Taylor Swift at Ford Field in Detroit Hunt for parking will be a challenge

A storm is coming to Detroit this weekend, a massive explosion of glitter, sparkles, cowboy boots and more friendship bracelets than you can count.

Swifties are descending upon the city Friday and Saturday for a two-day extravaganza and taking no prisoners, eager to catch a glimpse of the pop megastar in the flesh in her first return to the stage in five years. And if tales from other cities — case in point, thousands of ticketless fans in Philly swarming parking lots and streets surrounding the stadium — can tell us one thing, it’s this: Swifties are ravenous.

To call Taylor Swift’s tour simply a series of concerts is a misnomer, with the three-hour-long setlist spanning her 10-album catalog across her 17 years in the spotlight, it’s more akin to a spiritual cleansing for fans washing in the nostalgia. The concert is a moment in American culture, even for non-fans — the magnitude of fan excitement is nearly inescapable as every uncovered Eras Tour easter egg dominates the internet’s attention.

And in Detroit, fans are expected in droves. Both nights of the Ford Field concert are sold out, meaning tens of thousands of attendees are anticipated to flood the streets of downtown Detroit — much to the delight of business owners, and to the horror of any non-Swiftie downtown this weekend. A bustling downtown is expected, between TSwift, Motor City Pride, two Tigers games, and concerts at the Fillmore and Saint Andrew’s Hall, so weekend frolickers beware.

If you’re one of the lucky thousands with a ticket, getting to your seat may prove to be a mission because you first have to find a place to keep your car. Fortunately, one mode of transportation in the city announced it is expanding its service to cater to concert-goers.

The QLine is extending its hours of operation Friday and Saturday through 1 a.m., giving Swifties an opportunity to catch a breath and soak in the last embers of the concert before returning to real life and getting behind the wheel.

“We are anticipating a big ridership day both because other cities (on the tour) with streetcars and transit have seen an increase and also because that’s what we see with all of our warm weather events,” said Dan Lijana, spokesman for the QLine.

The streetcar on Woodward extends from Campus Martius to New Center, and the farther from the stadium the better your chances are at finding parking spots, so a good strategy is to park near a station and hop on the QLine for a free ride to the stadium. Another golden tip: Park at Wayne State University’s lot 12 for $5 and walk to the Qline’s Amsterdam station, a trek that takes less than a minute.

Another nontraditional option is to catch a drink at Nemo’s in Corktown and ride its shuttle to Ford Field for $5, rides start at 4:30 p.m. and continue until all Swiftie patrons have made it to the stadium.

“Parents are frantic and their kids guilted them into getting them tickets and re-mortgaging the house,” an employee said over the phone Tuesday. “It’s just nuts, but we’re gonna do the best we can.”

Speaking of parents, the stadium is working with law enforcement to coordinate a drop-off and pick-up operation. The pathway begins at the intersection of Mack Avenue and Chrysler Drive, drivers are instructed to enter the southbound service drive from Mack Avenue and follow along until Winder Street, where they can turn right toward Brush Street.

Finding street parking is expected to be a challenge, but possible for the brave concert-goers looking for a pre-show thrill. If you want to test your luck, download the Park Detroit app and pay through 10 p.m. You can purchase parking for up to four hours after 6 p.m. You could also ride the Detroit People Mover for 75 cents, if you find parking downtown, and get off at the Broadway station.

For the traditionalists, Ford Field suggests ParkWhiz to pre-book parking at lots surrounding the stadium. However, many parking lots are sold out, and some lots are charging as much as $200 for spots. SeatGeek also offers parking options, some as low as $24.

Doors are set to open at 4:30 p.m. each day, and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are sold out, but some are available on resale sites like StubHub and SeatGeek — keep a close eye on these sites as prices could drastically drop as the concert nears and sellers get increasingly desperate.