The Weeknd Solna 2026: the guide to the stadium concert at Strawberry Arena

The name Abel Tesfaye might mean nothing to you, but that punchy 80s synth in "Blinding Lights" that stuck in every radio, ad and TikTok loop a few years back? That's him. And the strange thing about the whole story: the man behind one of the biggest pop careers of our time started by anonymously uploading songs to YouTube, without revealing who he was. At the clothing store where he worked, his colleagues would sometimes play his own tracks through the speakers without realising the artist was standing right next to them. Now The Weeknd Solna becomes reality in the summer of 2026, when the Canadian superstar takes over Strawberry Arena in Arenastaden.

Here you get the full picture: the confirmed show dates, who is warming up, how to find tickets safely, what the show tends to offer and how to plan an evening in Solna. We stick to what is actually known.

The Weeknd Solna 2026: here is what is confirmed

Short version: The Weeknd Solna means three evenings at Strawberry Arena in August 2026 with Playboi Carti as support act, and it is one of the final stops on a tour that has already rewritten the record books. A somewhat historic detail: the artist has hinted that he may retire the figure of The Weeknd, which makes the shows feel especially charged.

The three shows take place Saturday to Monday, 8 to 10 August 2026, at Strawberry Arena, where The Weeknd returns to Stockholm together with Playboi Carti. One of the evenings is Sunday 9 August. The tour is organised by Live Nation and presented in partnership with Nespresso. The shows are part of the After Hours til Dawn Tour, and Playboi Carti serves as support act on all European and UK shows.

A portion of the ticket proceeds goes to charity. For every ticket sold, one euro is donated in Europe, equivalent to 12 kronor in Sweden, as well as one pound in the UK and one dollar in Mexico and Brazil, to the UN World Food Programme and to an education fund via Global Citizen. There is no doubt that the arena can handle a production of this calibre. That same summer it also hosts, among others, Bad Bunny, so it is a well-seasoned national arena for mega-shows.

From anonymous YouTube tracks to global star

In short: a withdrawn kid from Toronto built one of the strongest brands in pop, initially without ever showing his face.

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on 16 February 1990 in Toronto and grew up with parents who had immigrated from Ethiopia. He was raised by his grandmother, who told him stories about the Ethiopian homeland and Amharic traditions, while his mother worked long days. Amharic was actually his first language. That background can be heard in the music: the voice carries a melancholy longing that sets him apart from most contemporary pop voices.

His path into music came through an ordinary part-time job and a few hours in the studio. When he was in the second-to-last year of high school, he dropped out and left home, eventually landed a job at American Apparel and at the same time began writing songs about drugs, casual relationships and alienation. He crossed paths with musician and producer Jeremy Rose, and the collaboration produced three atmospheric tracks, "The Morning", "Loft Music" and "What You Need", with lyrics that were partly sung and partly rapped.

The name reveals how unplanned it all was. The artist name refers to a weekend when he left home and never came back, and he dropped the e to avoid copyright trouble. The letter was removed to avoid a legal dispute with the Canadian band The Weekend. The breakthrough was as much an internet story as a music career. The songs, credited to The Weeknd, were uploaded as audio files to YouTube in late 2010, and their popularity grew explosively after they were posted on Canadian rapper Drake's blog. With Drake as a patron, Tesfaye gained greater access to studio time, and in March 2011 the mixtape House of Balloons was ready as a free download before he made his first public appearance as The Weeknd at a nightclub in Toronto in July that same year.

The songs you recognise

Even if you don't call yourself a fan, you have heard more of him than you think. His career is a string of radio hits that have become part of the common cultural fabric.

Things really took off with his second album. Beauty Behind the Madness became his first number one on the Billboard 200 and produced the chart-toppers "The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face". A year earlier he had already stepped into Hollywood. The song "Earned It" was released in December 2014, became part of the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Grey and won an Oscar for Best Original Song. Then came the space glitter: Starboy from 2016 featured collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey and Daft Punk.

The album that cemented him in the mainstream was the next one. After Hours from 2020 introduced a synth-heavy, retrofuturistic sound, and "Blinding Lights" became the longest-charting song ever on the Billboard Hot 100, a record that has since been broken. The follow-up was a strange and fascinating thing. Dawn FM was described as a "dance party in purgatory" and was narrated by Jim Carrey, with guest appearances from among others Quincy Jones and Tyler, The Creator. The tour celebrates the entire album trilogy, After Hours (2020), Dawn FM (2022) and Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025), and showcases hits from across his entire catalogue.

