Taylor Swift fans without tickets are being warned to stay away from the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Victorian officials have issued a stern warning as they embrace for an influx of ‘Taylor-gate’ fans, according to The Herald Sun.
Taylor-gating is a phenomenon where followers of the pop sensation congregate outside concert venues without tickets and singalong and celebrate all things Swift.
This trend has been building steam across the globe, with Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour becoming a rallying point for fans to party and revel in the streets.
With the Melbourne concerts drawing near, officials are taking preemptive steps to curb the crowds.
Taylor Swift fans without tickets are being warned to stay away from the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Pictured
Victorian officials have issued a stern warning as they embrace for an influx of ‘Taylor-gate’ fans, according to The Herald Sun
The Melbourne Cricket Club’s CEO, Stuart Fox, has discouraged fans from assembling in Yarra Park adjacent to the MCG, citing public safety concerns.
He confirmed that, unlike previous events at AAMI Park, there would be no live broadcast of the concert outside the stadium.
‘Our focus is on the safe, secure and fun experience ticketholders will have when visiting the MCG, including the easy entry and exiting process in the precinct,’ he said.
‘There will be no activations in Yarra Park or screens showing the concert live.’
Authorities have made it clear that while fans won’t be turned away, their presence isn’t encouraged around the MCG during the event times.
Taylor-gating is a phenomenon where followers of the pop sensation congregate outside concert venues without tickets and singalong and celebrate all things Swift
A significant police presence is expected to reinforce this message, focusing on maintaining order, prohibiting alcohol consumption in public areas, and preventing the setup of any tents, stalls, or barbecues.
It comes as Ticketek denied Marketplace sellers are struggling to offload tickets due to tech hitch – as one fan claims the site was down ‘for three weeks’.
One fan, who uses the handle katie_buttnett on TikTok, said the Ticketek Marketplace has been down for three weeks and she’s been unable to resell her tickets.
However, a spokesperson for the company denied there were any issues with the website, and claimed it ‘is working as expected’.
One fan, who uses the handle katie_buttnett on TikTok, said the Ticketek Marketplace has been down for three weeks and she’s been unable to resell her tickets
With the Australian leg of the pop megastar’s tour set to kick off in February, resellers have been desperate to offload their tickets to Swifties.
Katie took to TikTok over the weekend to slam Ticketek Marketplace as she has been attempting to resell her concert tickets ‘since New Years Eve’ because she can no longer attend the event.
‘I have reached out to Ticketek customer service twice. They said they would reply ASAP. They haven’t. I don’t know how to get through to them,’ she said.
‘This is happening to everyone that wants to resell. If someone is trying to buy tickets off this Marketplace, it says that there are no tickets available.
‘They are only unavailable because Ticketek will not allow us to list them, and they will not provide us an update.’
Katie has since said the marketplace is back up and running
Katie went on to say the technical issues are ‘unacceptable’ as fans need tickets as soon as possible so they can organise flights and accommodation for the Tour – though she has since told her TikTok followers the Marketplace is back up.
Ticketek Marketplace is the only authorised reselling platform for Taylor Swift The Eras Tour in Australia, and it first opened for resales in September last year.
And while fans claim the website has been down for weeks and been nothing but trouble, the company says that couldn’t be further from the truth.
However, a spokesperson for the company denied there were any issues with the website, and claimed it ‘is working as expected’. Pictured: Stock photo of the Ticketek website
‘The Ticketek Marketplace site is working as expected. Fans are listing and buying tickets as inventory becomes available,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.
‘As is the case with Ticketek’s main site, we have been monitoring performance, and flexing session availability as required to ensure that genuine fans are able to list and buy tickets.
‘Ticketek’s customer solutions team are working around the clock to help genuine customers buy and sell tickets, and Ticketek have been contacting all customers who have had difficulty listing their tickets.
‘Ticketek is the only authorised seller for the Tour and we advise fans to not purchase tickets through any unauthorised resellers.’
