To park or to Uber? How to avoid driving headaches at the Miami Taylor Swift concert

It’s the age-old question any music lover must face before embarking to see their favorite artist perform in concert: Should we drive there and park or take an Uber?

Either way, it’s best to plan ahead.

Thousands of fans from South Florida and beyond will descend on Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens this Friday, Saturday and Sunday for superstar Taylor Swift’s three-night stay as part of her record-breaking Eras Tour. That means thousands of people are pondering the best course of action for how and where to park.

Fret not, Swifties. Here’s how to plan your drive, parking, drop-off and pick-up logistics before the concerts this weekend.

Only people with concert tickets can access the parking lots

Hard Rock Stadium is not messing around, especially after the Copa America final debacle.

Tailgating before the concert is only allowed for fans with concert tickets and pre-paid parking passes.

There are no listening areas outside the stadium for people without concert tickets. Police and stadium security will patrol the parking lots and instruct fans without concert tickets to leave.

Can ticketless fans hang outside the Taylor Swift concerts in Miami? Here’s what to know

Yes, you need a pre-paid parking pass

Before worrying about parking, the first question is this: Do you have a concert ticket?

Pre-paid parking passes can only be purchased in advance by concert ticket holders for the date that matches their concert ticket. For example, if you’re going to night one, you have to buy a parking pass for night one. Fans cannot purchase parking passes on site the day of the concert.

Parking at the stadium costs $60.

To buy a stadium parking pass, concert ticket holders must go to this site, https://www.hardrockstadium.com/parking/taylor-swift-concert, click on the yellow button that says “SUBMIT REQUEST” and fill out the form. Have your ticket information ready. After submitting the request, fans should expect an email from the stadium with the parking pass. Check your spam in case you don’t see the email. If you did not receive the email, reach out to the Hard Rock stadium Ticket Office at 305-943-6678 or email events@hardrockstadium.com for help.

Yes, there’s off-site parking

The other option is what’s called the Park & Ride shuttle for $10.

To purchase a Park & Ride shuttle pass, go to https://am.ticketmaster.com/hardrockstadium/buy/parkandride. Be sure to sign into your Ticketmaster account in order to purchase the parking pass properly.

Concert goers using the Park & Ride shuttle can drive directly to one of two parking lots:

Lot 70, across from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel at 5700 FL-7, Hollywood

Lot 95, Golden Glades Parking Hotel at 16000 NW 7th Ave, Miami

From there, a complimentary shuttle bus will take concert goers from the parking lot to the stadium. Park & Ride Shuttles will start at 3:00 p.m. and run through 1:00 a.m. on show days.

Only concert ticket holders can ride the shuttle. Fans are required to scan their concert ticket prior to boarding Park & Ride buses for their event day.

How to use rideshare to and from the stadium.

If you’re taking a rideshare app like Uber to get to the stadium, the designated drop-off location is Lot 30 on NW 37th Ave. Be warned: The walk from Lot 30 to the stadium is at least 30 minutes. Expect surge pricing and extended wait times.

There are two options to leave the stadium after the concert. Fans can order a rideshare vehicle at Lot 30, or fans can order an Uber Shuttle ahead of time.

Here’s how Uber Shuttle works. Using the Uber app, fans can book up to 5 seats on a shared bus ahead of the concert or on demand if seats are still available.

The designated pickup area for Uber Shuttle is near the Lot 18 pedestrian bridge. Uber Shuttle will go to the following addresses:

• Brickell – SW 8th St & S Miami Ave

• Bayfront – NE 4th St & Biscayne Blvd

• Fontainebleau in South Beach – 4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach ***

***Note: Only fans who order Uber Shuttle with the Fontainebleau location can get rides to and from the stadium. For Brickell and Bayfront, the Uber Shuttle rides are only to leave the stadium.

Dropping off your kids (or friends) at the show? Here’s where to go

There are three lots for parents to drop off and pick up their children on show days:

Lot 14 and Lot 15, which are right across the street from each other on NW 199th St. near the stadium

Lot 31, which is on the corner of 207th Street and NW 27th Avenue.

A map with the pick-up and drop-off locations is available here: https://www.hardrockstadium.com/parking/taylor-swift-concert/.

Parents can begin dropping off children at 3:30 p.m. on show days. Parents should plan to arrive for pick-up between 9:30 - 10:30 p.m.

Parents picking up children at Lots 14 or 15 must arrive before 10:30 p.m. because that is when road closures will begin. For parents arriving after 10:30 p.m., the only lot that will be accessible will be Lot 31.

Hard Rock Stadium recommends parents use the Waze app.

Be aware of road closures.

Some roads will be closed before and after the concerts.

The following roads will be closed on Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Oct. 19 and Oct. 20 from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on all three nights (Oct. 18 through 20) from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Miami Gardens residents can access NW 199th Street despite the road closures with their resident passes, which are issued by the City of Miami Gardens, or with a driver’s license with a local address. Residents can use the on-ramps to get onto the Turnpike.