David Byrne Takes His “Sleeping Beauties” Book Tour to the UK for Five Intimate Theater Dates
With the stadium tour finished, Byrne is on the road with a one-hour spoken-word presentation about ideas that went unrecognized in their own time, and he is donating his fees to music education.
While David Byrne’s stadium tour is finished, he is still on the road. He is currently touring in support of his book Sleeping Beauties. The North American leg wrapped last month, and the United Kingdom stretch begins tomorrow night, November 8, at the Hackney Empire in London.
The UK leg is five intimate theater dates from November 8 through November 13, 2026, organized in partnership with Intelligence Squared. The evenings are solo spoken-word presentations and audience conversations, not a large-scale musical production.
UK Tour Schedule
All shows start at 7:30 PM.
| Date | City | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov 8 | London | Hackney Empire | Sold out |
| Monday, Nov 9 | Brighton | Theatre Royal Brighton | Available |
| Wednesday, Nov 11 | Manchester | Stoller Hall | Available |
| Thursday, Nov 12 | Bristol | St. George’s Bristol | Sold out |
| Friday, Nov 13 | Edinburgh | Assembly Rooms | Sold out |
Three of the five dates, London, Bristol, and Edinburgh, are already sold out. Brighton and Manchester still have tickets available.
What the Program Covers
The presentation expands on the themes of Sleeping Beauties. It looks at why some of history’s most transformative breakthroughs went unrecognized in their own eras before finding wide acceptance. The examples range from the discovery of dark matter and continental drift to the artistic work of Bach and Herman Melville.
The events run about one hour with no intermission. They are set up as a conversational lecture that follows the cultural, scientific, and structural path of forgotten ideas.
Giving Back
Byrne is donating 100 percent of his personal appearance fees from the five-date run to the Rocksteady Foundation, a UK non-profit that provides free music education and instrument lessons to school children.
Getting the Book
Hardback copies of Sleeping Beauties are bundled with ticket purchases at a discounted price of £22, compared with the standard £26 retail price. The books are handed out on-site at the venue entrances.
