Taylor Swift fans line up early for merchandise outside Acrisure Stadium

There was no “midnight rain,” but one fan arrived pretty early to stake out the first and second spot for official Swiftie merch.

Taylor Swift fans started lining up Thursday to pick up merchandise at the official Swift trailer parked outside Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

Madison, 11, arrived with a family member at 1 a.m. and waited in the car, then strolled over to be the first in line at about 5 a.m.

But she gave up her place to Kathy Acquavita of Butler, because she didn’t want to be the very first person.

Madison traveled from North Carolina to visit family and see her first Swift show with three other family members.

Acquavita said other fans started filtering in around 7 a.m. Slackers.

By 10:30 a.m., there were about 400 people in line at the main trailer. But the two other trailers, which are the typical stadium trailer without the Taylor Swift branding, had much fewer people in line. The trailer right across the street from the main trailer along Art Rooney Boulevard had about 50 people queued up, while the third trailer near the C gate of the stadium had 60.

The trailers opened early and started selling around 11:30 a.m.

Rachel Snoops of Bridgeport, W.Va., rode from her home Thursday morning and arrived around 7 a.m. at the C gate trailer. She is spending the weekend in Pittsburgh, as she is going to Saturday’s night show. It will be her first Swift show, and comes at a high price. After not getting tickets, she paid over $1,000 for a ticket on an aftermarket site. But, she says, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

She said she was going to probably spend $300 on merchandise after waiting in line.

Kelsey Mayhood and Felicity Agostino didn’t have to travel as far to get to the merchandise trailer or go to the show this weekend. The Pittsburghers said they would drop between $200 and $300 on shirts and posters. This will be the first Swift show for them.

Another fan is making the weekend a birthday celebration. Ashley Desjardins, of Barrie, Ontario, accompanied by her husband, crossed the border and made the six-hour drive to Pittsburgh to see the show. The couple scored tickets, but said they are spending more on a hotel room for the weekend.

There are two Swift merchandise trucks along Art Rooney Avenue and the other is at the stadium’s Heinz Gate C and Gate A-East.

If you can’t make it Thursday, merchandise locations outside Acrisure Stadium will open at noon on Friday and Saturday.

Related:

• Taylor Swift fans seeing red over Eras Tour ticket prices
• Here's how to score Taylor Swift merchandise at Acrisure Stadium
• Taylor Swift fans seeing red over Eras Tour ticket prices
• Taylor Swift concert: What to know before you go
• How rare are Taylor Swift's 2 sellouts? Promoter Rich Engler has never seen it before
• There's something about Taylor Swift: Fans explain singer's mass appeal
• A lavender haze: Businesses anticipate Taylor Swift windfall that could 'blow Kenny Chesney out of the water'
• Taylor Swift's early show in Western Pa. recalled by Pittsburgh singer