The third annual Bon’s Birthday Bash will be held on Thursday, July 9 in New York City at The Cutting Room (44 E 32nd St). The only U.S. tribute event authorized by the Bon Scott Estate, the Birthday Bash will feature vocal luminaries Corey Glover of Living Colour, Constantine Maroulis, Steve Brown of Trixter, Jimmy Kunes of Cactus, and many more.
The band will once again be Paul McGilloway on lead guitar, John Jackson on rhythm guitar, Ivan Bodley on bass, and Kenny Soule on drums, with the evening hosted by legendary rock radio personality Terrie Carr.
The event will also feature a Morrison Hotel Gallery pop-up showcasing never-before-seen images of Bon Scott by legendary rock photographer Steve Joester. Prints will be available for sale.
Held during Bon’s 80th birthday week, the event brings fans, musicians, and the Estate together for a one-night celebration of the voice, swagger, and spirit that helped define AC/DC’s early era. A true evening of High Voltage Rock And Roll!
Find tickets at wl.eventim.us.
Bonfest 2026 brought Kirriemuir alive for a milestone weekend celebrating both Bon’s 80th birthday as well as the 20th anniversary of the festival. What began as a tribute, run by local children’s music charity DD8 Music, has grown into an international gathering, but the heart of the festival remains exactly where it should be: Bon’s hometown, the fans who keep his music loud, and a community honoring a legacy that still travels a long way.
From May 1 to 3, fans travelled from across Scotland, across Europe, and around the world to celebrate one of rock and roll’s most beloved frontmen. Across the town, Kirriemuir fully embraced the weekend. Local shops decorated their window displays, stages filled with music, pipe bands brought the streets to life, and generations of fans came together to celebrate not just what Bon did, but what he still means to people.
That hometown spirit was especially present at the Official Bon Scott Pop-Up, presented by the Bon Scott Estate, inside the original Scott family bakery in Kirriemuir. Set within a space rich in history, the pop-up became one of the weekend’s most meaningful stops, bringing fans into a place tied directly to Bon’s early life.
One of the weekend’s defining moments came during the “It’s a Long Way to the Top” procession, a Bonfest tradition that pays homage to AC/DC’s original 1976 video. In that now-iconic clip, Bon and the band performed on the back of a flatbed truck rolling through Melbourne, with bagpipes giving the song its unmistakable character. In Kirriemuir, the tribute took on a hometown life of its own. As the truck passed the Official Bon Scott Pop-Up, an especially meaningful moment unfolded when Bon’s friend Gabby joined the procession. Having been there with Bon in Melbourne for the original “Long Way to theTop” moment, her presence in Kirriemuir all these years later gave the tribute an emotional full-circle quality. It connected Melbourne to Kirriemuir, past to present, and the original spirit of the song to the generations still carrying it forward.
The statue remained one of the weekend’s central gathering points, drawing fans for photos, tributes, and quiet moments throughout the festival. Alongside the memorial plaque first laid in Bon’s honor, it helps tell the larger story of how Bonfest grew from a local act of remembrance into a global celebration.
For everyone who came to Kirriemuir this year, the message was clear. Bon Scott brings people together, and in his hometown, that connection feels stronger than ever.
AC/DC’s 2026 North American PWR UP Tour kicks off just two days after Bon Scott’s 80th birthday, beginning on July 11 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The timing creates a natural opportunity to connect Bon’s milestone year with the continued excitement around AC/DC, giving fans another way to celebrate his lasting impact as the tour rolls across North America.
About Bon Scott:
Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott was born in Forfar, Scotland on July 9, 1946. He spent his childhood in nearby Kirriemuir, Scotland where the Scott family had a bakery, until 1952 when the family emigrated to Australia. Bon’s earliest music experience was in the Fremantle Pipe Band, playing the drums. In primary school he adopted the nickname “Bon” as a reference to Bonnie Scotland, and also because there was another Ronald in the class. His first band The Spektors, later The Valentines, played mostly popular cover songs of the day with Bon sharing vocal duties with Vince Lovegrove. After The Valentines disbanded, Bon joined Fraternity, a progressive-rock band that won Go-Set magazine’s “Next Big Band” award, appeared on national TV and toured the UK, eventually sharing a1973 bill with Geordie, featuring Brian Johnson.
After leaving Fraternity and suffering some personal setbacks, Bon was hired as the singer in up-and-coming Sydney band AC/DC. He immediately injected the swagger, voice and lyrics that the band was searching for and history was made over the course of six years and six studio albums (1974-1979). On February 19, 1980, Bon was found dead in a car outside of his home in London.
In 2003, he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of AC/DC and in 2004 Classic Rock magazine named Bon the number one front man of all time, beating out fellow luminaries like Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger and Robert Plant. Several landmarks have been established in the 21st century to honor Bon’s music and legacy, including statues in Kirriemuir, Scotland and Fremantle, Western Australia, that are natural gathering spots for fans to pay their respects.
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