Iron Maiden Add 16 Shows for Final Leg of 50th Anniversary Tour

Iron Maiden will play 16 North American shows in spring 2027, plus two festivals, after bassist Steve Harris said the band had been "planning on taking a break from live performances in 2027."

The surprise run forms the third and final leg of the heavy metal band's 50th anniversary trek, the Run for Your Lives Tour. Dates open April 14 in Tacoma, Washington, and run through May 11 in Belmont Park, New York.

After the arena run, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees play two American festivals: Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio, and Boardwalk Rock in Ocean City, Maryland.

Why did Maiden cancel their break?

Harris explained the change of plan in a statement. "We've been enjoying this last leg in the USA and Canada so much that we all had a chat and decided we should take the show to parts we missed, particularly the North West and South East," he said.

"It just seems fair to our many fans there who have given us tremendous support for so many years," Harris added. "We can't get everywhere but we can try!"

The decision follows the 2026 leg of the Run for Your Lives Tour. That tour had been expected to close the anniversary celebrations before the band paused live work.

What does the tour change for fans?

Two regions gain access they were denied on earlier legs: the Pacific North West and the South East. The schedule also gives Maiden its first extended taste of American festival culture.

"We have always enjoyed playing the many great festivals that are in Europe and wanted to experience a couple more in the USA which we will do at the end of the tour in Columbus and Maryland," Harris said. "At festivals you are not just playing to your own fans so it's always a challenge and we all love a challenge!"

A three-band British bill

British groups Bullet for My Valentine and the Raven Age will support the trek. The pairing marks the first time since 1983 that Iron Maiden has toured on a three British band bill.

That detail gives the run a historical weight beyond the anniversary framing. A band formed in 1975 will close its fiftieth-year celebrations with a billing format unseen in more than four decades.

For Maiden, 2027 now brings work where rest was planned — and one last chance for fans in the North West and South East to see the anniversary show before it ends for good.