New technology to help control crowding during Taylor Swift concert
Wednesday, 21 February 2024
As more than 80,000 fans descend on Accor Stadium each night of the Eras Tour, new AI technology will be used to ensure Swifties are safe, calm and moving smoothly for the massive event.
Staff at Sydney Olympic Park and Transport for NSW will be working hard behind the scenes on each of the four nights, acting as eyes in the sky to support crowd control at the stadium’s high-tech Coordination Centre.
The AI program combines features such as de-identified CCTV footage, weather data and social media to accurately predict crowd movements and mood around the stadium.
This allows teams to prevent problems before they occur and implement a range of measures like opening more exits, redirecting people, giving live updates, deploying more staff or playing music to keep the mood up.
This will be the biggest test yet for the trial, which kicked off in 2023 as part of the NSW Government’s $45 million Smart Places Acceleration Program.
The technology has been successfully used for other events including the recent Laneway Festival and Big Bash League cricket.
Signs with QR codes have been placed around the stadium for people keen to learn more about the technology and provide feedback.
The trial has been rigorously assessed under the NSW Government’s AI Assurance Framework to ensure the use of the new technology is ethical and real benefits are delivered to the community without compromising privacy or data security.
How to get to the concert and home swiftly:
Public transport is not only the most efficient way to get to the event, but we are making it part of the concert experience.
- A total of more than 1,200 extra public transport services will run across the four nights.
- This includes more than 700 extra buses and 550 extra trains.
- Tay Tay Express Train Services will run from Central to Olympic Park every 8 minutes until 10:30pm then every 5 minutes until 01:00am.
- Central Station will shimmer as the concourse is decorated and the clock tower will be lit in a lavender haze for the occasion.
- The Eras Tour will continue onboard, with Taylor tracks to be played on the Swift Express runs.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Transport Jo Haylen:
“The Taylor Swift Eras Tour will be one of the biggest ever turn-outs at Sydney Olympic Park, with unprecedented crowd levels expected inside and outside the stadium.
“Crowds of this magnitude can be unpredictable, and we want to do everything we can to make sure people are safe and comfortable while moving around.
“The shows will be unforgettable for tens of thousands of Swifties, and this technology will help staff ensure the mood stays positive even when people are stuck in foot traffic leaving the venue after the superstar has belted her final note.
“These kinds of events are a huge test for our public transport network, and I want to thank Swifties in advance for their patience and understanding, and our frontline staff for their massive efforts.
“Embracing world-class technology is essential to making people’s journeys easier, safer and more reliable than ever before.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully:
“This new technology provides real-time insights, to help make every experience at Sydney Olympic Park a great one.
“With large events drawing crowds of more than 10 million visitors to the precinct each year, it’s important we use state-of-the-art tools to inform operations, keep people comfortable and avoid serious incidents.
“The software gives precinct staff an idea of crowd movements and capacities. It cannot be used for surveillance, tracking, or facial recognition, meaning individuals are never identifiable.”
