She's back! After five years Beyoncé is back in Cardiff for her huge Renaissance tour which is calling in at the Principality Stadium this May. The last time she was in Wales was back in 2018 for her's and Jay-Z's On the Run II tour, where she and her other half brought some sizzling chemistry and intimate family images to the venue, more on that here.
Now, in her first solo tour for seven years (since 2016's Formation) she's in the Welsh capital on Wednesday, May 17 and we have all the details you need and want to prep yourself for the huge gig in Wales' top venue. From gate opening times, road closures, where to park and more. Also inside the gig, we have info on food and drink, banned items and potential set list.
Beyoncé kicked off her Renaissance tour in Stockholm and reports say she began her set with Dangerously In Love from Renaissance as well as crowd faves like Crazy in Love, Love on Top and Diva.
Read more: All the big gigs in Wales in 2023 including Coldplay, Harry Styles, Pulp and Arctic Monkeys
If you're going to the sold-out show, here's all you need to know.
What time do the gates open for Beyoncé?
The gates open for the May 17 show at the Principality at 5pm. When we get the details for exact stage times we will share them here, currently the approximate start time is 7.30pm.
Here's a map of the gates and access points:
Bags will be searched and should be no bigger than A4 size (30cm x20cm x20cm).
Age limits
For this gig, under 14s are not allowed in the standing area of the stadium and all those under 16 attending the show must be with an adult at all times.
Is there a support act?
No, it's all about Beyoncé on this tour.
What's the set list?
Queen Bey has already performed in Europe, kicking the tour off in Sweden on May 10. There, she sang a 40-strong set list and that gives you an idea what a banging show Cardiff will be. Here's what she sang on the tour opener:
1. Dangerously In Love
2. Flaws And All
3. 1+
4. I Care / I'm Goin' Down (Mary J. Blige cover)
5. I'M THAT GIRL
6. COZY
7. ALIEN SUPERSTAR / Sweet Dreams (Medley)
8. Lift Off (from Jay-Z and Kanye West's WATCH THE THRONE)
9. 7/11 (Interlude)
10. CUFF IT / CUFF IT - WETTER REMIX
11. ENERGY (ft. Beam)
12. BREAK MY SOUL / BREAK MY SOUL - THE QUEENS REMIX (ft. Madonna)
13. No Angel
14. Haunted
15. Formation
16. Diva
17. Run The World (Girls)
18. MY POWER (from The Lion King: The Gift)
19. BLACK PARADE
20. Savage Remix (Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyonce)
21. Partition
22. Yonce
23. CHURCH GIRL
24. Get Me Bodied / Freakum Dress
25. Before I Let Go
26. Rather Die Young
27. Love On Top
28. Crazy In Love (ft. Jay-Z)
29. PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA
30. VIRGO'S GROOVE
31. Naughty Girl
32. MOVE (ft. Grace Jones)
33. HEATED
34. THIQUE
35. ALL UP IN YOUR MIND
36. Drunk In Love
37. AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM
38. PURE/HONEY
39. Blow
40. SUMMER RENAISSANCE
What tickets you need for this show
No, the tickets for Beyoncé are all digital for this 2023 show. You will need to have access to a smartphone to download the relevant digital ticketing app and get your digital tickets to enter the stadium.
Screenshots are not allowed and you need to transfer your tickets to your mates/family ahead of the show. The apps you will get your tickets on are:
Ticketmaster app, here.
Principality Stadium app, here.
What are the banned items at the Principality Stadium?
Aerosols
Air horns
Alcohol
Animals (except assistance dogs)
Backpacks/holdalls/rucksacks
BBQs or any cooking apparatus
Bicycles, scooters, roller skates
Blowtorches
Bottles
Cans
Cameras (DSLR/SLR) with a detachable lens
Chairs
Chinese lanterns
Cooking apparatus
Cool bags/boxes (large)
Cigarettes (more than for personal use)
Cutlery
Drink
Drones
Fireworks/pyrotechnics
Flags with poles
Flares/distress flares/smoke flares
Food
Gazebos and parasols
Gas cylinders/canisters
Glass
Knives
Liquids (over 100ml)
Illegal substances (drugs)
Laser pens
Legal / herbal highs (includes Nitrous Oxide and associated equipment including balloons)
Megaphones
Professional audio-visual recording equipment
Pushchairs/prams
Selfie Sticks
Smoke bombs/canisters
Sound systems
Tablet PCs
Tabards/High Viz Jackets
Large Umbrellas
What are the road closures ahead of the gig?
From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.
The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure which will take place between 4pm and midnight.
Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.
Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.
Tudor Street from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhammon Embankment).
Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from their junctions with Despenser Place to their junctions with Tudor Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted).
The following roads will be closed in their entirety: Duke Street, Castle St, High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.
Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will be access for buses only during the times of the road closures. This is to ensure that there is reliable access for buses to the satellite points in Churchill Way.
Additionally, Penarth Road will be closed 30 minutes before the concert finishes and up to hour after the concert ends on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the train station.
Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with access allowed only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks. Other roads affected include King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.
Where to park and travel information
Park & Ride facilities
Event Park & Ride is available at Cardiff City Stadium at Leckwith and can be accessed from junction 32 off the M4, following the signs to the site.
The drop off point will be at Fitzalan Embankment.
The Park & Ride is 1.5 miles from the city centre which takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
The cost is £12 payable on the day.
Staff will arrive at the car park at 9am when the site opens, with the first bus leaving at 9.30am. The last bus will leave Fitzalan Embankment at midnight and the park & ride site will close at 12.30am on May18th.
Park & Walk facilities
An Event Park & walk facility will operate from County Hall car park in Cardiff Bay.
The park & walk site will open at 2pm and will close at midnight. The cost to park is £5.
Civic Centre Event Day Parking (Cars and Coaches)
Getting there: Exit Junction 32 of the M4, head south on the A470 towards the city centre and follow signage to the civic centre.
Cost: £20 payable on the day at the car park – card payments are also now available.
Parking time: The car park will open at 8am and closes at 12 Midnight.
Event Day Parking at Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens (cars)
(Approximately, 0.5 mile walk to the Principality Stadium, Gate 2).
Sophia Gardens Event Day Parking
Getting there: Exit junction 32 off the M4
Cost: £20 payable on the day at the car park – card payments are now available.
Parking time: Car park opens at 8.00am and closes at 12 midnight
Please note: Sophia Gardens car park will be staffed until midnight, all vehicles are left on site at the owner's risk. Cardiff Council will not be held responsible for any theft or damage to motor vehicles or personal possessions. Any vehicles left in the car park after closing time will be fined.
Shopping Parking
City centre car parks are also available: North Road Car Parks, St David's Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre, and NCP (Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road.)
Trains
Transport for Wales is carrying out infrastructure upgrades across the Core Valley Lines network for the South Wales Metro, resulting in buses replacing rail services all day between Pontypridd and Treherbert on Wednesday May 17th.
TfW will be providing additional capacity where possible on routes in/out of Cardiff, but services are expected to be very busy so please allow plenty of time for your journey.
Post-event queues for mainline rail services will be on Central Square and queues for Valleys services will be to the rear of the station. Cardiff Queen Street station will close at 9.45pm except for direct journeys to Cardiff Bay.
Due to the finishing time of the event, there are no post-event services to Birmingham, London or Holyhead.
Visit https://tfw.wales/ or the new TfW app for the latest travel information.
If you have any issues on the railway, please speak to a conductor or, for more serious matters, you can text the British Transport Police on 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always call 999.
Great Western Railway (GWR). GWR will run additional services to help customers get home after the concert. Extra trains will operate from Cardiff Central to Swansea, Newport, Bristol and Swindon; with plenty of parking available at station car parks.
Trains are however expected to be very busy immediately after the event and a queueing system will be in place outside the station to help people board trains safely.
Those travelling from further afield should check connecting services, and the time of their last train home.
The ASLEF (train drivers) union have also announced action short of a strike in the period covering 17 May. GWR plans on running a full timetable, but this action is likely to cause some short-notice changes and cancellations – we strongly advise customers should check before travelling at www.gwr.com/check.
Big Green Coach .As an alternative, Big Green Coach offers carbon neutral return coach travel from: Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Gloucester, Newport and Worcester. Customers can book via this link: https://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/events/beyonce-renaissance-tour-coach-travel-cardiff-sunderland-tottenham
Bus
Local buses:
Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place.
Please visit the relevant bus operator's website for more information about your specific bus routes.
All Cardiff Bus services will divert to the satellite pick up and drop off bus stops from 4pm until the last bus. All the diversion bus stops for Cardiff Bus services after 4pm can be seen here - Principality Stadium Events - Cardiff Bus
Alternatively for Stagecoach services, please visit: Welcome to Stagecoach (stagecoachbus.com)
Or for NAT services, please visit: https://www.natgroup.co.uk/
Is there food and drink at the stadium?
Food and drink will be on sale from the time the gates open until the main act appears on stage (approx. 7:30pm). Be aware the Principality is a cashless venue.
Inside the gates there's a burger van (gluten free and vegan option), Captain Joe’s Plant Based food, Sweeties Pick and Mix, Ginny (shack) Gin bar, Chang’s wok and Green Citroen (shack)cocktails.
And on the concourse the stadium outlets will be offering hot dogs and pasties (vegan option available), crisps, confectionary. Level 3 has Naked Burrito bowls (gluten free and vegan), Mr Croquewich (gluten free and vegan) and cocktails. Level 4 has pizza, (vegetarian) nachos (gluten free ) and Naked Burrito bowls (vegan and gluten free) and cocktails, gin bar, pick and mix and Butcher's Block Burgers (gluten free and vegan). Level 6 has pizza and nachos (vegetarian or gluten free) Naked burrito bowl (gluten free and vegan), Butcher's Block Burgers (gluten freeand vegan options) and cocktails and gin bar.
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