With around 100.000 people expected to attend Taylor Swift’s first-ever concerts in Switzerland, officials in Zurich have announced that a major exclusion zone will be in place around the Letzigrund for nearly a week, affecting thousands of local residents. Drivers will largely be banned from entering the zone of Altstetten, while some residents have been encouraged to bring IDs if they want to access their homes.
According to a statement from the city of Zurich and the police, heavy restrictions will be in place around the Letzigrund stadium from July 7 to 11, due to two concerts being held by US star Taylor Swift on Tuesday and Wednesday. Authorities noted that around 100.000 people will be attending her first-ever performances in Switzerland, making a heightened security presence inevitable - bear in mind that the resident population of Zurich is only around 400.000.
With her Eras Tour taking the world by storm - the first 60 in her 152-concert run earned over 1 billion US dollars - it’s not a surprise that Switzerland has also been overcome with T Swizzle fever. According to 20 Minuten, all the tickets for her two Zurich concerts sold out in less than 30 minutes.
To control the crowds, a large exclusion zone has been set up around the Letzigrund where vehicles will be banned. Around a dozen streets in and around the stadium and Letzipark will be closed to traffic between July 7 and 11, with authorities advising both Swifties and local residents to either walk or take public transport to and from the area.
Speaking to 20 Minuten, Zurich police spokesperson Marc Surber said they "will assess on a case-by-case basis whether residents or other authorised persons will be allowed through... The closer you are to the stadium, however, the higher the risk that you will no longer be able to get in or out by car due to the large crowds," he noted, adding that they would be flexibly applying the bans depending on footfall and the local traffic situation.
In addition, to make sure that the venue can be evacuated quickly in an emergency, Baslerstrasse between Herdernstrasse to Hardgutstrasse and Herdernstrasse between Bullingerstrasse to Badenerstrasse will be closed off entirely to both pedestrians and cars from July 7 to July 11. "You can only get into this zone with a ticket. As with a festival, the organiser will control access there," Surber added.
Interestingly, while Surber said that while “residents will have access from Badenerstrasse to their properties,” it was advisable for them to carry a form of ID such as a passport or residence permit so that they can be let through the cordon.
For those lucky enough to have a ticket to see Tay Tay herself, police advised all visitors to use public transport to get to the Letzigrund, and to not arrive at the stadium before 10am on the day of their concert. Camping around the venue is also strictly prohibited.
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