t been remembering the show after they’ve gone home. It’s something I wanted to remember so I figured that if I go multiple times then by night three, I’ll be a bit more mellowed and will remember things.”

Julia has a recurring ankle injury and has been so worried about being able to dance her way through the gigs that she has taken preventative action.

"I spoke to the GP and I am going to start physiotherapy so I can dance for four hours straight at the shows."

She has crocheted a special Taylor Swift blanket for the gig.

"Each row is a song and each colour represents an album."

Annie Smith, of Lanark, has decorated her house alongside her two daughters for Lanimers Day, a local tradition.

On 6 June, the town's schoolchildren parade in costumes through the streets with decorated vehicles and music bands.

A Lanimer Queen and her Court are selected from local schools and those involved in the "Court" decorate their house in a theme that means something to them.

Annie and her family took a modern twist on the tradition.

"We are huge Swifties, so it was never going to be anything else!

"We've spent months designing and building it all and then a lot of hours this week working to save it from the weather!" said Annie.

The family started work on it in January.

Annie's dad, who is 77, helped with the building and was drilling and linking the CDs for weeks.

"It's a big hit with local Swifties and we're loving it too. We're going to see Taylor on Saturday and it will be my 12-year-old daughter's first concert.

"We are VERY excited!"

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