Celebrate Philly Loves Bowie Week 2026 with WXPN

January 02, 2026

David Bowie | photo by Jo Hale/Getty Images

Candy Volcano kicked off the 10th annual Philly Loves Bowie Week with a sold-out Free at Noon at Ardmore Music Hall earlier today. If you were there, you know. If you missed it, the week’s just getting started. Catch them tonight at Ardmore for the 50th anniversary of Station to Station.

Philadelphia’s connection to Bowie goes back over half a century to 1974 when David Live was recorded at the Tower Theater, Young Americans came out of Sigma Sound, and the fans who camped outside those sessions – the Sigma Kids – are still around, and still organizing this thing. What started as a few tribute shows has grown into a citywide celebration, with proceeds from many events benefiting cancer research at CHOP.

Here is how you can celebrate Bowie all week long, on the airwaves with XPN and out in the city.

Philly Loves Bowie Week 2026

Full schedule: PhillyLovesBowie.com Listen to WXPN: Ways to listen

Events

Fri, Jan 2 • 8pm

Candy Volcano at Ardmore Music Hall (50th anniversary of Station to Station) Tickets
Fri, Jan 2 • 9pm

The 8th Annual Bowie Masquerade at Johnny Brenda’s (DJ, drag, burlesque, costume contest) Tickets
Sat, Jan 3 • 7:30pm

Starman: The Bowie Tribute at City Winery Tickets
Sat, Jan 3 • 8pm

Let’s Dance! The 11th Annual Bowie Blitz at Broad Hall / Divine Lorraine (DJ Robert Drake) Info
Wed, Jan 7 • 5pm–2am

David Bowie: Side By Side listening party at 48 Record Bar Info
Thu, Jan 8 • 8pm

Bowie Quizzo at Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar (hosted by Patti Brett; DJ Robert Drake) Info
Thu, Jan 8 • 8pm

Bowieoke at MilkBoy (free; arrive early) Info
Fri, Jan 9 • 6–9pm

Sound & Vision Happy Hour at The Trestle Inn (vinyl DJs; go-go dancers; $1 per drink to CHOP) Info
Fri, Jan 9 • 8pm

haZy cosmic jive at Brooklyn Bowl (plays Station to Station in full) Tickets
Fri, Jan 9 • 9pm

Bowie / Prince Dance Party at Underground Arts Tickets
Sat, Jan 10 • 8pm

A Night of Stardust: 10 Years of Bowie Remembered at Union Transfer (final edition) Tickets

WXPN on air

Mon, Jan 5 • 6:35am

Friday Morning Mixtape — theme reveal — celebrating the 10th annual Philly Loves Bowie Week
Mon, Jan 5 • 9:00am

90s @ 9 — with at least a block of Bowie
Mon, Jan 5 • 12:00pm

Lunch Hour: “Bowie Undercover” — an hour of Bowie covers (The Cure, Brandi Carlile, Nirvana, and more)
Mon, Jan 5 • 5:00pm

5 O’Clock Shadow — a cover song followed by the original: M. Ward re-interprets and re-harmonizes “Let’s Dance”
Mon, Jan 5 • 6:00pm

Highs in the 70’s — All Bowie week! Bowie had tons of UK hits in the ’70s, but only 12 charted in the US. Hear them all.
Tue, Jan 6 • 6:00am–10:00am

Two for Tuesday — sets at the top of every hour: Best David Bowie duets
Tue, Jan 6 • 12:00pm

Lunch Hour: “Lost in the Aughts” — weekly rewind to the early 2000s, with Bowie in the mix (plus Animal Collective, Arctic Monkeys, the I Am Sam soundtrack, and more)
Tue, Jan 6 • 5:00pm

5 O’Clock Shadow — more Bowie cover-song shenanigans (Neil Young, with help from Dave Grohl?)
Tue, Jan 6 • 6:00pm

Highs in the 70’s — Shall we go to Berlin, with songs from the Bowie Berlin Trilogy? Ja, das machen wir!
Tue, Jan 6 • 8:00pm–10:00pm

Local Show — getting into the Philly Loves Bowie Week swing with Bowie covers from In The Pocket and The Districts
Wed, Jan 7 • 12:00pm

Lunch Hour: “Bowie LIVE!” — live performances from David Bowie (including the I Can’t Give Everything Away box set), plus classics from David Live (recorded in Philly), Stage, and more
Wed, Jan 7 • 5:00pm

5 O’Clock Shadow — a cover song followed by the original: “Bowie luvs Bruce??”
Wed, Jan 7 • 6:00pm

Highs in the 70’s — sets from three early-’70s Bowie albums not named Ziggy: The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, and Pinups
Thu, Jan 8 • 8:50am

This Day in Music History — 10th anniversary of David Bowie’s Blackstar
Thu, Jan 8 • 9:15am

First Song First — featuring “The Man Who Sold the World”
Thu, Jan 8 • 12:00pm

Lunch Hour: “Without David Bowie, There Would Be No ____” — help fill in the blank: which artists were most inspired by Bowie?
Thu, Jan 8 • 5:00pm

5 O’Clock Shadow — a cover song followed by the original: today, Bowie covered by Herman’s Hermits’ Peter Noone?
Thu, Jan 8 • 6:00pm

Highs in the 70’s — Bowie in Philly: digging deep into Young Americans and David Live for hits
Fri, Jan 9 • 6:00am–10:00am

Morning Show — Kristen in conversation with longtime Bowie bassist (and Philly native) Gail Ann Dorsey throughout the morning
Fri, Jan 9 • 9:00am

Friday Morning Mixtape — celebrating the 10th annual Philly Loves Bowie Week
Fri, Jan 9 • 10:00am hour

Fab Four — “Bowie Meets the Beatles!”
Fri, Jan 9 • 7:00pm–9:00pm

Land of the Lost — DJ Robert Drake celebrates Bowie and XPN’s Philly Loves Bowie Week