Beatles and McCartney Anniversaries in 2026

Why 2026 Is a Big Year for Fans

2026 marks 60 years since the Beatles released Revolver on 5 August 1966 and played their last paying concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, on 29 August 1966. It is also 50 years since Wings' 1976 tour of America, 30 years since LIPA opened in Liverpool on 7 June 1996, and 25 years since George Harrison's death on 29 November 2001.

2026 has also been a busy year for new McCartney activity. Morgan Neville's documentary Man on the Run played cinemas on 19 February and reached Prime Video on 27 February, with a soundtrack album out the same day; our Man on the Run soundtrack review covers it. Paul played two intimate shows at the 1,200-capacity Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on 27 and 28 March, and The Boys of Dungeon Lane, co-produced with Andrew Watt, came out on 29 May and went to No.1 in the UK. Paul turned 84 on 18 June.

Below is the anniversary calendar, grouped by milestone. Where UK and US release dates differ, we give both or say which one we mean.

70 Years: 1956, the Year Paul Picked Up a Guitar

Some of the most important anniversaries of 2026 are private ones. Seventy years ago, in 1956, Paul was 14 and living with his family at 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton, Liverpool. Around his birthday that year his father gave him a trumpet, which Paul soon traded for a Zenith acoustic guitar, realising he could not sing while playing a trumpet. Being left-handed, he had to restring it to play it.

On 31 October 1956 Paul's mother, Mary McCartney, died. Paul has spoken many times about how the loss drew him further into music, and the guitar became a constant companion. Less than a year later, on 6 July 1957, he met John Lennon at the Woolton church fête, and John, who lost his own mother in 1958, would become the partner with whom he shared that experience. Mary would later appear to Paul in the 1968 dream that inspired 'Let It Be'.

60 Years: 1966, the Year the Beatles Stopped Touring

1 May 1966: the Beatles played the NME Poll Winners' Concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, their last live concert in the UK before the rooftop performance of 1969. 10 June 1966: 'Paperback Writer' was released in the UK, with 'Rain' on the B-side. It reached No.1 on both sides of the Atlantic. 17 June 1966: Paul bought High Park Farm on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, which would later inspire 'Mull of Kintyre' and serve as a retreat after the break-up.

30 June to 2 July 1966: the Beatles played the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, the first rock concerts at the venue, amid protests from people who believed the martial arts hall should not host a pop group. Days later came the difficult visit to Manila, where the band were accused of snubbing the First Lady, Imelda Marcos, and left the country in an atmosphere of hostility.

5 August 1966: Revolver was released in the UK, with the double A-side single 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'Yellow Submarine' out the same day. Paul's songs on the album, 'Here, There and Everywhere', 'For No One', 'Good Day Sunshine' and 'Got to Get You Into My Life' among them, show his writing moving into chamber pop, brass-driven soul and sophisticated balladry within a single record.

29 August 1966: the Beatles played Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the final concert of their last tour. Paul reportedly asked press officer Tony Barrow to make a tape recording of the show from the stage, and the recording survives. After that, the band became a studio group. In November 1966 John Lennon met Yoko Ono at the Indica Gallery in London, and on 24 November the band began recording 'Strawberry Fields Forever'.

55 and 50 Years: Ram, Wild Life and Wings Over America

55 years ago, in May 1971, Paul and Linda released Ram, the album critics dismissed at the time and fans now rank among his best. Wings followed: the band was launched at a party in London in November 1971, and its first album, Wild Life, was released on 7 December 1971.

50 years ago, 1976 was the peak year of Wings. Wings at the Speed of Sound was released on 25 March 1976 in the US, and 'Silly Love Songs' became one of the biggest US hits of the year. The North American leg of the Wings Over the World tour opened in Fort Worth, Texas, on 3 May 1976. On 10 June 1976 the band played the Seattle Kingdome to about 67,000 people, a record for an indoor concert at the time. On 25 September 1976 Wings played a UNESCO benefit in St Mark's Square, Venice.

The year closed with the triple live album Wings Over America, released on 10 December 1976, which went to No.1 in the US. It remains the fullest document of the Laine, McCulloch and English line-up on stage; our guide to the best Wings albums on vinyl covers which pressings of these albums are worth owning.

45, 40, 35 and 30 Years: From Wings' End to LIPA

45 years ago, in April 1981, Denny Laine announced he was leaving Wings, which effectively brought the band to an end after a decade. 40 years ago, Paul released Press to Play, on 25 August 1986 in the US and 1 September 1986 in the UK. Produced with Hugh Padgham, it is one of his most production-heavy albums and still divides fans.

35 years ago, 1991 was a year of firsts. On 30 April Linda launched her range of vegetarian foods at the Savoy Hotel in London. On 28 June Paul's Liverpool Oratorio, written with Carl Davis, premiered at Liverpool Cathedral, his first major classical work.

30 years ago, on 7 June 1996, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, LIPA, in the building of Paul's old school, the Liverpool Institute on Mount Street; our guide to LIPA and the Liverpool Institute covers its history. Later that year, on 28 October 1996, Anthology 3 completed the original trilogy of Beatles Anthology archive releases, a series that gained a fourth volume, Anthology 4, on 21 November 2025.

25, 20, 10 and 5 Years: George, LOVE and Get Back

25 years ago, 2001 was a year of highs and grief. The Wings documentary Wingspan was broadcast in May. After the attacks of 11 September, Paul organised the Concert for New York City, held at Madison Square Garden on 20 October 2001. His album Driving Rain followed in November. On 29 November 2001 George Harrison died in Los Angeles, aged 58.

20 years ago, on 18 June 2006, Paul turned 64, the age he had written about as a teenager in 'When I'm Sixty-Four'. On 30 June 2006 the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE, built on a new George Martin and Giles Martin mix of Beatles recordings, premiered at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Ecce Cor Meum, Paul's choral work, was released in September 2006.

10 years ago, the career-spanning compilation Pure McCartney was released on 10 June 2016, and Ron Howard's film The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, The Touring Years arrived in September 2016. 5 years ago, 2021 brought McCartney 3,2,1 with Rick Rubin on Hulu on 16 July, Paul's two-volume book The Lyrics on 2 November, and Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back on Disney+ in late November.

How Fans Can Mark the Year

The simplest way to mark these anniversaries is to listen on the day: Revolver on 5 August, All Things Must Pass on 29 November for George and Wings Over America on 10 December. For a longer project, playing Wings at the Speed of Sound and Wings Over America back to back, then watching the 2026 film Man on the Run, gives a clear picture of the band at its commercial peak.

If you collect, anniversary years are when reissues tend to appear. The major Beatles release of the autumn is the Rubber Soul Special Edition, out on 2 October 2026, which continues the series of Giles Martin remixes that began with Sgt. Pepper in 2017.