Deep Purple at Arena 8888 in Sofia on September 29 - the British Hard Rock Legends With Smoke on the Water in Bulgaria for the First Time in 20 Years

Deep Purple, one of the greatest rock bands in the history of the genre and pioneers of hard rock, come to Sofia on September 29, 2026. The concert will take place at the Arena 8888 sports hall - and it is the band's first visit to Bulgaria in more than 20 years.

The band has been active since 1968 and is behind some of the most recognisable rock songs of all time - Smoke on the Water, Highway Star, Child in Time, Burn, Black Night, Speed King and Hush. The Smoke on the Water riff is the most-played guitar riff in history according to several studies and a symbol of what is called rock and roll guitar. With 23 studio albums and an estimated 100 million records sold, they are one of the best-selling bands in history. In 2016 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The current tour's setlist covers all the major classics and material from the latest album =1 from 2024. The current line-up includes original bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice (a band member since 1968), vocalist Ian Gillan (an original member), keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Simon McBride (replacing Steve Morse since 2022). Arena 8888 is the largest indoor venue in Sofia, with a capacity of 15,000.

Tickets are available through eventim.bg at 150 leva. The concert starts at 20:00 on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. For Macedonian fans of classic rock, this is one of the biggest options in the neighbourhood right now - Deep Purple has not played in Skopje in recent decades.