Take That – The Circus Live 2026 Interview by Karen Edwards
Take That have announced that they will be bringing back their renowned tour, The Circus Live, in 2026 – with 17 stadium dates planned across the UK and Ireland.
Beginning at St. Mary’s Stadium in Southampton on Friday 29 May 2026, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen will play the Coventry Building Society Stadium, Sunderland Stadium, Glasgow’s Hampden Park, Cardiff Principality Stadium, Manchester’s Etihad Stadium, and the London Stadium – with the tour coming to a close in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday 4 July 2026.
Speaking about their excitement at reviving The Circus in 2026, the band announced: “We’ve talked many times about how much we’d love to do the Circus tour again. Well, that time has come!”
Opening night will unfold in Southampton’s St. Mary’s Stadium – which for Howard, especially, means playing an extra-special location – his current hometown. “Southampton will be where my guestlist is the biggest. My daughters, Grace and Lola, were there in 2009, and I’ll have my 10 and 9 year old boys there this time, too. The next generation will be seeing The Circus.”
While opening nights are often a blur, Gary admits this particular evening in Southampton will be different. “More often than not, they go by in a flash – because you’re concentrating so much, as it’s all new. But because we’ve done this tour before, I think muscle memory will kick in and we will really be able to take in what we’re experiencing in Southampton.”
Moving onto Glasgow, the band will play two nights at Hampden Park – a place they’ve returned to several times in their 35-year career as a band. Thrilled to be, once again, in front of their loyal Scottish fans – who they claim are some of the loudest in the UK – Gary says Scotland is always on another level: “I can’t wait to get on stage in Glasgow. You know, I think our Scottish audiences are some of the loudest. There’s nothing quite like a night up there. The atmosphere is magic.”
Because running away with this particular Circus means being surrounded by tightrope walkers, fire breathers and acrobats, fans might even see Howard back on his trusty unicycle. “I’ve started taking [it] with me everywhere,” he adds. “I think you need to. I’ll be riding it cross country, cross gravel…”
The tour will hit the Midlands in early June, with a stop at Coventry’s Building Society Arena. According to the band, the Midlands has always been an important stop because it brings together so many fans from across the country, come rain or shine. “We often spend a few nights in the area,” explains Gary. “When we played Coventry last time, we got rained on but the audience were gleaming and we all had the most magnificent night. I’m looking forward to doing it all again.”
By mid-June, The Circus Live 2026 will be pulling into Cardiff – the highly anticipated Wales date on this tour. Take That say they can’t wait to be face-to-face with their Welsh fans – mostly to hear their 70,000+ strong audience sing along to old favourites such as Back For Good, Patience, Shine and, of course, Never Forget.
Mark says: “Not only are our Welsh fans so loud, but they also sing so well. It’s not just for us either – you see it at the rugby, too. In fact, the Principality Stadium is actually built for the atmosphere; it really holds the sound. It’s a stunning stadium.”
Returning to their roots, Take That hit Manchester’s Etihad Stadium for two nights, with fans who have followed them from the beginning – since 1990 – invited to join them for this huge celebratory event.
“The first circus I ever saw was Bellevue Circus in Manchester – my dad used to take me every year when it came to town,” reminisces Mark. “That’s why bringing The Circus Live 2026 to Manchester will be extra special for me. I think it was actually quite near the Etihad Stadium ground, which is cool.”
But playing Manchester, even after all these years, goes beyond the time spent on stage. For Gary. Howard and Mark, it’s a time to see family in the vicinity of their hometown, catch up with old friends, enjoy a nostalgic stop at a favourite eatery and share memories of a life well-lived.
“Whenever I’m in Manchester”, says Mark, “I always go to a chippy near my mum and dad’s house and get a cheese and onion pie, chips and gravy and eat it all in three seconds, Then, I feel ill for the rest of the evening! It’s my little tradition. No matter where you go around the world, nowhere beats those pies, chips and gravy.”
“That’s the taste of your childhood that, Mark,” Gary adds, fondly. “There’s also a great padel club right by where we are staying. Jason Manford always comes down to play with me and it’s great fun.”
The penultimate dates of The Circus Live 2026 take place at the world-famous London Stadium – the site of the 2012 Olympic Games and another special Take That performance – the closing night of the UK-hosted Olympics.
It’s a time Mark remembers well: “I already have great memories from the last time we were there – which was when I watched Usain Bolt win gold in the men’s 4×100-metre relay with the Jamaican team in 2012. I remember it clearly because I was cuddling my boy to sleep while watching. I had to carry him home, he was only six years old.
“Then a week after, we [Take That] played the closing ceremony for the Olympics there, which was obviously a huge moment for us as a band,” he says with a smile.
While the others would have already had their ‘homecoming’ moment, the London tour dates will be Gary’s moment to step back into a city he knows only too well. “London has been my home for 18 years. I love it, I just love this city. There’s just something about playing the capital for me.”
Plus, he gets to go home – albeit for a few nights – after a long stint on the road. “I get to go home and enjoy a night in my own bed,” he nods.
As The Circus Live comes to its conclusion in Dublin on Saturday 4 July, the boys won’t be holding back. Not least because it’s a place that reminds Mark of all his “favourite bands” who have come from Ireland over the years. “The Cranberries, U2, more recently Fontaines DC – some great bands come from Ireland,” he reminds us.
“And personally, I have Irish heritage on my mum’s side of the family, they’re from County Mayo and whenever I get to Dublin, I am able to see some of my relatives, which is nice.”
However, much like the sentiment shared by Dubliners and the Irish fan contingent as a whole, there’ll be nothing more satisfying than sitting back with an ice-cold pint of Ireland’s finest stout before taking to the stage. “Let’s cut to the chase, a pint of Guinness as soon as you arrive… Fantastic,” Gary says, with a twinkle in his eye. “Guinness always tastes the best when you have it in Ireland.”
“The atmosphere at Dublin gigs is always extraordinary,” chips in Mark. “We love it there.”
And with that, The Circus Live 2026 will come to an end, with eight major cities across the UK and Ireland welcoming one of Britain’s biggest bands to its stages, once again, for the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’.
“It was actually the fans who cemented the idea of The Circus 2026 for us,” says Gary. And what an idea it is. We’ll see you there.
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