North Charleston Coliseum expects packed house for President Trump rally

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - With President Donald Trump making his way to the Lowcountry on Friday, officials with the North Charleston Coliseum say they expect a packed house.

A crowd has been outside the coliseum since Thursday morning, all to be the first ones in at 3 p.m. Friday and get as close as they can to the president during his rally. The earliest visitor arrived to the coliseum on Tuesday.

People brought tents, food, campers and lawn chairs to hang out and save their spot in line. While people may have tickets from Trump’s website, seating inside is first come, first serve.

Parking spaces are now filling up and those with the coliseum say those will be full Friday morning.

Officials with the North Charleston Coliseum also said they expect more people to show up than the 13,000 seats available inside.

The coliseum does have a plan for overflow visitors to still experience the rally together.

“We’ve heard in other markets that there are always going to be more people than are allowed inside the building," said Alan Coker, director of marketing at the North Charleston Coliseum."With that said, there is a parking lot set up with a large video screen, and the event will be broadcast on that video screen. So, everybody who can’t make it inside, can still enjoy it outside.”

With the visit may come delays on the roadways. The rally’s impact is expected to extend beyond the coliseum’s packed parking lots.

Officials with the Charleston Area Transportation Authority and the Airport expect impacts to traffic.

Officials issued a traffic alert today urging airport travelers to use Dorchester Road to Michaux Parkway as a primary route to the airport.

People should check in with their airlines.

And on the ground, a spokesperson for the transportation authority said they expect potential delays in public transit.

“We’ll likely see some impacts surrounding his arrival and his departure," said Daniel Brock with CARTA."We will have our customer service team standing by. We will be on social media with the latest updates and we’re working with local law enforcement to coordinate.”

CARTA officials say they will have customer service available on Friday and will be giving updates to any delays or changes due to the president’s visit or traffic. People can call CARTA at (843) 724-7420.

If you’re not trying to go around, but actually come and park, officials with the coliseum expect the parking lots to fill by Friday morning.

Officials said they expect more people to show up than seats.

If you are attending the officials with Donald J. Trump for President would like to remind you of the following:

All guests attending the event will be screened by United States Secret Service. A prohibited items list is below for you to review before you arrive. Food and drinks will be available for purchase, and restrooms will be available at the venue. The suggested attire is casual.

PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST

• Aerosols

• Alcoholic beverages

• Backpacks, bags, roller bags, suitcases bags exceeding size restrictions (12”x14”x5”)

• Balloons

• Balls

• Banners, signs, placards

• Chairs

• Coolers

• Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems

• Electronic Cigarettes • Explosives of any kind (including fireworks)

• Glass, thermal and metal containers

• Laser lights and laser pointers

• Mace and/or pepper spray

• Noisemakers, such as air horns, whistles, drums, bullhorns, etc.

• Packages

• Poles, sticks and selfie sticks

• Spray containers

• Structures

• Supports for signs/placards

• Tripods

• Umbrellas

• Appliances i.e. toasters

• And any other items that may pose a threat to the security of the event as determined by and at the discretion of the security screeners.

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