Rod Stewart Sets ‘The Final Encore’ Farewell Tour for 2027

Rod Stewart is preparing to close the touring chapter of his career with The Final Encore, a 2027 arena run across the United Kingdom and Europe. The 81-year-old singer has described the trek as his final tour after more than six decades on the road.

The itinerary begins April 23 at Dublin’s 3Arena, followed by stops in Belfast and Glasgow. Stewart will then play Birmingham, Manchester and London, where he is booked for The O2 on May 11. Howard Jones is scheduled to support the UK and Ireland leg.

A farewell route across Europe

After the British and Irish dates, the tour moves through continental Europe from late May into July. Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Budapest, Munich, Prague and Kraków are among the announced stops. The listed arena schedule ends July 24 at ZAG Arena in Hanover, Germany.

General ticket sales are due to begin Friday, October 2, at 10 a.m. BST, following fan-club and local presales. The rollout gives longtime listeners several months to plan for a tour positioned not merely as another arena cycle, but as a formal goodbye to Stewart’s life as a full-time touring artist.

Touring ends, but retirement is less certain

In his announcement, Stewart thanked audiences for making his career possible and promised a celebratory final show. He has performed since his teens, first moving through the British blues and rock circuit before his work with the Jeff Beck Group and Faces helped establish him internationally. His solo breakthrough followed at the start of the 1970s.

The farewell language applies specifically to touring. Stewart has not ruled out occasional performances, and two rescheduled Red Rocks dates remain listed for September 2027 after the European itinerary. He has also discussed unfinished music with former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood, leaving open the possibility of future studio work.

That distinction makes The Final Encore a goodbye to the routine of extended travel rather than an absolute exit from music. For an artist whose career has stretched from small clubs to stadiums and festival stages, the announced route offers one last broad sweep through cities that have supported him for generations.