Macklemore Announces 'Free Palestine' Tour With All Proceeds Going To Palestinian Organisations

Macklemore has announced a 'Free Palestine' tour across Europe, with all proceeds going to organisations supporting Palestinians, less than two weeks after he was removed from Ed Sheeran's US tour following his pro-Palestinian remarks.

The Grammy-winning rapper will launch the run at Dublin's 3Arena on 26 October, followed by Paris' Accor Arena on 29 October and London's OVO Arena Wembley on 30 October.

More dates, including shows in the United States, are expected. Additional artists will also join Macklemore, although the line-up is still being finalised.

The concerts will bring together 'artists and friends' for performances centred on Palestine while raising money for humanitarian assistance and Palestinian organisations, according to the tour announcement.

All Proceeds To Support 12 Organisations

Money raised from the shows will benefit 12 organisations working across humanitarian aid, healthcare, advocacy, education and community support.

They include Anera, Glia, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Taawon, HEAL Palestine, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children's Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Institute for Middle East Understanding, Palestine Children's Relief Fund and UNRWA USA.

Announcing the tour on Instagram, Macklemore said recent events had strengthened his belief that musicians should use their platforms to address the war in Gaza.

'It's 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn't work anymore,' he wrote, using a characterisation of Israel's conduct that Israel rejects.

In September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, also concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding the Israeli government strongly disputes.

Macklemore argued that artists were increasingly expected to 'show up' and use their stages for more than entertainment.

Tour Follows Ed Sheeran Fallout

The announcement comes after Macklemore was dropped from the remaining US dates of Sheeran's Loop Tour following pro-Palestinian comments during performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 4 and 5 September.

During the first show, Macklemore told the audience he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten before declaring 'Free Palestine'.

Messina Touring Group, which promotes Sheeran's US tour, later said several venues had informed organisers that they would not host concerts with Macklemore on the bill. The promoter subsequently removed him from the remaining support dates.

Sheeran later said the promoter, not he, made the decision, and he voiced concern about venues trying to control performers' onstage speech. Several other supporting acts subsequently withdrew from his tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

'So We're Going on Tour'

Macklemore referenced the controversy with a joke in his announcement, writing: 'So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit.'

He said he had spent the previous week contacting other musicians who had publicly supported Palestinians and was still working through schedules and logistics. 'So we're going on tour,' he announced.

An artist presale for the first European dates begins on 28 September at 10am local time, followed by the general sale on 30 September at 10am local time.

Rather than retreat from the controversy surrounding his departure from Sheeran's tour, Macklemore is now building his next series of concerts directly around the issue at the centre of the dispute with other artists, with US dates still to come.