Former United States President Barack Obama has announced a three-date UK arena tour scheduled for October 2026. The tour, titled 'An Evening with President Barack Obama', will offer audiences an opportunity to hear the 44th President discuss contemporary issues, particularly as the US approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The series of live events will commence at The O2 Belfast on October 13, 2026. Following this, Mr. Obama will travel to Scotland to appear at Glasgow's OVO Hydro on October 14. The tour will then conclude in England at Manchester's Co-op Live on October 15, marking three consecutive nights of appearances across the UK.
These upcoming events are billed as a chance for attendees to hear Mr. Obama's perspectives on "what comes next – for America, and for all of us." Speaking about the tour, Mr. Obama emphasised the collective responsibility in fostering democracy, stating, "True democracy is a project that’s much bigger than any one of us. It’s bigger than any one person, any one president, and any one government. It’s a job for all of us.”
Tickets for the tour will be available for general sale from 10am on Friday, July 31, 2026. Pre-sale access will begin two days earlier, at 10am on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Organisers Kilimanjaro CEO Stuart Galbraith and Fane Group CEO Alex Fane expressed their honour in bringing President Obama to the UK and Ireland, noting his message of unity and progress.
This tour follows previous engagements in the region in September 2025, when Mr. Obama appeared at London's O2 Arena in conversation with historian David Olusoga, and at Dublin's 3Arena alongside journalist Fintan O’Toole. Since leaving office in 2017, Mr. Obama has remained active through the Obama Foundation, supporting emerging leaders and overseeing the development of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which opened its doors to the public last month.