David Bowie | photo by Jo Hale/Getty Images
Celebrate Philly Loves Bowie Week 2026 with WXPN
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
Events
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Fri, Jan 2 • 8pmCandy Volcano at Ardmore Music Hall (50th anniversary of Station to Station)
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Fri, Jan 2 • 9pmThe 8th Annual Bowie Masquerade at Johnny Brenda’s (DJ, drag, burlesque, costume contest)
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Sat, Jan 3 • 7:30pmStarman: The Bowie Tribute at City Winery
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Sat, Jan 3 • 8pmLet’s Dance! The 11th Annual Bowie Blitz at Broad Hall / Divine Lorraine (DJ Robert Drake)
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Wed, Jan 7 • 5pm–2amDavid Bowie: Side By Side listening party at 48 Record Bar
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Thu, Jan 8 • 8pmBowie Quizzo at Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar (hosted by Patti Brett; DJ Robert Drake)
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Thu, Jan 8 • 8pmBowieoke at MilkBoy (free; arrive early)
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Fri, Jan 9 • 6–9pmSound & Vision Happy Hour at The Trestle Inn (vinyl DJs; go-go dancers; $1 per drink to CHOP)
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Fri, Jan 9 • 8pmhaZy cosmic jive at Brooklyn Bowl (plays Station to Station in full)
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Fri, Jan 9 • 9pmBowie / Prince Dance Party at Underground Arts
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Sat, Jan 10 • 8pmA Night of Stardust: 10 Years of Bowie Remembered at Union Transfer (final edition)
WXPN on air
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Mon, Jan 5 • 12pmLunch Hour: “Bowie Undercover” — an hour of Bowie covers. Your favorite Bowie songs as sung by The Cure, Brandi Carlile, Nirvana, and more.
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Mon, Jan 5 • 1pmLocal Pick of the Day — In The Pocket, “Young Americans”
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Mon, Jan 5 • 8–10pmNew Music Show — two hours of New Music to kick off 2026, including the latest from Gail Ann Dorsey, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, JJerome87 (Joe Newman from alt-J), Theo Bleak, Hudson Freeman, Mon Rovîa, and more.
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Tue, Jan 6 • 12pmLunch Hour: “Lost in the Aughts” — our weekly rewind to the early 2000s, with Bowie in the mix, plus Animal Collective, Arctic Monkeys, the I Am Sam soundtrack, and more.
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Tue, Jan 6 • 1pmLocal Pick of the Day — Olivia Elizabeth Basar, “Old Habits Die Hard”
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Tue, Jan 6 • 8–10pmLocal Show — getting into the Philly Loves Bowie Week swing with Bowie covers from In The Pocket and The Districts, plus new tunes from The Circus Hearts (playing a Philly Loves Bowie Week event later this week), Sadie Gust, Doll Spirit Vessel, Dan The Movie, and more.
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Wed, Jan 7 • 12pmLunch Hour: “Bowie LIVE!” — live performances from David Bowie, including tunes from the new I Can’t Give Everything Away box set, plus classics from David Live (recorded in Philly), Stage, and more.
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Wed, Jan 7 • 1pmLocal Pick of the Day — Dan The Movie, “Big Black Cloud”
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Thu, Jan 8 • 12pmLunch Hour: “Without David Bowie, There Would Be No ____” — help us fill in the blank. Which artists have been most inspired by Bowie? We’ll play back your requests during the hour.
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Thu, Jan 8 • 1pmLocal Pick of the Day — Carroll, “Rain Comes Down”
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Fri, Jan 9 • 10am hourFab Four — “Bowie Meets the Beatles!”
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Fri, Jan 9 • 12pmFree at Noon — Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (from World Cafe Live)
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Fri, Jan 9 • 1pmLocal Pick of the Day — The Circus Hearts, “Why Should The Devil Have All the Fun?” (at 118 North tonight)