Brian May, Roger Taylor Mark Freddie Mercury’s 80th Birthday as Restored Queen Budapest Film Nears Release

Brian May and Roger Taylor took to Instagram on September 5, 2026 to remember their late Queen bandmate Freddie Mercury, who was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946. Mercury died nearly 35 years before this milestone, and the tributes arrived just over a week after Queen announced that its historic 1986 Budapest concert film has been restored in 4K and is headed for cinemas and IMAX screens.

• Freddie Mercury was born September 5, 1946 in Zanzibar and would have turned 80 on September 5, 2026.
• Brian May’s Instagram tribute included footage from the annual official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party held in Montreux, Switzerland.
• Queen recorded six albums at Mountain Studios in Montreux, including the posthumous 1995 release “Made in Heaven.”
• Queen Budapest, restored in 4K by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post team, opens in cinemas and IMAX for a limited run starting October 7.
• Physical and digital editions of the film, including 3LP, 2CD, DVD and Blu-ray formats, are available for pre-order ahead of an October 30 release.

How Brian May and Roger Taylor Remembered Freddie Mercury

Brian May shared a clip capturing a midnight countdown from this year’s official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party in Montreux, Switzerland. He captioned the post, “Happy Birthday dear Freddie. We all still love you. Bri. 3, 2,1, countdown at a fan celebration from Montreux.” May followed up with a separate selfie simply captioned, “Happy Birthday, dear Freddie.”

Roger Taylor posted a photograph of himself laughing alongside Mercury, apparently taken in the mid-1980s. He wrote, “Happy Birthday Fred. Sending love to wherever you are. R x.”

Montreux served as Mercury’s second home for the final 13 years of his life, and Queen used the city’s Mountain Studios to record six full albums, among them the posthumous 1995 release “Made in Heaven,” which featured vocals Mercury had recorded before his death.

Queen Budapest Concert Film Gets 4K Restoration for 40th Anniversary

Roughly a week before Mercury’s birthday tributes, Queen revealed that its 1986 Budapest concert film has been remastered in 4K by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post team to mark the show’s 40th anniversary. The original performance took place when Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon brought The Magic Tour to Budapest’s Népstadion, making Queen the first Western rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain.

The 1986 show drew 80,000 ticket buyers, with an additional 45,000 people gathering outside to listen, and some fans traveled from as far as Russia to attend. Shot on 35mm film using 17 cameras, the concert stands as the sixth-to-last time Queen performed live with Mercury, and it is the final filmed live performance of the band in its original four-piece lineup.

Brian May described the emotional weight of the original concert, saying: “For years, fans behind the Iron Curtain had been able to listen to Queen music only on illegal cassettes. It was a forbidden thing to listen to rock bands like us, so to see them play in a live show would have been unthinkable. This concert, when they could finally come and see us live in person and interact with us, was a huge emotional moment for them and also for us. It felt like a very big deal, you could feel that incredible energy. There will never be an event quite like that again. Perhaps the most memorable highlight of all was performing that beautiful Hungarian folk song, which Freddie and I had learned for the occasion. Not a dry eye!”

May also praised the restoration work itself: “Peter Jackson’s team have done a magnificent job of restoring the original film footage, at the highest resolution ever; it’s pristine and the quality is breathtaking. I think you’re going to love it. For the sound, we’ve been able to do some top-quality restoration work as well. Now, in IMAX and movie theatres, it’s going to be definitively the most real experience ever of us, Queen, in our glory days. I think people will get lost in it and even forget they’re watching a film. The image quality is wonderful. You’ll feel like you’re there. In IMAX, it is going to be colossal.”

Roger Taylor recalled the audience’s reaction to the band’s attempt at a Hungarian folk song during the concert: “We did love to think that the music could transcend the politics, the political barriers, and that was sort of part of our ethos, to actually bring the audience into the show and make them feel part of the show. I know Freddie tried to learn this folk song, but he had the words written phonetically on the back of his hand. When the audience just started singing, we realised, wow, music really can be a great cause.”

Peter Jackson, whose Park Road Post team led the restoration, said: “As long time fans of Queen we were thrilled when they asked Park Road Post to restore the Budapest Concert footage. It has been a rare privilege to breathe new life into such an iconic moment in music history. We look forward to a whole new audience participating in the original band’s final live performance, captured on film. They will rock you!!!”

Queen Budapest Release Dates

• October 7: Limited theatrical and IMAX release of Queen Budapest
• October 30: Release of 3LP, 2CD, digital, DVD and Blu-ray editions, currently available for pre-order

More Info

• Freddie Mercury’s 80th birthday celebrated by Brian May and Roger Taylor | express.co.uk
• ALISON BOSHOFF: Seconds out, as the fight for Freddie’s soul – and legacy – gets personal | Daily Mail Showbiz