Ariana Grande will be headlining Fortnite's Rift Tour event this week, with the Grammy-winning singer taking center stage for five shows, each of which has been scheduled to accommodate different time zones.
What Is the Rift Tour Event?
Running from August 6 to August 8, the Rift Tour is the latest in a long tradition of concerts held within Fortnite. Other musical acts that have been featured in the game include Marshmello, Travis Scott and, most recently, Easy Life. The latter performed a gig inside a fantasy recreation of the O2 Arena.
Like with those previous events, the upcoming Rift Tour promises to take advantage of its unique status as a virtual concert. It will do this by letting players interact with each other in creative ways as they listen to a selection of Grande's biggest hits.
According to the Epic Games' website, the gig will enable you to travel side by side with your friends on a journey "into magical new realities." It continues to say that the experience will combine "popular tracks with moments based on elements from the game."
For a rough idea of what to expect, the Easy Life concert back in June had players listening to music while they went hoverboarding around a futuristic city, explored a gradually flooding room, bounced around in low gravity areas, and went inside the belly of a giant fish.
Exactly what the Ariana Grande show will entail remains a mystery for now, but it is expected that it will feature similar gimmicks and larger-than-life set pieces.
When Is the Ariana Grande Rift Tour Event?
The Ariana Grande Rift Tour spans five different shows, each of which have been scheduled to accommodate players from different regions of the globe.
Epic Games recommends that attendees boot up Fortnite in advance to avoid disappointment and increase their chances of being able to join the concert, preferably with at least an hour to spare. According to the website, each playlist should go live 30 minutes before its respective show.
The schedule is as follows:
- The Americas: Friday, August 6 at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PST).
- Global: Saturday, August 7 at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PST).
- Asia and Oceania: Sunday, August 8 at 12 a.m. ET (9 p.m. PST).
- Europe, Sunday, August 8 at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PST).
- Americas: Sunday, August 8 at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PST).
These events are not region-restricted, and you can technically join any of them if you want, but they have been organized with different locations in mind.
What Else Is Happening?
In addition to the concerts, Rift Tour will also introduce a number of special quests and cosmetic items to Fortnite.
In terms of the latter, Ariana Grande is joining the game's "icon series," alongside other real-world celebrities like LeBron James. This means that new cosmetics (including a limited-time outfit and the "Piggy Smallz" back bling) will be available to purchase from the item store on the morning of Wednesday, August 4. You can also obtain the "Cuddly Cloudcruiser" glider just by attending the Rift Tour concert itself.
Meanwhile, Fortnite Crew members will receive more exclusive rewards during this period, including a rainbow version of the Cuddly Cloudcruiser, the "Skye up High" loading screen, and a Rift Tour themed banner. To unlock all these items, you must be registered as a Fortnite Crew member and then log in to the game between Thursday, August 5 at 10 a.m. ET and Monday, August 9 at 10 a.m. ET.
