“I like to be surrounded by splendid things.” Freddie Mercury’s own phrase gives its name to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s new free trail, Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things, which opens at V&A South Kensington on Saturday 24 October 2026 and runs until 17 January 2027.
Marking what would have been the Queen frontman’s 80th birthday year, the trail presents eight of his most iconic looks across six theatrically staged stops through the museum’s galleries — free to visit, with no ticket required.
FAKTA
- What: Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things, a free costume trail at V&A South Kensington.
- When: 24 October 2026 to 17 January 2027; admission free, no ticket required.
- Looks: Eight outfits across six stops, seven lent by Mary Austin, Mercury’s former fiancée, friend and confidante.
- Design: Installations by designer Tom Piper, with specially posed mannequins and theatrical settings of set, sound and light.
- Highlights: The Bohemian Rhapsody catsuit, the crown and cloak from Queen’s final stage performance at Knebworth in 1986, and the monochrome outfit from the band’s early days.
Freddie Mercury V&A exhibition
Senior Curator of Theatre and Performance Kate Bailey said: “We are thrilled to display Freddie’s most iconic costumes at the V&A, celebrating one of the greatest performers and songwriters of all time. Reflecting his love of ‘splendid things’ and his passion for art, design and fashion, Freddie will be very at home in the V&A galleries.”
Mary Austin said the costumes tell a hugely important part of his story both on and off stage: “Never mere accoutrements, his costumes and clothes were essential to his performances, creative vision, and wider self-expression, carefully designed to create a lasting visual and emotional impact.”
Eight looks, six stops
The trail is arranged as a route around the museum, so visitors encounter Mercury in dialogue with the surrounding galleries rather than in a single room. Highlights announced include the monochrome outfit associated with Queen’s 1973 debut album cover, Wendy de Smet’s Mercury Wing catsuit from the Bohemian Rhapsody video, and the crown and cloak designed by Diana Moseley for the 1986 Magic Tour.
A costume from the Made in Heaven video brings Mercury’s solo work into the story, while accessories and personal wardrobe pieces add a quieter, off-stage perspective alongside the great stage looks.
Why costumes, why now
For Mercury, costume was never decoration. It was argument, armour and invitation at once — a way to turn a rock stage into theatre. The V&A, a museum of art, design and performance, is therefore a fitting home: here, a catsuit can be read as design history, and a crown as performance craft.
The 80th-birthday timing gives the trail its emotional charge. It is not a memorial of loss but a celebration of presence — of a performer whose visual imagination still shapes how pop stars dress, move and command a stage.
Conclusion
Splendid Things works because it is small and free and theatrical: six stops, eight looks, and a voice you can almost hear in every gallery. For fans, it is a pilgrimage. For everyone else, it is a perfect introduction to why Mercury still matters — not just as a singer, but as a designer of himself.
Read more on Watan News: Freddie Mercury’s Splendid Things opens free at the V&A.
