Cheerleaders to greet Taylor Swift fans in Germany

Taylor Swift plays the first of seven Eras Tour concerts in Germany on Wednesday night, with around 60,000 fans expected to pack the Veltins Arena in the western city of Gelsenkirchen, reported dpa.

The industrial city is one of the lesser-known stops on the pop icon's mega-selling global tour, but local authorities are splashing out to welcome the throngs of visitors and create a party-like atmosphere.

Gelsenkirchen has booked cheerleaders to greet Swifties arriving at the main train station. The regional transport consortium is beefing up its offering, with 12 more trains running on the three concert days and 40 trains departing the main station after each show.

Shuttle bus services will also be available to Veltins Arena, the home ground of the Schalke football club.

As tickets in the United States and Canada are more expensive than in Europe, some Swift fans have flown across the Atlantic. Tips on travelling in Germany are exchanged on Facebook groups and other forums.

Gelsenkirchen is expecting around 200,000 fans to attend the three concerts on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. While there are only 260,000 residents of Gelsenkirchen, the city sits in Germany's densely populated Ruhr region.

The first fans could already be seen outside the arena days before the opening concert. Some also tried unsuccessfully to camp on site to secure a particularly good place in the entry queue, but the practice is banned and officials sent them away.

Starting Wednesday afternoon the city will stage an open-air party called "Taylor Town." Activities include karaoke, DJs, food vendors and a "walk-in tattoo stand."

Further shows in Germany will then take place in Hamburg on July 23 and 24, and Munich on July 27 and 28.