Birmingham, England is preparing to honor its most legendary son with a city-wide celebration this July. The city officially announced its first-ever “Ozzy Day” celebration, a free, day-long tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. The event will take place on July 22, the one-year anniversary of the Black Sabbath front man’s death in 2025.
The celebration is being delivered by Central BID (Business Improvement District) and OPUS in partnership with Birmingham City Council, Birmingham New Street, and Westside BID, transforming several of the city’s most iconic locations into tribute sites for the day.
What’s Planned for Ozzy Day?
Fans will be able to visit the landmarks that are tied directly to Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s history. Popular sites include the Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and Birmingham New Street Station. Other major landmarks that also served as gathering points for last year’s “Back to the Beginning” farewell concert and Osbourne’s funeral procession will be part of the celebration.
Live music will run throughout the day, with Bostin Brass playing Black Sabbath classics throughout the city. Bostin Brass was the same brass ensemble that performed during the funeral procession last year. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will also present a special performance.
Fans can stop by New Street Station for a commemorative Polaroid with Birmingham’s giant bull statue, affectionately named Ozzy, who will be specially dressed for the occasion.
Limited Edition Merch and Plenty of Memories
A limited run of “Ozzy Day” t-shirts will be available, featuring an image of Osbourne from his final performance with Black Sabbath at “Back to the Beginning.” The back of the shirt lists each of the 52 concerts that Osbourne played in Birmingham with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist. The shirt essentially becomes a time capsule itself of Osbourne’s career and connection to the city.
The city’s Working Class Hero exhibition at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery will continue running alongside the day’s festivities. The exhibit features Osbourne’s iconic throne from his final performances. Additionally, OPUS has commissioned short films capturing the day’s tributes and performances.
A Tribute From the City That Shaped Ozzy Osbourne
Given Birmingham’s deep, decades-long connection to Osbourne and the free programming being offered the event looks primed to become an annual celebration. Although the event is not currently planned to become a city-wide tradition, fans are pushing for it to become one.
It only seems fitting that Osbourne’s career would begin, end, and carry on in the city that raised him.
In an interview with HuffPost in 2018, Osbourne said of his connection to the city, “It was a befitting end to a great experience. We started out playing bars and what have you in Birmingham and we ended in Birmingham. It was a really nice, romantic way to end. It was a magical night.”
Osbourne previously called his birthplace the birthplace of heavy metal. The Ozzy Day tribute to the metal legend will be a formal recognition of the bond that has defined the city’s cultural identity for decades.
