Metal icons Iron Maiden announce 50th anniversary tour

Iron Maiden have announced the Run For Your Lives World Tour to celebrate 50 years of the band.

The Number of the Beast heavy metal legends, formed by Steve Harris in late 1975, will hit the road in 2025 and 2026 to mark the anniversary with 27 concerts around Europe.

The band has promised fans a special set list spanning the nine studio albums between 1980's Iron Maiden and 1992's Fear of the Dark.

This period for the band included classic tracks like Run to the Hills, The Trooper and Can I Play With Madness.

"Next year is a very special one for Iron Maiden and we're going to be giving our fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience," frontman Bruce Dickinson said.

The tour will kick off on May 27 next year in Budapest, while the run includes five shows in the UK and Ireland.

On June 21 and 22, the band heads to Birmingham and Manchester for a pair of arena shows, before a night at Dublin's Malahide Castle on June 25.

On June 28, Iron Maiden head to London Stadium, before ending the UK and Ireland stint two nights later at Glasgow's OVO Hydro arena.

"To be able to bring this very special show to all our fans across the UK and Ireland next year is going to be a great way to mark 50 years of Iron Maiden," Harris said.