Taylor Swift’s first Sydney Eras concert to go ahead ‘rain or shine’ despite thunderstorm warning

Taylor Swift is set to perform to about 300,000 people at Sydney’s Accor Stadium over the weekend. Possible thunderstorms and rain amid hot temperatures are predicted for Friday night’s opening show. Photograph: TAS2023/Getty Images

Taylor Swift’s first Sydney Eras concert will go ahead “rain or shine”, Accor Stadium has said – unless the expected severe weather threatens people’s safety.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicted “possibly severe” thunderstorms for Friday afternoon and evening. Swift’s hotly anticipated gig is scheduled to kick off at 6.20pm, with gates opening at 4.30pm.

The forecast is for a hot day with a maximum of 36C at nearby Parramatta. “A thunderstorm likely during this afternoon and evening, possibly severe with damaging winds, heavy falls and large hail,” the BoM forecast said.

No umbrellas are allowed in the stadium but jackets or rain ponchos are fine.

BoM meteorologist Helen Reid said the storms were likely to hit just as crowds were settling in for the show.

“For the crowds heading to Olympic Park, the afternoon will still be hot after temperatures get to around 36C in the early afternoon,” she said.

“Thunderstorm development during the afternoon will become more widespread with timing at Olympic Park likely to coincide with crowds settling into the concert.

“A cool southerly change is expected as the sun is disappearing over the horizon, with some more rain to come with it. Today’s thunderstorm activity will ease overnight.”

Olympic Park was caught up in Sydney’s asbestos scare last week, but has since been given the all clear.

Swift has form singing in the rain – in November, she performed during a deluge in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro.

At that show she paid tribute to a fan who had died at her concert two days earlier, during an intense heatwave. The next night’s concert was cancelled because of the heat, and the night after that the rains came.

In the wake of that incident, Milad Haghani, a senior lecturer in public safety, disaster resilience and urban mobility at the University of New South Wales, warned that with climate change, extreme weather would pose more risk to mass gatherings.

Reid said the weather would be better for Swift’s next three shows, which will be attended by a total of about 300,000 fans.

“Conditions for the concerts over the weekend and Monday will be more stable with cooler temperatures,” she said.

“Saturday itself will start with some rain but this will clear in time for the concert. Sunday and Monday will be mostly sunny with little chance of rain.”