Fortnite Ariana Grande Rift Tour Event Recap: Airplanes teased, Kevin the Cube return confirmed, Old Map and more

The Fortnite Rift Tour was one of the most highly anticipated events in recent memory. While some events have certainly been bigger, almost none carried the same level of hype as Ariana Grande's performance on the Rift Tour.

The first show of the three-day long tour kicked off at 6:00 pm EST. Here's everything that went down.

I think The Last Reality is totally NOT trying to abduct you onto the ‘Rift Tour’ so they can scan your memories for information about the Island and the Zero Point…So no worries!!! Just enjoy! pic.twitter.com/eU6m2aYmmu

— Donald Mustard (@DonaldMustard) August 6, 2021

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Fortnite Rift Tour recap

Kevin the Cube

At the beginning of the event, players were drawn into a rift portal and saw various items, including Drift and Kevin the Cube from Chapter 1.

They were spit out to the sound of Juice WRLD's Come and Go (which was leaked previously) with Marshmello, who had a prior concert. Kevin the Cube's reappearance confirms some earlier leaks.

2 KEVIN / CUBE SOUNDS were readded today!These may be used within the Rift Tour event and we may see the Cube in another reality or we may see it reappear in the main storyline soon! pic.twitter.com/Wc1cOV9VQY

— FNAssist - News & Leaks (@FN_Assist) August 3, 2021

Kevin will likely be seen in teases and references before his appearance, which will likely come this season. His presence in this live event all but confirms that he'll be making a re-entry to the world of Fortnite before Season 8 debuts.

Kevin the Cube. Image via TheCampingRusher on YouTube

New map

A new map was also teased, with players seeing images from old and new locations and items in Fortnite's history. This will likely be the Chapter 3 map, which has been heavily rumored to contain some massive changes.

Realities were shown to be splitting with ease during the event, so new and old POIs will likely be making up a new map. There have been several theories about what the next map may look like, but this is the closest indication of any evidence thus far.

Airplanes return

Later, a giant Cuddle Team Leader arose from the clouds in front of players. The screen went dark and players began shooting the Storm King from "Fortnite: Save the World" on planes.

This is the first time planes have been seen in-game since they were vaulted in early 2021, indicating that they are likely on their way back to the game.

Image via TheCampingRusher

In the end, Fortnite players were treated to an Aurora Borealis-like light show for Ariana Grande's positions. She then disappeared back into the rift from which she emerged and Fortnite players were sent back to the island, ending the live event after about ten minutes.

The show was shortlived, but did not come without huge implications for Fortnite moving forward.

Don't forget that there are still four more shows coming in the next few days. The event isn't likely to change for any of those showtimes, but for people who missed the show or simply want to relive an epic performance from Ariana Grande, here's the rest of the showtimes:

• August 7 at 2:00 p.m. EST, 3:00 a.m. GMT+9, 4:00 a.m. GMT+10, 6:00 p.m. UTC, 8:00 p.m. GMT+2
• August 8 at 12:00 a.m. EST, 9:00 a.m. GMT+9, 10:00 a.m. GMT+10, 4:00 a.m. UTC, 6:00 a.m. GMT+2
• August 8 at 10:00 a.m. EST, 11:00 p.m. GMT+9, 12:00 a.m. GMT+10, 2:00 p.m. UTC, 4:00 p.m. GMT+2
• August 8 at 6:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 a.m. GMT+9, 8:00 a.m. GMT+10, 10:00 p.m. UTC, 12:00 a.m. GMT+2