V&A to Host Free Freddie Mercury Exhibition Featuring Iconic Stage Costumes

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London will mark the 80th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's birth with a free exhibition titled 'Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things'. Curated in collaboration with Mary Austin, Mercury's former fiancée and close friend of 20 years, the show will display eight iconic looks worn by the Queen frontman in music videos and live performances throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Highlights include the monochrome outfit from Queen's 1973 debut album cover, the 'Mercury Wing' catsuit designed by Wendy de Smet for the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video, and the crown and cloak by Diana Moseley worn during Mercury's final stage appearance with Queen at Knebworth in 1986. Austin, who has lent seven of the eight costumes, emphasized the importance of clothing in Mercury's artistic expression, stating that his costumes were 'essential to his performances, creative vision, and wider self-expression.' The exhibition will run from 24 October 2026 to 17 January 2027 across the museum's permanent galleries and will be free to the public. Mercury, known for his love of art and design, once remarked in 1978, 'I like to be surrounded by splendid things.' The exhibition is a tribute to his enduring legacy and his passion for fashion as a form of self-expression.