The legendary rockers of Iron Maiden will continue celebrating their 50th anniversary with the “Run For Your Lives Tour” in 2026.
Iron Maiden kicked-off their huge world trek this year, performing across Europe and the UK. Prior to the tour, frontman Bruce Dickinson said it would be very special for the band and they were going to be giving their fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience. Iron Maiden fans all over the world watched the band perform hits from their first nine albums — from their 1980 self-titled debut through 1992’s Fear of the Dark.
Now, the rock veterans will appear across Athens, Sofia, Bucharest, Bratislava, Hannover, Amsterdam, Milan, Paris, Lyon – Décines, Lisbon, Nurnberg, Nickelsdorf, Copenhagen, Oslo, Antwerp, Viveiro, and a U.K. headlining show, along with more festival appearances to be announced.
The 2026 extension of “Run For Your Lives European Tour” will launch on May 23 in Athens, and run through July 11, with more dates and shows to follow. The heavy metal outfit is set to headline Rock AM Ring (Germany), Rock For People (Czech Republic), Tons of Rock (Norway), Resurrection Fest (Spain), Nova Rock (Austria), Rock Imperium Festival (Spain), and Copenhell (Denmark).
The founder and the bassist Steve Harris said they are all loving the tour.
“The fans have been amazing, the set list is perfect for the 50th anniversary, the show is arguably our best ever and ticket demand was incredible with pretty much everywhere sold out and over a million fans attending,” Harris said. “So we all thought we should play some more shows in Europe before heading out to other parts of the world later in the year.”
“We’ve always enjoyed playing festivals, especially as we get to play to people who aren’t just there for us, and we love that challenge! So, we decided to revisit as many great Metal festivals as we could get to in this period. Plus, we will also get to play stadiums in Greece, Romania and Bulgaria where we didn’t get to this year and have always loved playing to the passionate fans out there.”
He also confirmed that Simon Dawson would join the band on drums for the tour and thanked the fans for “the terrific reception” they had given him on the first leg.
Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood stated that “besides Eastern Europe, we will also play some stadium shows in regions we missed in Germany (Hannover), France (Lyon-Décines) and Italy, the latter at Milan’s legendary San Siro Stadium, home of both AC and Inter Milan and we will, I am told, be the first ever Metal band to play there.”
“It’s always great to break more new ground – even after all these years!” Smallwood said.
He added that the schedule says “UK show” for July 11, adding, “there is a good reason for that!”
“We are working on something special for our loyal UK fans including an extension of our Eddie’s Dive Bar concept we launched last year… so watch this space!” Smallwood said. “We decided to return to Paris and hope fans there still want to see us! This will be our 31st show ever in Paris, it’s always been a bit special since we first visited there with KISS back in 1980!”
Iron Maiden fans can check out the band’s official website for ticket purchasing options.
Find the “Run For Your Lives Tour” schedule below:
Iron Maiden “Run For Your Lives European Tour” Dates 2026
MAY 2026
23 – Athens, GREECE – OAKA
26 – Sofia, BULGARIA – Vasil Levski Stadium
28 – Bucharest, ROMANIA – Arena Națională
30 – Bratislava, SLOVAKIA – Národný Futbalový Štadión
JUNE 2026
02 – Hannover, GERMANY – Heinz von Heiden Arena
06 – Nurnberg, Zeppelinfield, GERMANY – Rock IM Park
07 – Nurburgring, Nurburg, GERMANY – Rock AM Ring
10 – Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS – Ziggo Dome
13 – Nickelsdorf, AUSTRIA – Nova Rock
17 – Milan, ITALY – San Siro Stadium
22 – Paris, FRANCE – Paris La Défense Arena
24/27 – Copenhagen, DENMARK – Copenhell
24/27 – Oslo, NORWAY – Tons of Rock
28 – Lyon – Décines, FRANCE – Groupama Stadium
29 – Antwerp, BELGIUM – Live is Live
JULY 2026
01/04 – Viveiro, SPAIN – Resurrection Fest
04 – Cartagena, SPAIN – Rock Imperium Festival
07 – Lisbon, PORTUGAL – Estádio da Luz
11 – Knebworth, UK – Knebworth Park
