This year marked the eighth and final public celebration of Bowiemas in Seattle, Washington. Chrissie White was on hand to take pictures—all of the photos in this album are from this year’s last hurrah.
Some history: This all started back in 2004, when I was a 14-year-old crazed David Bowie fan. My friend Elaine was one as well, and we were taking a world-religions class together where we had to come up with our own religion and holiday. We came up with the religion Bowieism, and our holiday, in celebration of Bowie’s birthday (January 8), was christened Bowiemas.
When Bowie’s birthday came around that year I had a celebration at my friend’s apartment. About 20 people showed up for a lovely mellow gathering. The next year it grew to a 60-person dance party. The year after that we moved it to a warehouse in Wallingford, a neighborhood in Seattle, and drew 250 people to the rowdiest party I have ever seen. Couch cushions were ripped to shreds, the floorboards threatened to cave in, and we had to shut the party down at 12:30 because of the cops.
Now, eight years later, Bowiemas has become a huge, 500-plus-person event, with costumes and burlesque and a completely packed dance floor, at a giant venue in Belltown called the Underground Event Center.
Bowiemas has given me some of the funnest times of my life, but I’m about to move away from Washington, so this year it was time to pack it in. But not without throwing one last party.
The eighth and final Bowiemas was the biggest, most outrageous, most beautiful Bowiemas ever. The decorations, the sound, the crowd, the costumes—it was all so perfect and SO much fun!
I’d like to thank Lyle Echo for co-producing Bowiemas with me, as well as our amazing volunteers and the whole gorgeous crowd that showed up to celebrate our holiday of choice one last time.
Bowiemas is over, but Bowieism lives on.
25 Comments
Cool.
So… amazing… can’t… describe…
I cry for the end of an era…
But in the bright side, can I create a new holiday?
What about Rookiemas
or Rookmah?
Just pitching ideas here;)
Oh my god that looks like the greatest thing ever.
yesterday i watched The Runaways (oh my gosh, how my life is related to everything now). David Bowie rules!
Snap! Well, I watched The Runaways on Saturday, but really this is such a coincidence :) Yaaay
best religion ever !
looooove
Question: Why was this the last year? It sounds so great.
I don’t think they meant that this was the last year they would have it, just that this was the latest one they’d had.
“This year marked the eighth and final public celebration of Bowiemas…”
final |ˈfīnl|
adjective
coming at the end of a series: (e.g. the final version of the report was presented).
Although I’m not a huge Bowie fan *Gasp* *Rookie readers throw rotten tomatoes* this party sounds hecka fun!
You should keep throwing them! haha
You must die.
Thats AMAZING omg. seriously, i wish i could have attended one.
Great photos! Can’t decide which is my favourite!
I would just love to be there.
Why have I never heard of this celebration before? It is marvellous! Am I allowed to make a Bowiemas in my city or build a Bowieism temple? We do something in Van Gogh’s birthday but it’s basically four people eating stroopwafel and planting sunflowers.
So beautiful..
I’d die to go to this party. chrissie, you are simply the coolest! looks like such a blast. can’t believe you made a holiday. bowie is very deserving.
How am I not invited to this…?
Bowiemas was the one night I had to fight with my boyfriend over mirror space, makeup, and shoes – and I was so glad.
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In the last photo, whoever made that jacket, knows there Bowie!
This is wonderful, wish I could have atteneded just to freakin’ yap with deep fans about deep things and have deep times even on the dance floor!
Someone must keep this up! ;)
So sad I missed the last one. I have so many beautiful memories of Bowiemas. Rose welcomed me and Pete to Seattle with the most magical glitter party ever. Long live bowie, and rose you are a GEM xo- Amanda
I celebrate Bowiemas on my own, but why don’t I live in Seattle?