Hundreds of fans of all ages lined the streets outside a busy downtown Toronto intersection to secure their spot at this year’s iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards (MMVAs).

“I’ve been here since 5 a.m. I’m running on two hours of sleep, but I’m good,” Georgia, a fan waiting in line at Richmond and John streets, said on Sunday.

She and hundreds of other fans waited in the hot summer sun with nothing more than handmade posters, a few bottles of water and back packs, hoping to grab a glimpse of their favourite music stars.

American supermodel Gigi Hadid is set to host the award show from Queen and John streets in downtown Toronto on Sunday night. The giant, elaborate stage will feature some of this year’s hottest artists, including Brampton’s own Alessia Cara, Vancouver’s Mariana’s Trench, and other big names like Nick Jonas and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

This year’s nominees include Canadians Coleman Hell, Jazz Cartier and the 6-God himself, Drake.

“I’m here for my boyfriend Nick Jonas,” one fan named Maia said with a smile.

“He was signing autographs yesterday in the city and we went and waited for hours,” her friend Dayna said. “I feel like it’s been a full two days of waiting, but it’s worth it.”

Depending on how early fans were willing to stand by, wristbands and queue numbers delegated them spots on the sidelines of the red carpet or inside the crowd at the performance stage.

“I’ve been here since 4 p.m. yesterday, so we’re past 24 hours out here,” Jada said. “I have a math exam in the morning, so I have my textbook in my bag. I’ve been trying to study, but it’s hard in the hot sun.”

Jada’s friend, Andrea, holds a sign that reads “Gigi, take a selfie with me!” on one side, and on the other – just in case it wasn’t convincing enough – it reads “I’ve been here for 26 hours.”

For some fans, it’s their first chance to get close to a red carpet and sneak a selfie with a star. But others are veteran super-fans who came prepared with foldable lawn chairs for the long wait in line, spray bottles to cool off with and plenty of patience.

“Last year I was a lot further back, so I’m hoping to be much closer this time,” said Heather, who’s attending the awards show for the third time.

This year she brought along her two friends Amanda and Annik – all of whom had been waiting outside on the sidewalk between Richmond and John streets since 8 a.m.

“We’re really excited to see Hedley, we’re big fans,” she said.

Fans have come from all over Ontario for the big event.

Matthew Inglis brought his mom along for the show this year. The pair travelled from Bracebridge to spend the day together.

“He asked me to come about a month ago. He booked it off work and it’s Father’s Day but there’s no father around so I said ‘why not.’” Wendy said.

“We’re here for all of it. I like all of them. We saw Hedley before and I really like Hedley.”

For businesses nearby the action, the event is part and parcel of the Queen Street scene. Café Crepe is a French dessert restaurant located on Queen and John streets -- directly across from the iHeartRadio MMVAs stage.

Manager Janet S, who did not want to reveal her last name, said the annual show can be loud but it’s “just another typical Sunday night.”

“Business-wise, it’s a hit or a miss,” she said. “Our takeout will get really busy because people are out and about and just want to get food on the go. But it does get kind of noisy in here.”

This year, the cafe set up a booth on the sidewalk just outside their front door to sell water bottles and soft drinks for the dehydrated concertgoers and passersby.

By midafternoon, the temperature hit a high of 34 C.

“Our manager had an idea to sell waters because people are walking by and it’s hot out, so we figured we’d offer cold drinks. It seems to be working,” she said.

“Other than that, it’s the same old routine, same old Sunday night. A little loud, but the same.”

The iHeartRadio MMVAs will get underway at 9 p.m. and last well into the evening.

“We’re just happy to be here,” Lucile, who is on exchange in Toronto from France, said while waving an ‘MMVA’ sign.

“We’re here for the Canadian experience.”