Ed Sheeran wraps up ‘Autumn’ era, teases that he and Elton John will be bringing “festive cheer”

On November 20, Ed Sheeran played the second of his last two shows of 2023 and seemingly teased what fans can expect from him next year.

Ed’s Last Days of Autumn gigs took place at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall and featured him performing his album Autumn Variations in its entirety, backed by classical musicians, plus an hour of crowd-pleasing hits.

He posted video of the gigs on Instagram and wrote, “Played the Last Days of Autumn gigs at the @royalalberthall to mark the end of Autumn Variations. It’s been a super fun fan focused campaign, and the first on my own label … thanks for a fun 2 months!”

He added, “Almost time for me and Elton to unthaw ourselves for a bit of festive cheer. Love you guys, autumn forever.” It’s not clear if he’s referring to his and Elton’s 2021 duet, “Merry Christmas,” or if the two have a yet-to-be released holiday single they’re going to spring on us.

Also, in the video, Ed says, “I’ll see you next year, to press play.” Since he teased Autumn Variations by constantly repeating “Autumn is coming” on his socials, it’s possible that this is a coded reference to his next album.

Fans in the comments reacted as though this might be the case. One wrote, “Can’t wait to press Play next year.” Another wrote, “Not sure if my brain can cope with Pressing play next year.” “I already can’t wait to press play,” read another comment.