A Spice Girls Exhibit Is Coming To London, So You'll Want To Book A Flight Immediately

It looks like London is about to get Spicier. Thanks to a newly-minted Spice Girls exhibition headed to London this summer, fans of the iconic female-fronted pop group can celebrate, pay tribute to, and generally indulge in pretty much everything that is, or was ever, related to the Spice Girls. Judging by the exhibition's slated event lineup, "everything" hardly seems to cover it. In keeping with its overall moniker, the exhibition, pretty appropriately, has devised its own personal hashtag: #SpiceUpLondon.

According to its press release, the exhibition, which will take place at London's Business Design Centre from July 28 through August 20, promises to be "the biggest of its kind." Makes sense, considering its subject matter; the Spice Girls, after all, remain at least one of the highest-selling girl groups of all time. (FYI: That's 85 million records sold, and counting.) So, in addition to showcasing a wide array of Spice-themed merchandise, culled from various collections across the globe, the exhibition will also do its part to capture the fun, formidable spirit of the girl band that shook the '90s. "The exhibition will be showcasing just how significantly and successfully the Spice Girls went from band to brand," reads the exhibition's press release.

In a lot of ways, it seems the goal of the multi-faceted, several-week exhibition is to capture the essence of the Spice Girls' history. No easy feat, that's for sure. But, Alan Smith-Allison, who serves as the events lead organizer and curator, managed to do it. Smith-Allison expressed both excitement and gratitude about #SpiceUpLondon's burgeoning scope in a recent statement, saying,

"It's been amazing to be able to share this passion with others, but above all it has allowed me to create this collection of iconic Spice Girls history. #SpiceUpLondon has been a long time in the making, but it has grown beyond even my hopes for it."

Back to the expertly-curated merchandise, though. To that end, the exhibition is slated to display "thousands of items," many of which double as rare Spice-themed memorabilia. And of course, accompanying the memorabilia will be hundreds of costumes belonging to the U.K.-bred "Fab Five," some of which, the exhibition said in its statement, haven't seen the light of day since they were first worn by the iconic group back in the '90s.

So, for all those Spice Girls enthusiasts who've engaged in their fair share of obsessing about the band's singularly Spice-y aesthetic, this exhibition might actually be something of a dream come true. And, for those already angling to book a last-minute flight to London, wait up. Because, as far as spicing up the city is concerned, the Spice Girls Exhibition's display collection is hardly the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

The exhibition will essentially serve as the eclectic nucleus of a whole roster of Spice Girls-themed events, which are slated to crop up across London throughout the exhibition's three-week run. The goal of such events, of course, is essentially to fulfill the exhibition's titular promise and #SpiceUpLondon. The activity lineup touts a medley of events, ranging from dance classes (who else spent a solid chunk of childhood trying to mimic the Spice Girls' dance routines in front of the TV?) to swanky bus tours.

And, speaking of bus tours — anyone else ever fantasized about taking a ride on the Spice Bus? The gargantuan item (which resembles one of London's traditionally red, double-decker buses, but whose exterior flaunts an encompassing British flag, instead) was a staple of the now-iconic 1999 Spice Girls' movie, Spice World.

After filming wrapped, the bus was relocated to a harbor along the Isle of Wight, a small, modestly-populated island off the southern coast of England. But, thanks to the upcoming exhibition, it looks like the bus might once again see some hard-earned glory. According to the exhibition's press release, the bus will be making "an extra special appearance" outside the #SpiceUpLondon exhibition. Ahead of its big revamp debut, the bus' current owners are asking any fans who would like to contribute to its restoration efforts to do so here. Of course, there's a distinctly Spice-y hashtag for that, too: #RefurbTheBus.

So, who's counting down the days until #SpiceUpLondon kicks off? For those of us with no feasible means of trekking over to the U.K. in any version of the foreseeable future — well, consider us wannabes.