‘Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert – The 20th Anniversary Tour’ to Take Flight (Exclusive)

If you are a fan of the adventures of Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko, and more, this may be music to your ears. Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert – The 20^th Anniversary Tour will kick off on Sunday, Sept. 14 in Iowa City and hit more than 80 cities worldwide, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin, Vienna, Zurich, Stockholm, Paramount Global and its Nickelodeon said on Tuesday.

More locations will be unveiled at a later stage.

The show featuring the beloved Nickelodeon series’ soundtrack is a follow-up to a live orchestral concert series that first launched in 2024, but with a new twist. The experience is now “elevated with a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience,” according to Nickelodeon owner Paramount Global and tour producers GEA Live and Senbla. “This special anniversary edition features a two-hour visual journey through all three seasons of the iconic animated series, projected on a full-size cinema screen with new elements and artistic surprises crafted for this special anniversary edition that offers fresh perspectives on the show’s legacy.”

The original Avatar: The Last Airbender series debuted 20 years ago on Feb. 21, 2005. The franchise, including its universe of popular characters, has become a key brand for Paramount, leading to spinoff series The Legend of Korra, Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, a new animated series recently greenlit by Nickelodeon that will be entitled Avatar: Seven Havens, a series of books, and an upcoming theatrical film, among other things.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert marks the 20th anniversary of this franchise in a way that joyfully celebrates the connection fans have with the original series,” said Pam Kaufman, president and CEO of International Markets, Global Consumer Products & Experiences, Paramount. “We are thrilled to be able to bring this experience to new cities worldwide, with some fun surprises in store for concert attendees.”

The company didn’t immediately provide any details on what these surprises may be. But a source familiar with the show shared that the special edition will include “new surprises, extended pieces, and creative touches added just for this milestone tour,” offering fans fresh ways to experience the stories and characters they love.

Floris Douwes, producer and managing director at GEA Live, and Ollie Rosenblatt, CEO at Senbla, lauded the success of the previous concert run. “Since the concert launched in 2024, the tour has played over 200 shows and sold 400,000 tickets worldwide, which is a rare milestone that reflects just how deeply this series continues to resonate with fans of all ages.”

Showcasing the original dialogue and sound effects, the concerts replace the recorded score with a live orchestra that performs the music of Emmy Award-winning composer Jeremy Zuckerman, the creative mastermind behind the show’s original music, in sync with the action on screen thanks to his collaboration with original series editor Jeff Adams.

“When I started work on Avatar: The Last Airbender, it was a dream to have the music performed by an orchestra,” said Zuckerman. “Now, over 20 years later, with the concert tour, that dream has come true in a way I never could have imagined. It’s profound for me to see the Avatar community of fans — so wonderfully diverse — come together to celebrate the show through its music. The atmosphere of joy at the concerts is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Zuckerman, who has won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation for his work on Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, has composed music for film, TV and dance, traditional Chinese music, sonic art, and concert music.

Among the instruments that Avatar concertgoers can expect to hear are the likes of the taiko, or Japanese drums, and the erhu, a Chinese two-stringed instrument also described as a spike fiddle. The companies promise fans “soaring strings and delicate woodwinds.”

Tickets for Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert – The 20^th Anniversary Tour go on sale on Friday, May 2 at www.avatarinconcert.com.