A year spent tearing through stadiums with Metallica, conquering festival main stages across Europe, and hauling their carnival of chaos all the way to Australia, AVATAR are closing out 2026 on their own terms, in the dark, in the cold, and very much in their element.

The Swedish metal shapeshifters have announced a full UK and European headline run for late autumn, bringing their new album Don’t Go In The Forest to venues that are about to feel a lot smaller, a lot sweatier, and a lot stranger.

Frontman Johannes Eckerström frames it perfectly:

“A Europe in November. A Europe in December. Cold, wet and dark… we know exactly what you’ll need.”

It’s classic AVATAR, theatrical, tongue‑in‑cheek, and delivered with the confidence of a band who’ve spent the summer playing to tens of thousands. But this tour is something different. This is the band pulling fans back into their world, up close, face‑to‑face, no pyro to hide behind, no stadium distance. Just the riffs, the roar, and the ritual.

The run begins 20 November in Wolverhampton before winding through the UK and deep into Europe, finishing 19 December in Wrocław, Poland. Danish death‑metal force Neckbreakker join as support across all dates, a pairing that promises zero downtime between blows.

With the band’s new record Don’t Go In The Forest already out in the wild, this tour feels like the moment the album’s mythology fully comes alive. Expect the shadows, the storytelling, the twisted humour, and the kind of crowd participation that only AVATAR can get away with.

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If the first European leg was any indication, these shows will move quickly, especially with the post‑Metallica momentum behind them.

It’s worth remembering: AVATAR are spending summer 2026 supporting Metallica, including a huge date at London Stadium on 5 July. Most bands would ride that high into a year‑end break. AVATAR, instead, are doubling down, taking the energy they’ve siphoned from stadium crowds and detonating it in rooms built for chaos, not comfort.

This is the band at their most dangerous: hungry, theatrical, and determined to make every night feel like a cult gathering.

Whether you’ve followed AVATAR since the early days or discovered them somewhere between the circus, the carnage and the carnival bark, this tour is the one that feels personal. The one where the masks slip, the lights dim, and the band step out of the shadows, not to warn you, but to welcome you.

Don’t go in the forest? Too late. They’re already waiting.

AVATAR ON TOUR – ‘DON’T GO IN THE FOREST ‘26’:
20/11 — Wolverhampton, England — KK's Steelmill
21/11 — Southampton, England — O2 Guildhall
22/11 — Cardiff, Wales — Depot
24/11 — Dublin, Ireland — National Stadium
25/11 — Belfast, N.Ireland — Limelight
27/11 — Norwich, England — UEA
28/11 — Newcastle, England — Northumbria Uni
29/11 — Edinburgh, Scotland — Corn Exchange
01/12 — Amsterdam, Netherlands — Gashouder
03/12 — Oberhausen, Germany — Turbinenhalle
05/12 — Budapest, Hungary — Barba Negra Red
06/12 — Prague, Czechia — Sasazu
08/12 — Innsbruck, Austria — Musichall
09/12 — Linz, Austria — Posthof
10/12 — Ulm, Germany — Roxy
11/12 — Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg — Rockhal
12/12 — Zürich, Switzerland — Komplex
13/12 — Frankfurt, Germany — Zoom
15/12 — Padova, Italy — Hall
16/12 — Ljubljana, Slovenia — Cvetlicarna
17/12 — Zagreb, Croatia — Boogaloo
18/12 — Bratislava, Slovakia — Majestic Music Club
19/12 — Wrocław, Poland — A2

SUPPORTING METALLICA — SUMMER 2026
24 May — Frankfurt, Powerstatione Bank Park
11 Jun — Budapest, HU — Puskas Arena
19 Jun — Dublin, IE — Aviva Stadium
5 Jul — London, UK — London Stadium

ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL DATES — 2026
7 Jun — Trondheim, NO — Trondheim Rocks
20 June — Dessel, BE — Graspop Metal Meeting
2 Jul — Ballenstedt, DE — Rockharz Festival
15 Aug — Sullingen, DE — Reload Festival
22 Aug — Göteborg, SE — Göteborg Brinner

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND DATES – 2026
26 Aug – Adelaide – Lion Arts Factory
28 Aug – Melbourne, – Northcote Theatre
29 Aug – Sydney – Manning Bar
30 Aug – Brisbane – Princess Theatre
1 Sep – Auckland – Powerstation

AVATAR ARE:
Johannes Eckerström — Vocalist
Jonas Jarlsby — Guitarist
Tim Öhrström — Guitarist
Henrik Sandelin — Bassist
John Alfredsson — Drummer