Def Leppard promise “surprises and classics” as they announce 2026 UK and European arena tour
Def Leppard have announced new 2026 tour dates for the UK and Europe, which will see them break out “surprises and classics”. Check out the details below.
The iconic arena rock band have today (September 1) announced 11 new shows for the summer of 2026, taking place around the UK and Europe.
They mark the first headline solo shows from the Sheffield rock giants since their sold out tour in 2023 alongside Mötley Crüe – those dates included a sold-out stop at Wembley Stadium and shows in 27 countries across five continents.
New dates kick off in Sweden on June 13, and continue with follow-up shows in Finland, Switzerland, and Germany on June 16, 19 and 23 respectively.From there, six UK shows are scheduled, commencing at the Belsonic in Belfast on June 26, and continuing with stops at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, and a homecoming show at Utilita Arena in Sheffield.
Dates wrap up with stops at The O2 in London, the BP Pulse LIVE in Birmingham and the Co-Op Live in Manchester at the start of July. From there, the band will play a festival slot at Wacken Open Air at the end of the month.
Tickets go on sale at 10am local time this Friday (September 5), and Extreme will be joining Def Leppard as special guests at all shows barring the opening night in Sweden and the festival slot in Wacken.
Visit here to buy UK tickets and here for international tickets, and find a list of new shows below.
Def Leppard’s 2026 UK and European tour dates are:
JUNE
13 – Dalhalla, Rättvik, Sweden
16 – Veikkaus Arena, Helsinki, Finland
19 – Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
23 – Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
26 – Belsonic, Belfast
28 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
30 – Utilita Arena, Sheffield
JULY
2 – The O2, London
4 – bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham
6 – Co-op Live, Manchester
30 – Wacken Open Air, Wacken, Germany
Speaking about the upcoming dates, frontman Joe Elliott said: “We’re looking forward to playing Radio 2 in the Park in Chelmsford this week…our only UK date of 2025. But we’re also very buzzed to announce our UK and Euro dates in 2026!
“Playing to our home crowd and our fans in Europe is very important to us, and we’ll be bringing a brand new show that will feature some surprises as well as the classics! See you soon!”
Lead guitarist Phil Collen added: “It’s a dream to be coming back to the UK and Europe in June and July next year. And to be coming back with our good friends, Extreme, is a bonus. It’s going to be an incredible night for all the fans!”
The Chelmsford show Elliott mentioned will take place this Sunday (September 7), and comes ahead of a one-off stop at the Hard Rock Casino in Northern Indiana on October 11.
To kick off shows in 2026, Def Leppard will be playing a month-long residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas throughout February. Visit here for tickets to those shows.
Earlier this year, the band performed alongside Mötley Crüe, Nickelback, and Shinedown as the headliners of the inaugural Boardwalk Rock Festival.
Since then, drummer Rick Allen opened up about the time he was violently attacked in Florida, saying it was “very traumatic”.
The incident took place two years ago and saw him targeted while outside the Four Seasons hotel in Fort Lauderdale. He hit his head after being knocked to the ground by a 19-year-old called Max Edward Hartley, and a woman who tried to help the musician was also injured by Hartley.
The post Def Leppard promise “surprises and classics” as they announce 2026 UK and European arena tour appeared first on NME.
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