Bowie80: the estate unveils a year of exhibitions, a Philip Glass concert and a Nordstrom collaboration

David Bowie's estate has launched Bowie80, a campaign of exhibitions, live productions and collaborations marking what would have been his 80th birthday on 8 January 2027. It begins in November and runs through 2027.

Bowie died in January 2016, two days after releasing his final album, Blackstar. The estate has kept his catalogue and archive busy since, and this is its biggest coordinated push yet.

What has been announced

• BOWIE (breaking) GLASS: a new live symphonic production that pairs Bowie's original recordings with a live orchestra, vocalists and the music of composer Philip Glass, premiering in Copenhagen in spring 2027. Glass turned Bowie's Berlin-era albums Low and "Heroes" into symphonies, so the pairing has a history.
• Strange Fascination: a photography exhibition at Morrison Hotel Gallery opening in early February 2027 in New York and West Hollywood, with previously unreleased images from across his career.
• David Bowie: You're Not Alone: the immersive exhibition expands in 2027 with runs in Manchester and Brighton, and its first European venue at Port des Lumieres in Hamburg.
• David Bowie: On Tour: the Victoria and Albert Museum's touring exhibition, drawn from an archive of roughly 90,000 items, continues across the UK in 2027, beginning in Dundee and then Blackpool.
• Nordstrom: Bowie-themed shops at its flagships in Seattle, New York and Chicago, and online, with limited-edition pieces from Undercover, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and AllSaints.
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: a retail pop-up in Cleveland from mid-November, with fan installations over the birthday weekend in January.

Official merchandise will also be sold through the David Bowie webstore and Amazon, with licensees including Rockoff and Girl Skateboards.

What we are watching for

No new studio or archive album has been announced as part of the campaign yet. The estate has said releases are part of the plan, so expect more details nearer the birthday. Specific dates and ticketing for the live and immersive shows had not been published at the time of writing, and we will add them to the gig guide when they are.

For more on the artist, see David Bowie on ADMC.