The Weeknd Gets the Key to the City — and Toronto Gets The Weeknd Weekend 

Toronto just handed over the keys — literally — to one of its most iconic hometown heroes.

Mayor Olivia Chow presented The Weeknd (aka Scarborough’s own Abel Tesfaye) with the Key to the City on Saturday, right before he kicked off a massive run of four Toronto concerts over the next two weeks. And honestly? It’s about time.

The honour doesn’t just celebrate his record-breaking music career (like, 27 songs with over a billion streams each on Spotify — no big deal), but also his huge impact on the community.

During the pandemic, Abel donated $500,000 to the Scarborough Health Network, and he’s also the co-founder of HXOUSE — a creative hub that supports and empowers young artists and entrepreneurs. Basically, he's putting his fame where his heart is.

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And now? He’s giving back again, investing in both the Boys & Girls Club of West Scarborough and his former high school, Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, to create spaces for local youth. That’s how you do a full-circle moment, Toronto-style.

To top it all off, the city has officially declared July 26 and 27 as “The Weeknd Weekend.”
So yeah, cancel your plans — XO is taking over.