The streaming figures put into perspective just how widely he has broken through. "Blinding Lights" had passed 5.2 billion streams on Spotify in early 2026 and tops his list, followed by "Starboy", "Die For You", "The Hills" and "Save Your Tears". The awards are in the same league. Among the prizes are four Grammys, 20 Billboard Music Awards, 22 Juno Awards, six American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards and a Latin Grammy.

The tour that became the biggest of its kind

This tour is no ordinary concert run but one of the most lucrative ever undertaken. The fact that it passes through Solna is an event in itself.

The basics first. After Hours til Dawn Tour is The Weeknd's seventh tour; it began on 14 July 2022 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and is scheduled to conclude on 5 November 2026 in Kuala Lumpur. As one of the most attended tours ever, it grossed over one billion dollars across 153 concerts. With this year's short swing through Latin America, over 40 shows in Europe and a closing run in Asia, it has become the highest-grossing tour in Boxscore history by a male solo artist.

The Sweden visit is part of a packed European summer. The latest leg began in Mexico City in April and includes stops in, among other places, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, London and Madrid. Anitta joins on the Mexico and Brazil dates, while Playboi Carti serves as support act for the entire European and UK leg.

There is a bigger crossroads in the background, and it is worth knowing about. In an interview with Variety in May 2023, Tesfaye revealed that he is considering abandoning the name and persona of The Weeknd after his next album, reasoning that the story feels told and that he wants to close this chapter. It is at the time of writing unclear whether his upcoming album will be released under the artist name or his real name. How it lands, nobody knows for certain, but it gives these shows a particular weight.

What to expect on stage

Expect a grand-scale production rather than a simple concert, and a setlist that spans his entire career.

The production is built as a cohesive work. The Weeknd takes over Strawberry Arena for spectacular evenings, and the show blends his biggest hits with new material through a large-scale and visually striking production. Those who only know the radio hits will get their fill, and those who have followed him since the mixtape days will get the depth. Setlists vary from night to night, but the repertoire revolves around the well-known tracks from the trilogy and the early breakthrough songs.

One thing to know about the artist as a person, because it colours the whole setup: he has built his entire expression around film and storytelling. He played himself in Uncut Gems (2019) and co-created and starred in the HBO series The Idol (2023). If you want to get a feel for the atmosphere around similar stadium evenings in the region, you can browse our concerts ahead of the summer.

Strawberry Arena and the evening in Solna

Practically speaking: the arena is located in Arenastaden in Solna, it is accustomed to large crowds and is easiest to reach by public transport. Plan your journey and timings well in advance.

Strawberry Arena is located in Arenastaden in Solna, just north of Stockholm and ten minutes from Stockholm City, and the easiest way to get there and back is by commuter train, tram, metro or bus. The arena is frequently used for the very biggest events. That same summer, for example, Bad Bunny plays there, and just nearby the warm-up day Arenastaden Goes Live - Bad Bunny Days takes place. The area also functions as a football stadium, including for AIK vs Gais in Allsvenskan, so the infrastructure is built to funnel large crowds in and out smoothly.

A couple of reminders ahead of a show of this size: arrive in good time, as entry and security checks for a sold-out stadium take time, and bear in mind that the end time is rarely possible to know exactly in advance. Neither the organiser nor the arena can usually state an exact end time or confirm in advance when the artist will take the stage. If you want to make a full day of it, there are more relaxed activities in the surrounding area, such as Läshäng i Hagaparken in the adjacent Haga Park. For the full programme around the date, keep an eye on our events calendar.

Frequently asked questions about The Weeknd in Solna

When and where does The Weeknd play in Solna?

He plays three evenings, 8 to 10 August 2026, at Strawberry Arena in Arenastaden in Solna. Exact times for entry and the stage programme are usually published by the organiser only a few days beforehand, so keep an eye on the official channels ahead of your evening.

Where do I buy tickets?

Tickets for the show at Strawberry Arena are sold via Live Nation. Official tickets are also normally listed via Ticketmaster and the arena's own website. Avoid secondary market sales where prices can skyrocket and only buy from the official channels, so you know your ticket is valid.

Who is the support act?

Playboi Carti serves as support act on all European and UK shows, which includes the three evenings in Solna. He will therefore also be on stage in Arenastaden.

Which songs does he usually play?

The setlist spans his entire career and is built around the trilogy and the big radio hits. Among the most frequently played are "Blinding Lights", "Starboy", "Die For You", "The Hills" and "Save Your Tears". The exact content can vary from night to night.

Is this really one of the last chances to see him?

It is impossible to say for certain. Tesfaye has said that he is considering retiring the name and persona of The Weeknd after his next album, as he feels the story has been told. He will most likely continue making music, but this particular artist identity may be phased out, which makes the evenings in Solna all the more interesting.

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