Iron Maiden announce 2026 European tour including UK show
"We are working on something special for our loyal UK fans"
Iron Maiden are extending their 50th anniversary Run For Your Lives Tour into 2026.
The heavy metal legends have today (18th September) announced shows in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, France and Portugal for next summer, with a UK headline date confirmed for Saturday 11th July 2026.
It’s currently unclear exactly where this UK show will take place, but all will be revealed in due course.
Following the European summer run, Iron Maiden will perform at festivals and stadiums in countries and regions not yet visited on the tour.
Iron Maiden have also confirmed they will perform no live dates in 2027.
Bassist and Iron Maiden founder Steve Harris says: “We are all loving this Run For Your Lives 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. 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.
“Of course, Simon Dawson will be joining us once again on the drummer’s stool, and both he and the whole band would like to thank our fans for the terrific reception you have given him on the first leg.
“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, Slovakia and Bulgaria where we didn’t get to this year and have always loved playing to the passionate fans out there.”
Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood enthuses: “We were absolutely blown away by the overwhelmingly positive reaction of our fans and from across the mainstream media to the first leg of our Run For Your Lives Tour. We knew we had created a special show, but the energy of all our fans at every single concert we played was picked up on by the band and I think we all experienced something really memorable, and arguably our best tour ever.
Throughout our career festivals played a huge part, starting with Rock in Rio in 1985 of course, by enabling us to play in front of new fans and hopefully convert them to being Maiden fans, which, in the absence of radio or mainstream media helped enormously to increase our following. So this tour, based around most of Europe’s pre-eminent Metal fests, is also a huge thank you to those very festivals for playing such an important part in the fifty years… and counting… story of Iron Maiden.
Commenting on the UK date, Rod adds: “You will note the schedule below just says UK show for July 11th and 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!”
As part of the tour, Iron Maiden played a historic gig at London Stadium on Saturday 28th June in front of 75,000 adoring fans, and they also rocked arenas in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
The setlist draws from studio material exclusively dating from 1980 debut ‘Iron Maiden’ through to 1992’s ‘Fear of the Dark’.
Iron Maiden’s Run For Your Lives European Tour 2026:
MAY 2026
Athens Oaka – 23rd
Sofia Vasil Levski Stadium – 26th
Bucharest Arena Națională – 28th
Bratislava Národný Futbalový Štadión – 30th
JUNE 2026
Hannover Heinz von Heiden Arena – 2nd
Amsterdam Ziggo Dome – 10th
Milan San Siro Stadium – 17th
Paris La Défense Arena – 22nd
Lyon Groupama Stadium – 28th
JULY 2026
Lisbon Estádio da Luz – 7th
UK headline show - Details to be revealed – 11th
26 rock bands named after movies, including Iron Maiden:
Toto
Members of Toto have revealed in interviews that they took the band moniker from Dorothy's sidekick Toto the dog in The Wizard of Oz. Former bassist David Hungate said that it also reflected the Latin words "in toto" translated to "all-encompassing."
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Toto the Dog with Dorothy (Judy Garland) in 1939's The Wizard of Oz
Black Sabbath
Previously called Earth (and prior to that The Polka Tulk Blues Band), Black Sabbath named themselves after their own song 'Black Sabbath', which took its moniker from the 1963 horror anthology film of the same name starring the legendary Boris Karloff.
Black Sabbath (1963)
A poster for the 1963 Black Sabbath movie starring Boris Karloff.
Them
Northern Irish rockers Them, whose timeless anthem 'Gloria' launched Van Morrison's musical career, named themselves after the 1954 science fiction monster movie Them!
Them! (1954)
A poster for the 1954 horror movie Them!
White Zombie
In 1985, the then 20-year-old Rob Zombie – born Robert Cummings – named his band after the 1932 horror movie White Zombie starring Bela Lugosi. The highly influential movie is widely considered the first feature length zombie film, and it even inspired Cummings' stage name.
White Zombie (1932)
Bela Lugosi and a zombie in 1932's White Zombie.
Five Finger Death Punch
After watching Quentin Tarantino's 2004 martial arts classic Kill Bill: Volume 2, the Las Vegas metallers toyed with calling themselves Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique in homage to the character Pai Mei's fearsome killing technique. Although fascinated with the concept, former drummer Jeremy Spencer told Michigan Live in 2013: "That didn't sound cool. So, we changed it to Five Finger Death Punch."
Kill Bill 2 (2004)
Uma Thurman (The Bride / Beatrix Kiddo) and Gordon Liu (Pai Mei) in 2004's Kill Bill 2.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris came up with the band's name after watching the 1939 movie The Man in the Iron Mask, which featured an iron maiden torture device.
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
A still from the 1939 movie The Man in the Iron Mask.
Gojira
The French heavy metallers take their name from Gojira, the original Japanese name for Godzilla. The 1954 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda is widely regarded as a classic of cinema.
Gojira (1954)
A poster for the 1954 movie Gojira – aka Godzilla.
My Bloody Valentine
It's widely reported that the influential Irish shoegaze band are named after the 1981 Canadian slasher film My Bloody Valentine. However, MBV vocalist and guitarist Kevin Shields claims that it was only a few years after they formed that they discovered they shared their moniker with a "really crap terrible Canadian film."
