SNOW PATROL, PAOLO NUTINI AND JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ AMONG PERFORMERS JOINING WORLDWIDE CELEBRATION TO HONOUR A REMARKABLE MAN WITH A REMARKABLE LEGACY
GUINNESS WANTS NI MUSIC ACTS TO JOIN ARTHUR’S DAY CELEBRATIONS.
Today, Thursday 3rd June: After much public anticipation, today GUINNESS® & CO confirmed that Arthur’s Day is back this year with events taking place in Dublin, Cork and Galway as well as other festivities happening throughout the country on Thursday, 23rd September.
Arthur’s Day honours the remarkable legacy of Arthur Guinness, the pioneering brewer and philanthropist who signed the 9,000 year lease on the St. James’s Gate Brewery in 1759 and introduced GUINNESS to the world.
Last year’s Arthur’s Day celebrations captured the imagination of the entire nation with thousands of people across Northern Ireland joining artists and celebrities to celebrate the peak of the Guinness 250th Celebrations at St James’s Gate Brewery and in pubs and music venues in Dublin and around the world. Thousands more signed an online petition to make Arthur’s Day a public holiday, while others organised their own celebrations in pubs all over the country.
The worldwide celebration will begin at 17:59 (GMT) in Ireland, when Arthur’s Day will once again see the nation witness some of the world’s most established music artists play in great pubs and venues, while raising a glass to Arthur Guinness and his lasting legacy. GUINNESS fans around the world will join in on the celebrations at 17.59 local time in the Caribbean, Africa, USA, Asia and throughout Europe.
This year’s celebrations will see one-off performances in unique locations from some of the worlds most established recording artists, including home grown global phenomenon Snow Patrol, multi-platinum artist Paolo Nutini, the internationally acclaimed José González, crowd favourites The Magic Numbers and Sharon Shannon and some of the best emerging stars of today including The View, Jay Sean, The Hoosiers, Slow Club, The Maccabees, and We Have Band. Over the summer months there will be over 40 more amazing acts announced.
Not content with Arthur’s Day expanding to other Irish cities, GUINNESS & CO is also looking for 100 up and coming Irish acts to be part of the Arthur’s Day line up on 23rd September.
Every Thursday from mid July through to early August, GUINNESS & CO. will be running music events, called ‘Our Thursdays’, in pubs across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, giving emerging Irish music acts the opportunity to showcase their talents.
From the 100 emerging acts, three will be chosen to play in Galway, Cork and in Hopstore 13 at St James’s Gate Brewery on Arthur’s Day alongside amazing international artists including Snow Patrol. Bands that want to be part of ‘Our Thursdays’ should log onto www.guinness.com/ourthursdays
Speaking at the launch of Arthur’s Day 2010, Tanya Clarke, Head of Guinness Marketing, said, “Arthur’s Day was designed to recognise a remarkable man with a remarkable legacy but we never imagined that so many people would embrace it in the way they did. From Donegal to Kerry, people made a huge effort to mark the day in their own special way.”
Clarke continued, “Arthur’s Day is a celebration with substance. One million people helped to create the Arthur Guinness Fund in Ireland, which has already assigned one million euros to support social entrepreneurs who are helping to drive sustainable social impact around the country. A further €1.5 million will be used to support future Irish social entrepreneurs in the coming years. We are delighted to announce details of Arthur’s Day 2010, which includes exciting organised music events all over the country this year and I look forward to raising a glass to the man himself on the day.”
People will get the opportunity to see some of the music industry’s biggest names play together in studio venues in Dublin, Galway and Cork, while those people attending the 29 pub venues across the three cities will have the unique experience of seeing surprise performances from international artists in the intimate surroundings of a traditional pub.
Proceeds from all Arthur’s Day ticket sales will be donated to the Arthur Guinness Fund and ticket information will be announced in mid July.
Arthur’s Day celebrations are strictly over 18’s events.