GUINNESS ANNOUNCES GLOBAL CELEBRATIONS TO MARK 250th ANNIVERSARY OF SIGNING OF LEASE ON ST. JAMES’S GATE BREWERY, DUBLIN
Today, GUINNESS announced details of their 250th Anniversary celebrations which will peak on ‘Arthur’s Day’ 24th September 2009. Celebrating 250 years, this remarkable day will honour, Arthur Guinness, the man who signed the 9,000 year lease on the St. James’s Gate brewery in 1759 and whose legacy gave us GUINNESS beer. Arthur’s Day will see a series of events take place around the world to celebrate this remarkable milestone in the life of a remarkable brand.
The celebrations will take place in Dublin, the spiritual home of GUINNESS, and around the world in cities including New York, Lagos, Yaoundé and Kuala Lumpur. Live music and entertainment will come from some of the world’s biggest names in music including the Black Eyed Peas and renowned DJ and producer David Holmes with rising stars such as Estelle, Kasabian, The Wombats and The Enemy and legendary acts such as Soul II Soul and The Undertones.
The highlight of this once in a lifetime celebration will see Artists and consumers throughout Dublin and around the world raise a GUINNESS to Arthur at 17.59 local time, to start a truly remarkable global toast. Celebrities including Sir Bob Geldof, Guy Ritchie, Carson Daly, Jerry Hall and Sophie Dahl will also be raising a GUINNESS to Arthur and joining in the celebrations. The toast will not only recognise the philanthropic achievements of Arthur Guinness and his family, but is a gesture to mark the next philanthropic step from the Guinness Company.
Arthur Guinness and his family were responsible for some of the most well known acts of philanthropy in Ireland and to honour and continue this legacy GUINNESS will establish the Arthur Guinness Fund. The aim of the Fund is to enable and empower individuals with skills and opportunities to deliver a measured benefit to their communities. The Guinness Company will donate £5 million to the Arthur Guinness Fund, which will be active from September 2009.
The Arthur’s Day celebration will commence in Dublin, with internationally renowned music acts and local talent performing in locations around the city, from pubs, bars and music venues to the St. James’s Gate brewery itself. Thousands of people will be coming together to experience the events live, with more tuning in to watch across the world. One of the most historic buildings in the brewery, Hop Store 13, will be converted into a live music studio for Arthur’s Day for over 2,000 special guests from around the world, who will enjoy performances from global Artists.
Simultaneously events will occur across Africa and then onto New York at 17:59 local time, wrapping up 24 hours after they began with celebrations in Kuala Lumpur. A remarkable end to a remarkable celebration of 250 years!
Artists taking part in Arthur’s Day will include: The Black Eyed Peas, The Enemy, D’Banj, renowned DJ David Holmes, Soul II Soul, Reverend & the Makers, Estelle, Kasabian, Mongrel, Noah & the Whale, The Wombats, Mystery Jets, Johnny Flynn and The Undertones, with further artists to be announced.
GUINNESS STOREHOUSE, the ‘Home of Guinness’, Dublin and Ireland’s number 1 visitor attraction, will be joining in the Guinness 250 celebrations with a summer festival of music, lectures, tours and demonstrations. With over 90 events planned, the GUINNESS STOREHOUSE 250 SUMMER FESTIVAL will kick off on the 1st June 2009 and run until the 30th August 2009. Festival events will take place daily at no extra charge to GUINNESS STOREHOUSE visitors. See www.guinness-storehouse.com for full details.
-Ends-
For detailed information about GUINNESS 250 and Arthur’s Day :
Visit www.guinnessmedia.com (restricted for media access only).
Email: guinnessglobal@taylorpr.com.
For more information about the GUINNESS STOREHOUSE 250 SUMMER FESTIVAL:
Mark Mc Govern, Media Relations, GUINNESS STOREHOUSE
Mark.mcgovern@diageo.com / +353 1 471 46 49
Note to Editors:
The GUINNESS STOREHOUSE building dates back to 1904 and is built in the style of the Chicago School of Architecture. The building was once the fermentation plant of the brewery, which ceased operation in 1988. In 1997, the GUINNESS STOREHOUSE project commenced to preserve and redevelop the building as a visitor attraction at a cost of IR£ 30 million. GUINNESS STOREHOUSE opened its doors for the first time in 2000 and since then has won a number of national and international tourism awards. GUINNESS STOREHOUSE welcomes over one million visitors each year from around the world and is Ireland’s number one visitor attraction.
The GUINNESS and GUINNESS STOREHOUSE words and associated logos are trademarks. |
