40,000 Taylor Swift fans got themselves a free Eras Tour show in Munich as 'Taylor-gating' hit a new level
The Olympic Hill in Munich has "been a popular destination for enjoying free open-air concerts" for decades, the Olympiapark website says.
Thomas Niedermueller/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management, Felix Hörhager/Getty Images
- More than 40,000 Taylor Swift fans listened to an Eras Tour show from outside a venue in Munich.
- The trend, known as "Taylor-gating," has been popular since Taylor Swift began the tour last year.
- Unlike in other cities, gathering was encouraged and facilitated by local authorities and the venue.
Thousands of people who couldn't score tickets to a Taylor Swift's Eras Tour show in Munich enjoyed the concert from a hill nearby.
German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that local police had estimated that around 40,000 people gathered on the Olympic Hill overlooking Munich's Olympiastadion on Saturday.
Felix Hörhager/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
Inside the stadium, Swift performed her set to 74,000 fans.
While speaking to the crowds at the beginning of the concert, the Grammy-winning artists acknowledged the extra attendees outside the stadium.
"We've got people in a park outside the stadium, thousands of people listening from out there," Swift said, per footage circulating on X.
"I just feel so incredibly welcome," she added.
The phenomenon of gathering outside Swift's concerts, known as "Taylor-gating," emerged soon after the star began touring with her blockbuster Eras Tour in the US last year.
Fans assemble in streets, parks, and parking lots near concert venues to sing along and dance to their favorite song blasting from the stadium speakers.
While some cities have discouraged fans from loitering outside venues without tickets, LBC reported that toilets and drinks stations were set up in the park on the hill ahead of the Munich show.
A clip shared on social media showed the hills outside the stadium teeming with people before the stadium had filled.
The Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert in Munich, Germany sold out the entire stadium with an audience of 74,000 people.Yet, the crowd behind the stadium was still huge. pic.twitter.com/JujRFUJz7f
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) July 28, 2024
According to the Olympiapark website, the Olympic Hill offers a "magnificent view of the Olympic Park" and has "been a popular destination for enjoying free open-air concerts" for decades.
It added that the hill can be used by "all those who want to listen to the world stars of rock and pop for free from their picnic blanket."
A representative for the show's venue did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, which was sent outside regular hours.