A programme called Bowie80 will mark what would have been David Bowie’s 80th birthday on 8 January 2027. It brings together exhibitions, fan events, concerts, special articles and fashion releases in the United States and Europe, beginning in mid-November. The events are spread across several cities, from Cleveland and Los Angeles to New York and Copenhagen, and continue into the spring.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is the first stop. From mid-November until January 2027, a Bowie pop-up shop will run at the museum and at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. During his birthday week in early January, the Hall will hold fan events with educational talks, quizzes, music and photo opportunities. It is also planning a photography exhibition of previously unpublished pictures by leading rock photographers, although dates for that show have not yet been confirmed.
In February 2027, the Morrison Hotel Gallery will open Strange Fascination in Los Angeles and New York at the same time. The exhibition was developed with Bowie’s estate and gathers photographs of six of his best-known personas. Later in the spring, the composer Philip Glass will conduct Bowie (Breaking) Glass, a symphonic concert premiering in Copenhagen. It is being staged in partnership with Schirmer Theatrical and the Østre Gasværk Teater, and an exact date has not been set.
Fashion has its own place in the programme, which suits an artist whose changing looks were followed as closely as his records. The American department store Nordstrom will release limited clothing capsules made with luxury brands and inspired by Bowie’s style. They will be sold at its flagship stores in New York, Chicago and Seattle, as well as online. It means that, alongside the museum and gallery shows, fans will be able to mark the anniversary through clothing as well as through music and photography.
Bowie was born on 8 January 1947 and died of liver cancer on 10 January 2016, aged 69, two days after the release of his final album, Blackstar. A posthumous album, Toy, followed in 2021. The Bowie80 events run from November into the spring of 2027: the Cleveland pop-up and the birthday week come first, followed by the gallery exhibition in February and the Copenhagen concert later in the season. Further details, including the dates of the Rock Hall photography show and the Glass premiere, are still to be announced.
