A free exhibition, 1996: A celebration of the wildest year of Britain’s wildest decade, is opening at the Barbican Music Library in central London and spotlights Spice Girls outfits, including Mel B’s leopard-print catsuit, alongside other iconic 1996 memorabilia.

The show also features Liam Gallagher’s tambourine, a Brit Award trophy, and archival photos by Jill Furmanovsky and Derek Ridgers, plus previously unseen Oasis items and concert flyers and tickets.

Curated by Dominic Mohan, the former editor of The Sun, the exhibition seeks to illustrate how pop, rock, football, art, dance culture, media, and politics fused to define 1996 as a peak year.

City of London Corporation officials describe the exhibition as hot, memory-evoking, and a highly anticipated addition to London’s cultural calendar.

The Barbican Music Library’s role within Destination City, along with heritage funding from the City of London Corporation, is part of the broader context, and curator Dominic Mohan is set to release a forthcoming book on 23 April.

The curator emphasizes aiming to capture the era’s fusion of cultural elements and to present 1996 as one of the hottest free exhibitions in the capital.

Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis, along with other artists, contributed to the diverse lineup of items highlighting the year’s cultural impact.