Epic Games has officially announced that Grammy-winning artist Bruno Mars will be the star attraction for Season 9 of Fortnite Festival, set to kick off on June 18. This exciting reveal comes as Fortnite wraps up its collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter, who headlined Season 8 of the popular in-game music event.

June 18 promises to be a landmark date for Fortnite players, as it will also see the launch of LEGO Fortnite Expeditions – a thrilling new PvE mode where players can team up to battle villains, conquer spires, and protect the citizens of Utopia City. The update introduces brand-new Hero Classes including the Rift Ripper, Shadow Caller, and Hunter, which will eventually make their way into LEGO Fortnite Odyssey as well.

The announcement of Bruno Mars as the Season 9 headliner came as a pleasant surprise to many fans, especially following recent leaks suggesting Deadmau5 might be the featured artist. While Deadmau5 will still appear in Fortnite through a Rocket League collaboration, Mars returns to the game after previously collaborating as part of Silk Sonic.

With the new season comes a complete redesign of the Festival main stage, along with fresh Jam Tracks featuring both Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga (who headlined Season 2). Players can look forward to a special Bruno Mars cosmetic bundle in the Item Shop, available throughout the season.

Season 9 introduces a brand-new Music Pass packed with songs and cosmetics. While available for 1,400 V-Bucks, Fortnite Crew subscribers will receive it automatically at no extra cost. Epic Games has also addressed a long-standing player request – the 'Random' lobby music setting will now properly rotate through different tracks instead of repeating the same song.