Iron Maiden at Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia on May 26 - the 50-year anniversary tour Run For Your Lives with Anthrax in support

Iron Maiden, one of the biggest heavy metal bands in the history of the genre, returns to Bulgaria on May 26, 2026 with a show at Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia. The event is part of the worldwide Run For Your Lives tour marking the band's 50-year anniversary since its formation in 1975. It is the most ambitious tour of the group's career - over 200 dates spread across two years around the globe.

The East London band represents what came to be known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and is one of the most recognisable names in the genre. With 17 studio albums and an estimated 100 million records sold, tracks like Run to the Hills, The Number of the Beast, Fear of the Dark and Hallowed Be Thy Name are standard reference points for any heavy metal fan. The band is still led by its original members - bassist and main songwriter Steve Harris, guitarists Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, alongside singer Bruce Dickinson and longtime drummer Nicko McBrain.

The Run For Your Lives setlist focuses on the most iconic years of the band's early catalogue, the 1980-1992 period. Based on announcements from other tour dates, the show runs to more than 16 songs across roughly two hours, with full stage production and several versions of the band's mascot Eddie. In Sofia, the support slot goes to American thrash-metal legend Anthrax, which on its own would be a concert worth the trip.

Tickets are available via ticketstation.bg and through ironmaiden.com's official channels. Vasil Levski Stadium has capacity for over 40,000 and has already been used as a destination for big rock events in Sofia. For Macedonian fans this is the biggest heavy metal event within driving distance this year, especially given that Iron Maiden isn't coming to Skopje.