Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour at MetLife Stadium: Long Island's Guide to Both Nights

Ed Sheeran brings the Loop Tour to MetLife Stadium for two nights, Friday, September 4 and Saturday, September 5, with Macklemore, Lukas Graham, and BIIRD opening. Parking lots open at 12:30pm, with the show starting at 5:30pm — an earlier call time than most stadium shows, which changes the whole day's plan for anyone coming from Long Island.

This closes out the summer concert stretch that started with Bruno Mars' four nights at MetLife in late August, and it's one of the biggest global draws to play the stadium all year.

Why the Early Start Time Matters

A 5:30pm show start with 12:30pm parking means fans are arriving in the middle of the afternoon, not the early evening rush most people plan around for a typical concert. If you're leaving Long Island for a 5:30pm show, you need to be on the road well before the usual "leave after work" window — this is closer to a matinee than a typical Friday night concert.

The upside is the drive home. With the show wrapping earlier than a standard 8pm stadium concert, you're heading back to Long Island before the latest, most congested hours, which can meaningfully cut down on drive time on both the Jersey side and the crossings back.

The MetLife Reality for Long Islanders

MetLife Stadium means crossing into New Jersey, typically via the George Washington Bridge or through the Lincoln or Holland Tunnel and up the Turnpike, depending on where on Long Island you're starting. This is a longer and more complicated drive than a typical Manhattan or Brooklyn concert, and it's a trip most Long Islanders don't make often enough to know the shortcuts.

Parking is massive but fills up. MetLife's lots hold tens of thousands of cars, and with a 12:30pm open time for a global superstar's show, expect meaningful numbers of fans arriving early to tailgate and secure a close spot.

Exit traffic is a real event. Getting a full stadium's worth of people out of the same lot complex and onto the same limited highway on-ramps takes real time — routinely over an hour for a sold-out show, even with an earlier end time working in your favor.

What to Plan For

If you're going both nights: Coordinate transportation for both Friday and Saturday at once so your driver already knows the drop-off and pickup pattern the second night.

Early arrival, earlier departure: Because both the start and end times are earlier than a typical stadium show, plan your whole day around an afternoon-into-evening event rather than a standard nighttime concert.

The crossing home: Whichever bridge or tunnel got you into New Jersey will likely be your route back, now with everyone else who saw the same show trying to get home simultaneously.

Booking Your Ed Sheeran Night

For either September 4 or September 5, request a quote here and we'll handle the drive to MetLife Stadium and the ride back to Long Island, so the only thing on your mind is getting there in time for the opening acts.