U2 are bringing their stadium-sized ambitions back to Europe, and they’re bringing Wolf Alice along for the adventure. The Irish rock legends have announced 12 new UK and European concerts for ‘Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour’, beginning April 26, 2027, in Stockholm, Sweden. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. will perform in Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam, London, Berlin and Milan, including two nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 18 and 19. The announcement follows an extraordinary response to the band’s previously announced Latin American shows, with multiple concerts selling out and additional dates added in Mexico City, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. And with their 16th studio album, ‘Carnaval De Luz’, arriving November 13, U2 are preparing for a spectacular new chapter after celebrating 50 years together.
The newly announced European leg will feature British alternative rock favourites Wolf Alice as special guests at all 12 concerts, bringing together two generations of adventurous guitar music. The tour begins with two nights at Stockholm’s Strawberry Arena on April 26 and 28 before heading to France for performances at the Stade de France in Paris on May 5 and 8. Lisbon follows on May 27, with Amsterdam hosting two concerts in early June before the band arrives in London.
For British fans, the announcement marks a particularly welcome return to the stadium stage. U2 will perform at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 18 and 19, bringing their famously ambitious live production to one of London’s major sporting and entertainment venues. The European itinerary continues with a June 30 concert at Berlin’s Olympiastadion before concluding with two nights at Milan’s Stadio San Siro on July 5 and 6.
And more announcements are coming. U2 have confirmed that Spanish dates will be revealed, while additional North American concerts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The band is also looking further ahead to 2028, when it hopes to bring the tour home to Ireland for its conclusion.
For The Edge, that eventual homecoming carries enormous significance.
“We can’t say too much about the next leg of The Greatest Show on Earth – we’re still figuring it out – but what we can say is, we’ll be wrapping it up in Ireland,” he says. “There’s nowhere else we’d want to be for that party.”
It’s an especially meaningful promise following the band’s recent 50th anniversary celebrations. On September 25, 2026, the four musicians returned to their old school, Mount Temple Comprehensive in Dublin, for a lunchtime performance attended by students and teachers. They also surprised fans with an appearance on Dublin’s famous Grafton Street, bringing their music back to the city where their remarkable journey began.
There aren’t many bands that can celebrate half a century together and then announce an international stadium tour featuring all four original members. For U2, that longevity has become another reason to approach the next chapter with renewed enthusiasm.
The upcoming tour marks the band’s return to stadium performances following their acclaimed ‘The Joshua Tree Tour’, which concluded in Mumbai, India, in December 2019. Their more recent ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere’ residency in Las Vegas demonstrated just how creatively ambitious their concerts can become, transforming a revolutionary venue into an extraordinary audiovisual environment.
With ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’, the band is returning to enormous outdoor venues and the shared experience of tens of thousands of people singing together. The production promises to draw from U2’s extensive catalogue while introducing music from their forthcoming album.
And the band certainly seems excited about the possibilities.
In announcing the tour earlier this month, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. described its title as a challenge to themselves, imagining an evening filled with colour, adventurous guitar playing, powerful rhythms and songs audiences can carry home with them.
The album accompanying that return promises another interesting creative direction.
‘C arnaval De Luz’ has been recorded in locations around the world and produced by longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee. The 12-song collection explores spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance, combining the experimental instincts that have shaped U2’s history with the anthemic songwriting that made them one of the world’s biggest rock bands.
Among its songs are “Glorify”, “Midnight Sunshine” and the title-inspired single “The Greatest Show On Earth”, which features a music video directed by acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn. Another track, “Silencio”, is a brief 2-minute, 35-second burst of surf-punk attitude, suggesting that the band still enjoys surprising listeners after five decades.
The album also features a contribution from country music icon Dolly Parton on “Torn”, described as her last known recorded vocal performance. It’s a striking collaboration between two artists whose careers have helped shape different corners of popular music.
Before the album arrives, U2 are joining forces with Record Store Day for a series of international listening events taking place November 12 through 15. Participating independent record stores will play ‘Carnaval De Luz’ in full and offer special promotional items while supplies last, including posters, tote bags, buttons, bookmarks and commemorative prints. Select American retailers will also carry an exclusive pink vinyl edition.
The celebrations extend into television and live performance.
On November 3, U2 will record a special BBC performance at a private location in central London, featuring songs from their extensive catalogue alongside material from the new album. The concert will air later in November as part of a special evening of programming devoted to the band.
Then, on November 25, U2 will perform during halftime of the NFL’s first Thanksgiving Eve game, featuring the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in California. The performance will be broadcast live on Netflix, introducing the band’s latest chapter to an enormous international television audience.
All of this arrives before the tour even begins.
The first announced concerts take place in Latin America, where demand has already prompted additional performances. The itinerary now includes four nights in Mexico City, four in São Paulo and three in Buenos Aires, with Beck providing support throughout that portion of the tour.
The newly announced UK and European dates will go on presale November 2, with general ticket sales beginning Friday, November 6, at 10 a.m. local time. The European dates feature Wolf Alice, whose acclaimed blend of alternative rock, dreamy melodies and explosive guitar arrangements makes them an exciting addition to the bill.
For U2, the upcoming tour represents a chance to celebrate an extraordinary history while introducing a new collection of songs to audiences around the world. Their music has accompanied generations through changing times, from the atmospheric guitar textures of their earliest recordings to the enormous anthems that have filled stadiums for decades.
And after 50 years, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are still finding reasons to gather together, make music and share it with the world.
With new songs, a major international tour and a promised Irish homecoming still to come, ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ is shaping up to be a remarkable celebration of everything that has made U2 such an enduring presence in rock music.
Fifty years into their career, they’re setting their sights on another unforgettable night. Or, in this case, quite a few of them.
U2 ‘The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour’ 2027 Dates:
Latin America, with Beck
UK and Europe, with Wolf Alice