Bowie80: Late Rock Icon To Be Honored with Year-Long Celebration

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The passing of David Bowie in 2016 left a huge void in the music world.

Gone at 69 years of age, fans will have an opportunity to celebrate the life of the late rock legend — and it will last for an entire year thanks to an array of events, activities and collaborations under the banner of Bowie80.

Bowie80

January 8, 2027 would have marked Bowie’s 80th birthday, and Variety reports that 2027 will feature a series of “events, exhibits, releases, collaborations and experiences beginning in November and spanning 2027,” per an announcement from the just-launched website bowie80.davidbowie.com.

The first of these is an exclusive partnership with Nordstrom, “celebrating Bowie’s enduring influence on fashion through three immersive shops in their Seattle, NYC, and Chicago flagships and Nordstrom.com, featuring exclusive and limited-edition collections created specifically to launch the Bowie campaign.”

Fans will be able to purchase special Bowie-themed clothing and accessorites from designers and brands including Undercover, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, AllSaints and others. 

Hall of Fame Exhibit

In addition, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland will be hosting a dedicated Bowie80 retail pop-up, which is scheduled to open in mid-November and run until January.

This will include the Hall of Fame’s Museum store, online shop and airport location. “The Rock Hall will also host fan activations throughout David’s birthday weekend, including Bowie-themed educational presentations, trivia, music, and photo ops, alongside an exhibition featuring the work of iconic rock & roll photographers, some of which has never been seen. Exhibit and programming details will be announced in the coming months,” notes the site.

Strange Fascination

Morrison Hotel Gallery, renowned for its rock photography, will mark the occasion of Bowie’s 80th with “Strange Fasciation,” described as “a major photography exhibition celebrating the artistry, evolution and fearless reinvention of one of the most photographed and visually transformative figures in modern culture.”

The exhibition will open in February 2027, in both the gallery’s New York City and West Hollywood locations, “bringing together career-defining and previously unreleased photographs from the celebrated archives of Morrison Hotel Gallery and the David Bowie estate. Spanning Bowie’s remarkable career, the exhibition will offer an intimate visual journey through six definitive eras, identities and reinventions that helped define his extraordinary influence on music, fashion, art and culture.”

More details about the exhibit will be announced in January.

Concerts, Merch & Artifacts

Other Bowie80 events include:

• “BOWIE (breaking) GLASS,” a new live symphonic concert production, developed by Schirmer Theatrical together with Østre Gasværk Teater, “bringing David Bowie’s iconic songs and voice into a bold new musical and visual dialogue” with composer Philip Glass. “Featuring Bowie’s original recordings alongside live vocalists, musicians and orchestra, this official concert experience will have its world premiere in Copenhagen in Spring 2027.” More information can be found at BowieBreakingGlass.com.

• Perryscope Productions, longtime merchandising representatives for David Bowie, will be launching exclusive Bowie80 merchandise in the official David Bowie webstore found at DavidBowie.com, in addition to the official David Bowie Amazon store, with merch available immediately. “Additionally, new and longtime David Bowie apparel & accessories licensees including Phix, Rockoff, Rowdy Sprout, Roots of Fight, Stoned Immaculate, Girl Skateboards and more will be rolling out fresh Bowie & Bowie80 themed products throughout the anniversary year.”

• The acclaimed 360-degree immersive audio-visual exhibition “David Bowie: You’re Not Alone,” which opened at London’s Lightroom earrlier this year, will hit the road to visit other U.K. cities, stopping in Manchester and Brighton. The show will also play at the Port des Lumières in Hamburg, Germany.

• London’s Victoria & Albert Museum will take its “David Bowie: On Tour” exhibit on tour. The exhibit — which features artifacts from Bowie’s 90,000-item archive — will tour the U.K., starting in Dundee before moving on to Blackpool in 2027, with further cities to be added in 2028 and 2029.

“Throughout the remainder of 2026 and throughout 2027, there will be more announcements, including groundbreaking audiovisual presentations, experiences, and fan-centric activities worldwide,” the website adds.