January 8, 2027 would have been David Bowie's 80th birthday, and his estate is not waiting for the cake. Bowie80, announced October 5, is a celebration that starts now and runs through all of 2027: special events, releases, anniversaries, collaborations, fan experiences and limited merch around the world. Every piece gets announced on one hub, bowie80.davidbowie.com, under a new red and blue logo with a very Aladdin Sane lightning bolt.
The first wave is already big. Here's what's confirmed, where to go, and when.
The style drop: Bowie at Nordstrom
First up is an exclusive partnership with Nordstrom. Three immersive Bowie shops are coming to its Seattle, New York City and Chicago flagships, plus Nordstrom.com, stocked with exclusive and limited-edition collections made specifically for the launch. The named designers are Undercover, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and AllSaints, with more to come.
That roster gets it: few musicians moved menswear the way Bowie did, from Ziggy's jumpsuits to the Thin White Duke's tailoring. No opening dates or prices yet, so watch the hub before you plan a trip.
The merch: official store and licensees
Perryscope Productions, Bowie's longtime merchandising team, has already launched exclusive Bowie80 merch in the official David Bowie webstore and his official Amazon store. Through the year, licensees will roll out more Bowie and Bowie80 gear, including Phix, Rockoff, Rowdy Sprout, Roots of Fight, Stoned Immaculate and Girl Skateboards. A Girl deck with that bolt on it is the one we'll be watching for.
Where to go
Cleveland: the Rock Hall
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is planning a Bowie80 celebration built around a dedicated retail pop-up running from mid-November through January across its museum store, its online shop and its airport location. Bowie's birthday weekend brings fan events (Bowie-themed talks, trivia, music, photo ops) and an exhibition of work by iconic rock photographers, some of it never seen before. Full details land in the coming months.
New York and West Hollywood: Strange Fascination
Morrison Hotel Gallery is mounting Strange Fascination, opening in early February 2027 in New York City and West Hollywood, with career-defining and previously unreleased photographs from the gallery's archives and the David Bowie estate. The show moves through six eras, identities and reinventions. The participating photographers will be announced in January.
Copenhagen: BOWIE (breaking) GLASS
The wild card: BOWIE (breaking) GLASS is a new live symphonic concert production from Schirmer Theatrical and Copenhagen's Østre Gasværk Teater. It pairs Bowie's original recordings with live vocalists, musicians and an orchestra, in a new dialogue with the music of Philip Glass. The link runs deep: Glass built his "Low" and "Heroes" symphonies in the 1990s from Bowie and Brian Eno's Berlin records. The official site lists the world premiere at Østre Gasværk Teater in May 2027.
London, Manchester, Brighton, Hamburg: You're Not Alone
David Bowie: You're Not Alone opened at London's Lightroom this year, wrapping 360-degree walls in performance footage and never-before-exhibited archive material, narrated only by Bowie's own voice. Next stops: Aviva Studios in Manchester (Dec 8 to Jan 10), Brighton Dome's Corn Exchange (Jul 16 to Aug 30, 2027) and, for its first European stop, Port des Lumières in Hamburg, with more cities to follow.
The V&A's David Bowie: On Tour also takes archive artefacts around the UK, starting in Dundee before Blackpool in 2027.
Mark your calendar
- Now: Bowie80 merch is live. Nordstrom shops announced, dates to come.
- Now until Jan 10, 2027: You're Not Alone at Lightroom, London, with a full week of shows Jan 5 to 10.
- Mid-November through January: Rock Hall Bowie80 pop-up, Cleveland.
- Dec 8, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027: You're Not Alone at Aviva Studios, Manchester.
- Jan 8, 2027: Bowie's 80th birthday, with Rock Hall fan events all weekend.
- January 2027: Strange Fascination photographers announced.
- Early February 2027: Strange Fascination opens in New York and West Hollywood.
- May 2027: BOWIE (breaking) GLASS world premiere at Østre Gasværk Teater, Copenhagen.
- Jul 16 to Aug 30, 2027: You're Not Alone at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange.
- 2027, dates to come: You're Not Alone at Port des Lumières, Hamburg.
Bowie's fingerprints are everywhere here: he covered "Cactus" on Heathen (see our Pixies b-sides piece), and his glam shadow falls across our 4AD starter guide. For the Berlin side, our ambient starter guide starts with Brian Eno. We'll track the dated drops on Incoming as they firm up.
Eighty years, six eras, one lightning bolt. Start saving now.
