By now, we’ve all heard the news that the one-and-only Taylor Swift is playing not one, not two, but six shows in Toronto next year as part of her Eras Tour at the Rogers Centre. That’s close to 300,000 chances to score a ticket, which might seem to the uninitiated like a good shot, but Swift is on another level entirely. And, preparation is key.

The highly anticipated ticket sales will kick off on Wednesday, Aug. 9 courtesy of everyone’s favourite corporate concert promoter Ticketmaster. The show is already so hotly anticipated that people are selling speculative (not-yet-real) tickets on resale site Stubhub.ca.

Swift’s upcoming Canadian performances, as part of her Eras Tour, have stirred significant excitement, building on the monumental success of her sold-out U.S. shows that not only shook the ground but also brought economic prosperity to the hosting regions.

For those eager to secure their spot at Taylor Swift’s Canadian shows, here’s a few tips:

Where to get tickets

While Swift’s Eras Tour is already in full swing, her Canadian appearances are scheduled for November 2024.

The exclusive venue for Swift’s performances will be the Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto, hosting her shows from Nov. 14 to 16, 2024, and then again from Nov. 21 to 23.

Tickets will be available for purchase on Ticketmaster.ca starting at 11 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday.

To combat ticket scalping and unauthorized reselling, Ticketmaster introduced a registration process when Swift’s Canadian shows were announced on August 3.

Fans were given until Aug. 5 to register, and a select number of registrants will receive confirmation emails by Tuesday, granting them access to the “verified fan sale” along with a personalized access code. Others will be placed on a dreaded waitlist.

Ticket availability is based on a first-come, first-serve.

Exclusive Ticket Opportunities for RBC Customers: RBC customers have a unique opportunity to secure tickets. The bank has teamed up with Swift to reserve a limited number of tickets for members of its Avion Rewards program.

Tickets reserved for RBC Avion members will go on sale on Aug. 16, according to Ticketmaster’s instructions.

Navigating the Taylor ticket tornado

The chosen ones who receive confirmation emails to their golden tickets will be assigned specific time slots and provided with a link to access the “Smart Queue.”

The “Smart Queue” will open 30 minutes before the verified fan sale starts.

To secure their place in the queue, Ticketmaster advises fans to remain on the page, avoid refreshing, and refrain from using multiple browser windows. At their designated time, fans should click the provided link.

Upon their turn, fans can proceed to purchase tickets using the unique access code they received via email. There is a strict limit of four tickets per customer for each event.

Zen and the art of ticket shopping

Pour yourself a nice cup of calm down and stay focussed tea, and shut off the entire world. It’s just you, Ticketmaster.ca and Taylor.

Ticketmaster recommends that fans with confirmation codes log in ahead of time for a smooth shopping experience during the sale. Make sure all your payment information is good to go. You don’t want to mess this up.

With luck, assuming all six shows will sell out pretty much instantly, concertgoers will flock to social media to gloat. Others will instantly put their tickets back up for sale at ridiculously inflated prices bordering on criminal.

At that point, people without tickets can either pay through the nose for resale, or wait 14 months until just before the concerts and hope for last minute cancellations. Because the concerts will attract people from across North America, there will inevitably be some who can no longer make the show given its more than a year away.

Keep in mind that resale tickets on Stubhub for Swift’s show in Inglewood, California tomorrow night range from $1,600 to more than $4,000US.

Good luck!