The rapper made a surprise appearance from the balcony of the venue History on May 24 and announced the return of his star-studded hometown festival.
Drake hasn’t hosted his star-studded hometown festival since 2022. At that edition, he reunited with Young Money pals Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj and presented a Canadian extravaganza featuring Kardinal Offishall, Shawn Desman, Nelly Furtado and more. The 2025 edition of OVO Fest would be his first since his high-profile beef with Kendrick Lamar and his ongoing lawsuit with his label Universal Music Group.
OVO Fest typically takes place in August, around the same time as Caribana. Drake’s announcement came from up on the VIP balcony of History, where he also performed his newest hit “Nokia” from 2025’s collaborative album with PartyNextDoor, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. Drake has a stake in the venue, along with Live Nation. Drake has a history of making surprise announcements at other rappers’ shows in Toronto. He initially announced $ome $exy $ongs 4 U in a surprise set with PartyNextDoor at Budweiser Stage last summer.
Drake’s love of surprises is what makes OVO Fest so special in the first place, and this year should be no different.