Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has been welcomed enthusiastically around the world, and Warsaw is no exception. However, fans attending her concert at PGE Narodowy stadium on Thursday, August 1, might be startled by the sound of air raid sirens.
The alarms are part of Poland’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. “At 5pm on August 1st, sirens will sound out while the air force takes the skies in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw uprising, please DO NOT panic or be alarmed,” an Eras Tour X fan account alerted on Wednesday.
The 1944 Warsaw Uprising was a 63-day rebellion by Polish insurgents against Nazi occupation during WWII. Each year, on August 1, the city comes to a standstill at the exact time the uprising began, honoring the heroes of 1944. Thousands of Swift’s fans are expected to be near the stadium when the sirens go off.
Polish news site Onet advised Swifties to remain calm, explaining the significance of the day. “We ask you to remain calm and not to panic. In this way every year residents pay tribute to the heroes of 1944. Those who will be at that moment already outside the stadium, please remain quiet and get up,” it stated.
Thursday’s show is the first of three concerts in Warsaw before Swift heads to Vienna for performances on August 8, 9, and 10. She will conclude the European leg of her tour with five shows at London’s Wembley Stadium on August 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20, before returning to North America for a six-night run in Toronto starting November 14.
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