Here’s a hypothetical situation.
You’ve bought your Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour’ tickets for one, two or three of her MetLife Stadium concerts in East Rutherford, NJ on Friday, May 26, Saturday, May 27 or Sunday, May 28.
Congratulations —that’s a big step.
(If you haven’t, you can still snatch up last-minute tickets here too).
However, now that the day of the concert is rapidly approaching, the realization “Oh, my goodness. I’ve never been to MetLife. How do I get there?” may be dawning upon you.
That’s a legitimate concern —traveling to the Jets and Giants home stadium isn’t an easy trip.
Plus, when you factor in the thousands of Swifites also traveling, traffic, trains and parking may be extra congested.
So, our team wanted to help you out.
We’ve spoken to Jets fans, Long Island commuters and New Jersey Transit veterans for their hottest travel tips.
And trust us, you’ll need them.
A New York Post writer attended an ‘Eras Tour’ concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA last weekend and ended up parking a mile away from the venue.
It wasn’t cheap either. She and her friends shilled out $40 for the spot.
Want to find strategies from folks that have traveled to the venue rather than just relying on Google Maps?
Here’s everything you need to know and more about traveling to see Swift at MetLife Stadium this Memorial Day weekend.
The Jets fan commuting from the Bronx
This Jets fanatic resides in the Bronx-Riverdale area, close to the George Washington Bridge (GWB, if you’re a local).
His general route is the GWB to the I-95. There, he takes exit 16W to Route 3 which spills into the parking lots.
That being said, he added, “there’s probably 20 different ways to go.”
Still, make sure to get there early because it can get crowded quickly.
“For 1 p.m. games, we get there around 9:30 or 10 a.m.” was his final note.
The Long Islander with the hot take
We have a bit of a trick for you if you’re driving in from LI.
According to a Long Islander, taking the LIRR into Penn and then Ubering to MetLife is quicker.
Depending on when you go,he’ssure Uber prices will be surged.When he went it was only $40 for a group of 5 so not a lot per person
On the way back, he highly recommends “NJ transit back to Penn.MetLife parking lot is a hot mess.”
The dad driving his daughter from LI
These might be the most straightforward instructions of all —very dad.
This pops says to take the Long Island Expressway to the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
From there, take 37th Street (or any nearby one-way that goes west) straight across Manhattan to the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel.
The tunnel will leave you on I-495 W in New Jersey. The road will have signs to follow toward MetLife Stadium, but you’ll want to stay on I-495 until you start seeing signs for NJ-3 W (toward Sports Complex).
Take the NJ-3 W exit until you can exit onto NJ-120 N and continue on to MetLife Stadium.
Good luck, parking!
The New Jersey Transit veteran
Our NJT expert suggested checking out the transit’s site for more information.
Smart call.
“Fans attending the upcoming Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran concerts at MetLife Stadium in May and June are encouraged to purchase their round trip tickets in advance through NJ TRANSIT’s mobile app,” according to a press release.
“For this series of concerts, NJ TRANSIT will operate its convenient BetMGM Meadowlands Rail Line service between Secaucus Junction and MetLife Stadium,” they continue.
“Customers can simply take any NJTRANSIT train that stops at Secaucus, including from Penn Station New York just one stop away, and transfer to the BetMGM Meadowlands Rail Line.”
They also shared a note they left in bold (and we’ll leave it as is below):
Note:Customers traveling on NJ TRANSIT trains to MetLife Stadium should purchase their roundtrip tickets from their originating station TO MEADOWLANDS STATION to avoid delays boarding trains. Tickets purchased on the train will include a $5 surcharge for each ticket.
For more detailed directions, you can review their press release here.
Taylor Swift 2023 ‘Eras Tour’ schedule
If ticket prices to see Taylor in East Rutherford don’t make sense for your budget, it might be in your best interest to see the ‘Eras Tour’ at a later date.
After this three-show weekend, Swift has 24 North American concerts remaining on her schedule after this weekend.
You can find a complete calendar of all remaining ‘Eras Tour’ dates here.
Plus, as an added bonus, we a)broke down all the best pricesfor each upcoming show, b)shared some helpful tips from a Swiftiewho made it out to to see Taylor on the first weekend of the tour and c) offer a few ‘Eras Tour’ fashion tips as well for fans who plan on dressing up.
Taylor Swift opening acts
This weekend, Taylor is bringing Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams Gayle and Owenn with her on select dates of the three-night residency.
Here’s what you need to know about the established openers.
Phoebe Bridgers, 28, is a headliner in her own right. In 2021-22, the four-time Grammy nominee took her “Reunion Tour” to venues all over the country and lent her talent to numerous music festivals. You may also know her from her side projects:Boygeniuswith pals Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker or Better Oblivion Community Center alongside Conor Oberst.
Gracie Abrams, the daughter of film director JJ Abrams and producer Katie McGrath, is a star in her own right. Her song “I miss you, I’m sorry” has upwards of 100 million streams on Spotify, she opened for Olivia Rodrigo on the 2022 “Sour Tour” and headlined her own tour this spring as well.
Gaylesings that song you hear everywhere. Yes, Gayle is known for her smash single “ABCDEFU,” which she wrote in response to a comment on TikTok. Following the song’s success, Gayle mounted her tour, dubbed “Feeling It Together,” and hit venues all over the U.S. in 2022.
OWENN, a powerful R&B singer, is the only male opening act on the “Eras Tour.” It’s possible that you may recognize him from Swift’s music video“Lover”where he played the romantic lead opposite Taylor. Haven’t heard his stuff? You’ll want to check out the catchy single“Baby Girl,”which will get you moving and grooving in no time.
Huge stars on tour in 2023
Although it will cost an arm and a leg (maybe more!) to see Swift live this year, there are much more affordable concerts you can attend this year.
Here are just five of our favorite artists you won’t want to miss live.
•Adele
•Madonna
•SZA
•Pink
•Janet Jackson
Who else is on the road? Check out our list of the52 biggest concert tours in 2023 hereto find out.
