How Taylor Swift Helped a Disney Theme Park Rival

No matter what walk of life you are in, you have heard about Taylor Swift. Her Swifties, fans of Taylor Swift, have been out in full force since the mishap with Ticketmaster back in 2022. Ticketmaster thought it was ready to handle the onslaught of Taylor Swift fans eager to buy tickets to her Eras Tour, but that was not the case.

Swifties have paid exorbitant amounts of money to get tickets to have the once in a lifetime experience. The tour will go across the globe from New York City to Singapore, and fans are pulling out all the stops when making their trek to see the musician.

As the tour hit Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., fans were faced with a dilemma and one that was easy for most to answer. Swift went past the 11 p.m. curfew set by the stadium on July 28; a curfew set back in 2017 but was adjusted in 2021 to make exceptions for weeknights, according to East Bay Times. Swift went past the 11 p.m. curfew both nights during her Eras Tour performance. 

Taylor Swift Concert Boost Disney Rival Sales

Breaking curfew wasn’t the only thing that happened during the Eras Tour visiting Santa Clara. Levi’s Stadium, which hosts NFL team San Francisco 49ers, shares a parking lot with the Walt Disney theme parks rival, Cedar Fair's California's Great America  (FUN) - Get Free Report.

A deal between Levi’s Stadium and California's Great America allowed the Taylor Swift concerts to use the theme park's parking lot, exclusively. Anyone could park at the Great America parking lot, as long as they have a ticket to the theme park. California's Great America surely had an increase in ticket sales, even if the actual attendance this weekend didn't. 

As a reminder to Swifties, the park sent out a message, "To use the parking lot on Friday and Saturday, all individuals in your vehicle must possess a valid park ticket. This means that everyone arriving in the vehicle must have their own park admission ticket in order to utilize the parking facilities." 

The use of the parking lot may sound like a steep cost at $70 per passenger, but Swifties have already paid higher prices to get to the concert. What’s another $70 each at this point.

"For your convenience, tickets will be available for purchase at the parking toll booths upon arrival," California's Great America in a statement to concert guests.

California's Great America also got to take advantage of the fact that tailgating is prohibited in the parking lot and used it as an opportunity to sell food and drinks at its Carnivale at Orleans Place.

If the theme park hadn’t taken advantage of the Swifties enough, it also offered an “Eat, Drink, Relax” ticket package for $50, that included use of the restrooms, unlimited food, and a chance to hear the Taylor Swift concert from the Pavilion entrance of the theme park according to the Theme Park Insider. 

Swift Concert Saga Continues

While breaking curfew in Santa Clara two nights in a row, some concert goers may have made the wise choice to try and leave early to avoid the congested traffic after the show. However, many still found themselves stuck in traffic in the California's Great America parking lot past 1 a.m., and well after the stated curfew.

The curfew for weekends is still set at 11 p.m. for non-NFL events, and there was no change to the Friday or Saturday night curfew for the Taylor Swift concerts.  

The majority of Swifties had already spent on average $254 for a ticket to the Eras Tour, according to Business Insider. An average price that high is rare, but the price gouging doesn’t end there, some people have paid as much as $2,750 per ticket through a resale sites. 

At $254 or more for a ticket to the tour, and then a 'convenient' parking space in the Great America’s / Levi’s Stadium parking lot of a sweet additional $70, not to mention tour memorabilia, drinks, and any other costs like a babysitter for many of her fan base may need, this show has got some big expectations to meet for the price.