WARMINGTON: Drake ‘freezes’ CN Tower to launch his new Iceman album

The CN Tower has been struck by lighting 3,750 times but, thanks to Drake, frozen only once.

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Published May 15, 2026  •  Last updated 10 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Thanks to Drake the CN Tower was encased in ice Thursday night. X

The CN Tower gets struck by lightning 75 times a year but never in its 50 years has it ever been frozen.

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Until now.

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On Thursday night, thousands stood outside the CN Tower and along the Harbourfront and marvelled at the special light show that made the tower look like it was encased in ice.

In terms of stunts, seeing the CN Tower frozen will go down in Toronto history. In terms of promotions, this was another classic by rapper Drake, who not only knows how to get attention for his music but also for the city of Toronto.

His recent ice block prank downtown got a lot of attention for his new visual album Iceman, but mostly for the fire department being called out to melt the ice.

Crowds gather as Toronto Fire Services melts down Drake’s ice tower after chaotic ‘Iceman’ publicity stunt at a parking lot on Bond St, and Dundas St. E. in downtown Toronto on Wednesday April 22, 2026. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Toronto Sun

That was real ice. This time it was the power of light and design. But this show at the CN Tower was a winner that no one seems to be complaining about.

Lawyer and journalist Caryma Sa’d said it was a party atmosphere down there and people were in a good mood as they danced to Drake’s new music — he released not just Iceman but two other albums as well — and took in an amazing fireworks show.

It’s a great story. And as Toronto gets ready for the FIFA World Cup coming to town, this is another great promo for the city.

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But the freezing of the CN Tower was a unique task. Reports say Drake used dozens of projectors to create the visual. The visual album has him on the Don Valley Parkway or in City Hall, but the star of this show was the famous tower.

Say what you want about Drake, but he certainly draws a lot of attention to Toronto. And that is not a bad thing. Whether you like his music or not, he has had a big career.

Unfair criticism of Xavier Trudeau

That’s not an easy business. Look at the reaction that Xavier Trudeau got for his half-time performance at the Ottawa Blackjacks basketball game for doing his rap show. People online trashed him. I thought it was over the top because the criticism was based on a short media clip shot from behind. Most of the haters were responding on social media and were not in the arena.

Longer clips are more flattering, and he received nice applause from the crowd upon ending his performance. There was no sign it went bad until that was the narrative set on social media. I don’t think it’s fair to hammer an 18-year-old kid because his father was prime minister, but as they say, just spell your name right. Any publicity is good publicity.

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Drake gets this better than anybody. Everything he does is news. Good and bad. When there’s a shooting outside his Bridle Path residence, or a flood, it’s covered the around world. So it makes sense the guy would use his fame and city to sell his new album.

Toronto is cynical and critical, and tough on its own. But this artist knows how to win the hearts of people by drawing Toronto to his act. For example, the CN Tower opened 50 years ago in June. It’s hard to imagine the Toronto skyline without the CN Tower but five decades is not that long ago.

Like Drake, the tower is always making adjustments along the way to be the great destination it is. Do we take the 1,815-foot-tall (553-metre) legend for granted?

Read More

1. 

   Toronto fire melt down Drake's ice tower after chaotic 'Iceman' publicity stunt
2. 

   Xavier Trudeau's halftime show panned on social media: 'He embarrassed himself'

Like Drake, the tower endures. Whether it’s adding the skywalk or the glass floor or having the lights set up to be able to honour different things each night, the CN Tower is still a rock star at 50.

Drake was able to freeze that thought, and Toronto enjoyed being part of it.

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