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
A still from the 1981 horror movie My Bloody Valentine.
Misfits
Glenn Danzig named his highly influential horror punk band after Marilyn Monroe's final movie, 1961's The Misfits.
The Misfits (1961)
Marilyn Monroe in 1961's The Misfits.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Canadian purveyors of apocalyptic post-rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, are named after the 1976 Japanese documentary film God Speed You! Black Emperor, directed by Mitsuo Yanagimachi. The film follows a group of motorcyclists called the Black Emperors.
God Speed You! Black Emperor (1976)
God Speed You! Black Emperor the movie (1976)
The Searchers
The Merseybeat group took their name from the epic Western film The Searchers, starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford.
The Searchers (1956)
John Wayne in 1956's The Searchers.
Mogwai
Scottish post rockers Mogwai are named after the ultra-cute little furry creatures in classic 1984 movie Gremlins, who turn into monstrous gremlins if you feed them past midnight.
Gremlins (1984)
The cute lead Mogwai called Gizmo in Gremlins.
Mudhoney
The first of three consecutive acts named after Russ Meyer movies, Seattle grunge pioneers Mudhoney took their moniker from Meyer's 1965 movie Mudhoney.
Mudhoney (1965)
A still from Russ Meyer's 1965 movie Mudhoney
Faster Pussycat
In 1985, a good three years before Mudhoney formed, Los Angeles hard rockers derived their name from the Russ Meyer's movie Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! about three go-go dancers who embark on a kidnapping and murder spree in the California desert.
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
A still from Russ Meyer's 1965 movie Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Motorpsycho
With Mudhoney and Faster Pussycat having already taking their monikers from Russ Meyer flicks, Norwegian psych-rockers Motorpyscho named themselves in homage to Meyer's ultra-violent 1965 film Motorpsycho.
Motorpsycho (1965)
A still from Russ Meyer's 1965 movie Motorpsycho
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
San Francisco alt-rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are named after Marlon Brando's motorcycle club in the 1953 film The Wild One.
The Wild One (1953)
Marlon Brando and his Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in The Wild One (1953)
Atreyu
American metalcore band are named after the character Atreyu in Michael Ende's fantasy book The NeverEnding Story and its 1984 movie adaptation.
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Atreyu in The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Bring Me The Horizon
Although not directly named after a movie or character, Bring Me The Horizon took their memorable moniker from a line spoken by Captain Jack Sparrow in the 2003 movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, says: "Now, bring me that horizon!"
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the 2003 movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Billy Talent
Canadian rockers Billy Talent took inspiration for their band name from the character Billy Talent, played by Callum Keith Rennie, in the 1996 mockumentary Hard Core Logo.
Hard Core Logo (1996)
Callum Keith Rennie (Billy Talent) in Hard Core Logo.
They Might Be Giants
Brooklyn alt-rockers They Might Be Giants are named after the 1971 comedy mystery film of the same name starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward.
They Might Be Giants (1971)
The poster for 1971 movie They Might Be Giants.
Eppu Normaali
One of Finland's most popular rock bands, Eppu Normaali is a Finnish translation of "Abby Normal" from Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy horror movie Young Frankenstein.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
In Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy horror movie Young Frankenstein, the character Igor (pictured) confesses he took the monster's brain from someone called "Abby Normal."
The Damned
Although the gothic rockers haven't confirmed or denied it, it's reported that guitarist Brian James named the group after the 1969 historical drama movie The Damned.
The Damned movie (1969)
A still from 1969 movie The Damned.
Fine Young Cannibals
The Birmingham pop rockers, who scored chart hits with 'She Drives Me Crazy' and 'Suspicious Minds', are named after the 1960 film All the Fine Young Cannibals starring Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood.
All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood in All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960).
Duran Duran
Admittedly they're NOT rock (despite being 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees) but Duran Duran are named after Dr. Durand Durand, Irish actor Milo O'Shea's character from the 1968 sci-fi movie Barbarella.
Barbarella (1968)
Dr. Durand Durand in Barbarella (1968).
The Fratellis
Scottish indie-rockers The Fratellis, best known for their 2007 hit 'Chelsea Dagger', took their name from the villains in The Goonies, the criminal family Mama, Francis and Jake Fratelli.
The Goonies (1985)
Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) flanked by her sons Francis (Joe Pantoliano) and Jake (Robert Davi) in 1985 movie The Goonies.
Close Enemies
In the wake of Aerosmith retiring from touring, bassist Tom Hamilton unveiled his new band Close Enemies in September 2024. He revealed the band's moniker was inspired by a Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) quote in seminal 1974 movie The Godfather Part II. "Coming up with a name for a band is a comedy of creativity," Hamilton laughed. "Every time someone had a good idea, we went on Spotify or Google and found other people who had already used it. It went on and on like this for a while. Then one day, Peter and his wife, Lynn, were watching The Godfather (Part II) and there's a line that goes: 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' Lynn suggested using Close Enemies for a band name and we all went for it."
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
Al Pacino as Mafia boss Michael Corleone in 1974's The Godfather: Part II.