IRON MAIDEN’s highly anticipated EddFest weekend has just grown even bigger with the announcement that Blaze Bayley will take to the stage as a special headliner on Friday night.
Bayley, who fronted IRON MAIDEN from 1994 to 1999, has been confirmed for the Maidenville stage at the massive celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary, which will take place at the iconic Knebworth site this summer. His appearance adds yet another major name to an already stacked lineup curated as part of the all-encompassing tribute to five decades of IRON MAIDEN’s legacy.
“I’m so excited to be invited to headline Friday night at EddFest, celebrating 50 years of IRON MAIDEN,” says Blaze. “I am so proud of my two albums with the band and I’m really looking forward to playing some of the songs that we recorded together. Can’t wait to see you all at the hallowed grounds of Knebworth!”
Fans attending EddFest can expect Bayley and his band to deliver a powerful set focused heavily on material from The X Factor and Virtual XI, the two albums released during his tenure as IRON MAIDEN’s frontman. Bayley co-wrote a number of songs from that era alongside IRON MAIDEN founder Steve Harris, and the Maidenville stage itself has been personally curated by Harris to highlight key chapters of his long and influential career.
Steve Harris has also invited GYPSY’S KISS, the pre-IRON MAIDEN band he formed in 1974 with singer and guitarist David Smith, to perform on the same Friday night bill. As the earliest chapter of Harris’s musical journey, the group played a key role in the formation of IRON MAIDEN just a year later.
Speaking about the event, Harris said: “Having the opportunity to put together our very own festival at Knebworth, and celebrate 50 years of IRON MAIDEN, has given me a chance to bring together friends past and present and create a really special weekend for the fans.
“I’m very pleased that Blaze is able to join us and perform some of the songs we wrote and recorded in the 90s,” he continued. “He has been a big part of IRON MAIDEN’s career and I know the fans will be really excited to see him on stage at EddFest. It’s also great to have GYPSY’S KISS playing with us at Knebworth too. They were a big part of my musical heritage and it’s really exciting to have them play at the Maidenville stage.”
Meanwhile, Bayley’s name has also recently reappeared in broader IRON MAIDEN discussions following the latest Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominations. The band were unveiled among the 17 nominees for the Class of 2026 on February 25, marking their third nomination overall after previous bids in 2021 and 2023.
At the time of the announcement, Bayley was not initially included in the list of individual members considered for induction. However, fans later noticed that his name had been added to the Rock Hall’s official listing of musicians who would be inducted should IRON MAIDEN be selected, aligning his contribution with the band’s officially recognized lineup alongside figures such as Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Nicko McBrain, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, as well as former members Dennis Stratton, Paul Di’Anno, and Clive Burr.
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