Iron Maiden Celebrates 50 Years with Eddfest in Knebworth

The British heavy‑metal band Iron Maiden marked its 50th anniversary with a two‑day festival, Eddfest, at Knebworth Park on July 10‑11, 2026. Tens of thousands of fans attended the main stage where the group performed its Run For Your Lives tour, supported by The HU, The Darkness, Airbourne and The Almighty. A second stage in the festival’s Maidenville area featured former front‑man Blaze Bayley and other acts.

A showcase called the Infinite Dreams Experience displayed more than 50 items from the band’s five‑decade history, including the pharaoh’s head from the World Slavery tour, Eddie’s ray‑gun, a tank‑commander Eddie figure, the Baphomet statue from Number Of The Beast, and personal memorabilia dating back to Paul Di'Anno’s era. Band leaders Rod Smallwood and Steve Harris said the exhibit was assembled from archives, warehouses and private collections, and that the event was also filmed for a future concert documentary. Interviews with vocalist Bruce Dickinson and bassist Steve Harris revealed differing views on a new studio album – Dickinson favours recording soon, while Harris prefers to focus on touring for the time being.