HEAVY metal gods Iron Maiden have announced a very special gig as part of their 2026 run, set to take place at the legendary Knebworth Park on July 11, 2026.
The boys announced a “hand-picked bill of special guests” for this one, featuring none other than Aussie rock champs Airbourne. Also included in the mix are The Darkness, The Hu, and The Almighty.
The tickets will go on sale on Saturday, September 27 at 10 AM.
The gig was announced just days after Maiden told fans they will be taking 2027 off when it comes to tour dates, following two years of shows worldwide in 2025 and 2026.
The band’s statement reads: “Iron Maiden have announced the first shows of their very busy schedule for 2026, starting with a summer return to Europe to predominantly play festivals and also stadiums in countries and regions not visited in 2025. Further dates for the rest of the world will be announced later.
“It’s a busy year so following this there will be no Maiden shows in 2027.”
As for Airbourne, the guys are promoting Gutsy, their first new music in six years. Produced by Brian Howes, the track finds its spot on the band’s upcoming, still-untitled new album. It will mark their sixth full-length release and the follow-up to 2019’s Boneshaker.
Make sure to check it out below; you can catch Airbourne live on the road across Europe in early 2026.
Back to the Maiden show, manager Rod Smallwood wrote in a press release: “We knew that we had to bring the Run For Your Lives show back to the UK again next summer as there was such a phenomenal demand for tickets this year but we wanted to do something a bit different especially as it would be hard to top the show at London Stadium!
“Well, we think that Knebworth is the solution – besides being a legendary venue for historic concerts over the years going right back to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Stones and Queen – it also gives us the outdoor space and control to create something very special for our fans! Of course, we also have history there too with our headline appearances at Sonisphere some years ago, who could forget that World War I Centenary dog fight over the park’s tree line with Bruce full guns blazing in his own Fokker triplane?
“However, this time we will be taking over the whole of the grounds ourselves and turning it into as much of a ‘Maiden World’ as we can for all our fans to enjoy!
“Our Eddie’s Dive Bars have proved immensely popular on this current tour so our intention is to create our biggest one yet which will also be open on the Friday for the campers from the separate communal camping & glamping areas. For those lucky Friday night campers there will be a full programme of Maiden-themed entertainment there that night, which we expect to include some live music, DJs, the aforementioned dive bar, along with other attractions and entertainment we are currently working on to make it the best warm up for the big day!
“So we hope you will join us next year as we continue to celebrate five decades of Iron Maiden. It’s going to be one for the history books… in a really historic venue!”
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