Tarps, tents and sleeping bags overtook sidewalks near Queen and John streets Monday as eager fans lined up to get their hands on coveted MMVA wristbands.
People started to line up as early as Saturday night just for a chance to see headliners Lorde, Imagine Dragons and Ariana Grande live in concert on June 15.
Some in the queue have actually made waiting for the wristbands an annual tradition of sorts.
“Every year it is like this. There are people camping out. You know what to expect,” said 18-year-old North York resident Tanisha Griffith, who has been going to the show for the past few years.
Griffith and her friends, who joined the lineup at 1 a.m. Monday morning, made sure to bring blankets and pillows so they could catch a few afternoon naps.
“The heat makes you tired,” she said.
The warm weather was a welcome change for Estreniah Radcliffe, 16, who said her tarp did not protect her from the elements last year.
“The rain started dripping through it,” Radcliffe told CP24.com Monday afternoon.
Radcliffe said she took the GO Bus from Hamilton to Queen Street West Sunday night to be one of the first 20 people in line.
“People started camping like two days before.”
Dedicated fans were able to pack up their tents early this year as numbered tickets were handed out to those in line Monday, allowing ticket holders to leave and come back Wednesday to pick up the wristbands.
