Driving to Beyoncé's State Farm Stadium concert? Here's what you should know about traffic

The Ticketmaster website crashed on more than one occasion as tickets went on sale around the world for the Renaissance World Tour, Beyoncé’s first headlining solo tour in seven years (although she did swing through the Valley with her husband, Jay Z, in 2018).

Her return to State Farm Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 24, is on the verge of selling out.

How many people are we talking?

A venue's capacity can depend on a number of variables, including how elaborate the show’s production is and the number of seats they need to block off for obstructed views.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour launch in March drew a crowd of more than 69,000 on opening night. The last time Garth Brooks played that stadium, more than 77,000 fans showed up to see him. But 70,000 seems to be a reasonable guess as to how many people will be bearing down on State Farm Stadium on Thursday afternoon into the early evening to see Queen B.

That means it would also be safe to plan on heavy traffic as thousands and thousands of vehicles inch their way along the access roads to State Farm Stadium.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., which means you’ll be fighting through rush-hour traffic if you plan to show up early, and you'll hit Beyoncé traffic if you plan to press your luck.

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The earlier you get to State Farm Stadium, the better

It doesn’t have to be a traffic nightmare, though.

We spoke to Reuben Lopez, the City of Glendale’s Superintendent for Intelligent Transportation Systems, to see what fans can do to make the trip as comfortable as possible for everyone involved.

“Fans should definitely leave early,” Lopez said.

“The show is on a weekday. The concert begins at 8 p.m., so they’re gonna be impacted by some residual traffic," Lopez added. "It’s a little past rush hour but people are still trying to rush into the footprint of the stadium.”

'When doors are opening, the roadways are pretty jam packed'

If you’re driving to the show from Central Phoenix or the East Valley, Lopez recommends leaving an hour to two hours early.

The stadium lots will open at 4:30 p.m., an hour before doors.

“Fans tend to come at once,” Lopez said. “Usually, we experience a slow trickle, and then when doors are opening, the roadways are pretty jam packed. That’s why I say they should leave early because they should anticipate some pretty long queues as they’re trying to get into the parking areas of the stadium.”

Lopez says rush hour starts around 3 or 3:30 p.m.

Heavy traffic is expected on the 101 and all the arterial streets that lead into the Westgate footprint: Glendale Avenue, Camelback Road, Maryland Avenue, Cardinals Way and 91st Avenue.

Beyonce's Glendale concert: Everything to know if you're going to State Farm Stadium

Expect traffic in the parking lot

This concert is general parking.

“Usually, it’s color coded by ticket sales for Cardinals games,” Lopez said. “This is general parking except for the red lot, which is being used as VIP Parking for this event.”

“I would say about an hour prior to doors opening is when the traffic will start picking up a little bit,” Lopez continued. “People are gonna try to get into their parking spaces.”

State Farm Stadium urges fans to purchase parking online in advance.

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Pay attention to those ADOT signs for traffic tips

Lopez recommends paying attention to ADOT’s DMS signs on the freeway and the city streets as you approach the stadium.

“If Cardinals Way is queueing on the off-ramp back to the freeway, the way-finding signs will point them to either exit off of Glendale or Northern,” Lopez said. “That’s done by ADOT, but we work in tandem with them."

As fans exit the freeway, there are signs to guide them to the lots.

“They need to be paying attention to the traffic controllers in the streets,” Lopez said. “They should really plan ahead of time where they plan to park so they’re not stopping in the middle of the roadway, trying to figure out where they’re going while they’re approaching the stadium.”

State Farm Stadium parking map for the Beyoncé concert

Lopez says there’s “nothing outside the norm” to contend with when it comes to road construction or road closures.

“Ninety-fifth Avenue is closed between Cardinals Way and Maryland, but that’s just a choke point for traffic to get to the lots,” Lopez said.

“As soon as they exit off on 95th Avenue, they’re gonna get pushed into their lot. Maryland Avenue is closed from 95th to 93rd. That’s also just a choke point to get people into the lots," he said. "Other than that, everything is accessible in the footprint from 99th to 91st, from Glendale down to Camelback. There shouldn’t be any construction or road closures out of the norm there.”

This parking map should help you figure out the best path to your lot.

What you should know about using rideshare for Beyoncé

Rideshare companies are “not allowed to do their business outside of that Black Lot,” Lopez said.

If you plan on using rideshare, use the Black Lot just south of Cardinals Way as a drop-off/pickup point. Don’t have your driver pull over and park on Cardinals Way to let you out in traffic. You’ll slow everybody down and could get hit.

What to know about traffic after the Beyoncé concert

It's harder to avoid the traffic leaving State Farm Stadium — unless, of course, you’re more concerned with traffic than seeing Beyoncé and you skip the last half hour of the concert.

“Typically the ingress routes are the same as the egress routes,” Lopez said. “They’re just reversed. So the route that they took into the stadium typically is where they’re egressed to by traffic control when the event is over. They’re gonna push you right back out the same way you came in.”

Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @EdMasley.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Beyoncé State Farm Stadium concert: Traffic and parking tips