Birmingham to celebrate first-ever 'Ozzy Day' one year after Ozzy Osbourne's death

Ozzy Osbourne's hometown of Birmingham is preparing to honour the heavy metal legend with the inaugural "Ozzy Day", a city-wide celebration marking the first anniversary of the Black Sabbath frontman's death.

The tribute will take place on 22 July 2026, exactly one year after Osbourne died at the age of 76, with live music, public art and special events planned across Birmingham city centre to celebrate the life and legacy of one of the city's most famous sons.

Organised by Central BID Birmingham in partnership with OPUS (Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces), Birmingham City Council, Birmingham New Street and Westside BID, the event will transform several landmarks associated with Osbourne into celebration sites.

Fans will be encouraged to visit locations including the Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham New Street Station, Bullring, Selfridges and Martineau Place, all of which played a role in either Osbourne's life or Birmingham's celebration of his career.

The programme will feature performances by Bostin Brass, the brass ensemble that performed during Osbourne's funeral procession in 2025, while the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will stage a special performance at the Bullring. The city's famous mechanical sculpture Ozzy the Bull, originally created for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and later named in the singer's honour, will also receive a special makeover for the occasion.

Sam Watson, Chair of Central BID Birmingham, said the event would celebrate "the legacy of a truly global, Birmingham-born icon."

"We're creating a city centre-wide experience that encourages people to celebrate the legacy of a truly global, Birmingham-born icon," Watson said, praising the collaboration between businesses, cultural organisations and public spaces.

Birmingham City Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Councillor Deborah Harries, described Osbourne as "one of Birmingham's foremost cultural figures" and said the celebration would honour both his musical achievements and the pride he always took in his hometown.

She noted that Black Sabbath were awarded the Freedom of the City in June 2025, adding that the anniversary events provide an opportunity to celebrate both the band's legacy and Birmingham's rich cultural identity.

The announcement comes just weeks after Sharon Osbourne shared an emotional tribute marking what would have been the couple's 46th wedding anniversary.

"Today would have been our 46th wedding anniversary. Instead, it is a celebration of a love that even death could not diminish," she wrote alongside a photograph of their hands. "Forever my husband. Forever my heart."

Osbourne died on July 22, 2025 after suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and acute myocardial infarction, with coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease listed among the contributing causes.

Widely known as the "Prince of Darkness," he helped pioneer heavy metal as the frontman of Black Sabbath before enjoying an enormously successful solo career spanning more than five decades. His final live performance came just weeks before his death during Black Sabbath's farewell concert, Back to the Beginning, at Birmingham's Villa Park.