On February 20, 2020, the Weeknd announced through social media that he would be touring North America and Europe later that year in support of his fourth studio album After Hours.

[5] He also revealed the tour's new name as a result of his decision to incorporate elements of Dawn FM, his fifth studio album and follow-up to After Hours.

After a small delay due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Weeknd announced the North American leg of the tour on March 3 with Doja Cat as the opening act.

[6] As a UN Goodwill Ambassador for the World Food Programme (WFP), the Weeknd launched the XO Humanitarian Fund in partnership with the organization.

[21] On May 20, 2022, Doja Cat announced she would no longer be opening for the North American leg due to tonsil surgery.

[23] On August 22, 2023, the Weeknd announced tour dates for Australia and New Zealand, with a new opening act, XO-signed Ethiopian singer Chxrry22.

"[27] On September 6, 2022, the Weeknd announced that "[his] voice is safe and with rest, [he will] be solid and able to bring the show [for which his] TORONTO fans are waiting."

On November 28, the day after the final show in SoFi Stadium, the Weeknd announced the European and Latin American legs of the tour, with the tour originally scheduled to start at Manchester on June 10, eventually adding extra shows in London, Paris, and Nice on December 2 due to high demand.

The Weeknd announced the now postponed Australian leg of the tour on August 24, originally only having one show in the cities Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.

Due to scheduling and logistical constraints, the tour will not include stops in New Zealand or Brisbane, and no further Australian cities will be added.

[35] On January 31, 2025, the same day of the release of his sixth studio album Hurry Up Tomorrow, the Weeknd announced more US and Canada show dates, spanning from May 9 to September 3, 2025, with Playboi Carti and Mike Dean as special guests.

[36] In a press release to Variety, the After Hours til Dawn Tour "will see [the Weeknd's] most ambitious production to date reflecting the creative journey that continues to unfold for both [After Hours and Dawn FM], creating worlds within worlds as we have all been watching unfold in various television performances, music videos and short films bringing these first two pieces of his trilogy to life.

"[37] The Weeknd's creative director and childhood friend La Mar Taylor explained in an interview with Variety that the tour would be theatrical and conceptual, saying: "There is a linear story between After Hours and Dawn FM, and I think the audience will walk away with different interpretations of the show.

[39] At the start of the show, during "Alone Again" and "Gasoline", he wears a mask which the Los Angeles Times described as "creepy" and makes him resemble "a victim of some botched plastic-surgery procedure.

During the European leg of the tour, the LED screen was removed in order to place more building statues, making the previous skyline fully physical.

The show opened with a dark purple skyline as "La Fama" played in a remixed, vocoded version, with the Weeknd originally wearing a black overcoat hoodie for the first two tracks, until October 7, 2023.

[45] Following this, he comes down the stage with the dancers, where the pace of the tour speeds up, as a new-wave take on "Gasoline", from Dawn FM, plays.

the Weeknd's 2015 song, "Can't Feel My Face", begins playing, as the stage gets engulfed in smoke.

Following "Can't Feel My Face", he performs his own verse from Kanye West's 2021 song "Hurricane".