U2’s Back: ‘Carnaval De Luz’ Is Out — Their First New Album in 9 Years, and a 2027 Stadium Tour
U2 are officially back — and they didn’t come quietly.
Carnaval De Luz, the band’s first album of entirely new material in nine years, is out now — and it arrives with a stadium-sized announcement to match: a 2027 world tour.
Released Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, via Island Records, Carnaval De Luz is U2’s 16th studio album and their first album of entirely new songs since 2017’s Songs of Experience. The 12-track album was produced by Jacknife Lee, with collaborations including Brian Eno — who co-wrote and played synth on three tracks — Martin Garrix, Daniel Lanois, and Ryan Tedder.
It’s a release steeped in history. The album arrives in the band’s 50th year — 50 years since Larry Mullen Jr.’s famous “Drummer Seeks Musicians” notice in September 1976 set everything in motion.
A final recording from Dolly Parton
One of the album’s most emotional moments comes on the track “Torn,” which features the final recorded performance from the late Dolly Parton. As we covered Dolly’s final recording when it premiered, her appearance on the song is a poignant, once-in-a-lifetime collaboration — and a powerful reason this album is already being talked about far beyond U2’s fanbase.
The 2027 stadium tour is on
U2 are taking Carnaval De Luz on the road in a big way. The “Carnaval De Luz Presents: The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour” is the band’s first stadium tour since the Joshua Tree Tour ended in Mumbai in December 2019.
The tour opens February 23, 2027, in Mexico City at Estadio GNP Seguros, then heads to São Paulo and Buenos Aires, with Beck supporting the Latin American dates. The European leg begins April 26 in Stockholm, with Wolf Alice supporting, and includes London dates at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 18, 19, 22 and 25.
North American dates have not been announced yet — dates for North America are still to come, so U.S. fans will have to stay tuned.
U2 previewed the album during a TikTok LIVE / iHeartRadio event on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, at the LA Theater in Los Angeles.
Nine years. Fifty years in the making. A new album, a final Dolly Parton recording, and the biggest stages on Earth waiting in 2027. U2’s back — and Carnaval De Luz is just the beginning.
Photo: U2start, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Bandwagon | Consequence | U2 official
