Last September, when British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden announced their only U.K. show of 2026, on July 11 at Knebworth Park, they said they would be “turning it into as much of a ‘Maiden world’ as we can for all our fans to enjoy!” And true to form, they can now announce the full details, revealing exactly what that means.
Get ready for Eddfest — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience what constitutes Iron Maiden’s idea of a fun-filled 48 hours of entertainment, themed areas and bars, experiences, live music and more. Inside Eddfest, fans will be able to explore the Infinite Dreams Museum Experience, a walk-through display of stage props and relics inspired by the Sunday Times bestseller “Infinite Dreams”. This is an unprecedented opportunity to view MAIDEN relics up close.
Fans will also encounter Maidenville, where you will find the greatest Eddie’s Dive Bar yet, a second stage for music and entertainment, the Unfair Funfair featuring rides and Eddie-themed Funfair Games, plus Eddie’s Emporium and much more to explore throughout the site.
Friday night campers will have early access to the site and experiences, including first access to the Infinite Dreams Museum Experience. There will also be an evening of entertainment on the Maidenville stage, featuring a mix of special acts with a connection to MAIDEN. This is all topped off with the previously announced main stage on the Saturday, featuring an exceptional supporting lineup, ahead of IRON MAIDEN’s show-stopping “Run For Your Lives” performance.
Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood explains: “After the monumental shows in the U.K. last year, we knew that if we were going to play the U.K. in 2026, it had to be very different. We chose Knebworth Park because it provides the space we need — unavailable in stadiums—to deliver something groundbreaking for our fans: a ‘MAIDEN world’. We are excited to reveal the details of this one-off event now to celebrate the band’s 50-year career, which we are now calling Eddfest, because, as everyone knows, Eddie is the true star of the show! We also know MAIDEN fans are basically a huge gang, and we want to give them a weekend to remember at Knebworth.
“For the last couple of tours, we have been arranging the Eddie Dive Bars for our fans, both pre- and post-show. Some of these took over entire town centres, with thousands of fans gathered there enjoying the fun, the music, and each other’s company. Eddfest will expand on that concept in a wide range of ways to create a truly unmissable ‘MAIDEN world’ over the whole weekend!
“There will be a whole host of great music, great beer (of course!), lots of exciting and varied fun things to do, great souvenirs and merch, some unique and fantastic photo opportunities to create unbeatable MAIDEN memories, and of course, the true camaraderie that comes from being a MAIDEN fan.”
Kilimanjaro promoters Stuart Galbraith and Alan Day, the creators of Sonisphere, add: “MAIDEN have a different view on how they want to do things for their fans than most bands. We previously worked with them at Sonisphere, and when they explained what they wanted to do for this show, we were hooked. It will be a unique event. A celebration of the Eddie-verse, if you will: a curated Friday afternoon, night, and all day Saturday, finishing with the last U.K. show MAIDEN will play until at least 2028!
“Creating something like that, which will include a once-in-a-lifetime Infinite Dreams museum experience, featuring a wide range of rarely-seen memorabilia from throughout their history, a Maiden-themed fun fair, the biggest Eddie’s Dive Bar ever with some extra special additions and surprises, plus the ability to camp, glamp or park a motorhome on site for the Friday and Saturday night show in a specially created ‘village’ space with MAIDEN alumni, friends and our perfect partners Planet Rock — well, it was a chance not to be missed!”
The Eddfest festival starts from 2 p.m. on Friday with camping included for both nights. Various parts of the Maidenville site will be open to weekend campers throughout Friday afternoon and into the early hours of Saturday morning, including the Infinite Dreams Museum Experience.
Friday Night at Eddfest is all about fun before the big day. The campsite comes alive with direct access to the heart of Maidenville, and the entertainment is a blend of bands and artists with connections to MAIDEN — some obscure, some as clear as daylight, but they all have something in common and deserve to be a part of the opening night celebration.
Friday night on the Maidenville second stage will feature full sets from Stray, Maiden United, Airforce, and Tony Moore’s Awake, plus Hair Metal Glamageddon. Saturday sees the opening of the Main Arena, which includes Eddie’s Extended Emporium, the Trooper VIP area, and a range of interactive experiences. These will act as hors d’oeuvres for the curated Main Stage festival live bill, starting with back, better than ever British rockers The Almighty. Australia’s festival-ready Airbourne follows, before the thrilling Mongolian metal of THE HU rings out across Knebworth’s hallowed park. As we move into the evening, The Darkness will take to the stage for a barnstorming set before Iron Maiden deliver a historic performance — the ultimate communal experience between the band and their fans set in the heart of this one-off “MAIDEN world”.
Eddfest is going to be a truly exceptional weekend for every Maiden fan in attendance — an unforgettable chance to be part of a fully themed Festival experience, celebrating Iron Maiden’s spectacular fifty-year career — and the last chance to see them in the U.K. until at least 2028.
Tickets available via ironmaiden.knebworth.com, myticket.co.uk, ticketmaster.co.uk and, of course, ironmaiden.com
Camping tickets are separate from event tickets and can be purchased in parallel.
For further details, to purchase tickets and to stay updated on all things to do with Iron Maiden at Knebworth, including FAQs and timings, make sure you check out the dedicated site: ironmaiden.knebworth.com
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