GUINNESS®Announces More Acts for Arthur's Day 250th Anniversary Celebrations

PRESS RELEASE - EMBARGOED UNTIL 15th July 2009 15:00hrs GMT

GUINNESS ANNOUNCES MORE ACTS FOR GLOBAL CELEBRATION

Dublin, Ireland, July 15, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — GUINNESS® announces today additional line-up of Artists joining the Arthur's Day 250th anniversary celebrations on 24th September 2009. Joining previously announced artists including The Black Eyed Peas, Estelle and Kasabian are music industry legend Sir Tom Jones and some of the hottest acts today including Razorlight, Imelda May, Calvin Harris, The Kooks, Jamie Cullum, Sugababes and David Gray. Over 60 Artists will pledge to perform in Dublin and around the world including New York, Lagos, Yaoundé and Asia to mark this remarkable milestone.

The celebrations begin in Dublin at 17:59 local time with a global toast to Arthur Guinness to mark the 250 years since he signed the 9,000 year lease on the St. James's Gate brewery and kick off the beginning of the Arthur's Day global events. In Dublin thousands of people will be coming together to experience the live music events in over 30 venues across Dublin from intimate gigs in pubs to music venues and even a concert at the St. James's Gate brewery itself. One of the most historic buildings in the brewery, Hop Store 13, will become a live music studio for Arthur's Day where more than 2,000 guests from around the world will enjoy performances from global artists in honour of this remarkable milestone and the legacy that is Arthur Guinness.

At 17:59 in and around the world, consumers will be joined by Artists and celebrities including Sir Bob Geldof, Guy Ritchie, Carson Daly, Jerry Hall and Sophie Dahl as they take part in this once in a lifetime moment and raise a GUINNESS to Arthur and toast the Arthur Guinness Fund. 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 we are establishing 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 & Co. will donate €6 million to the Arthur Guinness Fund which will be active from September 2009.

New artists joining the Arthur's Day lineup today are: Sir Tom Jones, Calvin Harris, Razorlight, Richard Hawley, Black Swan Effect, Republic of Loose, Imelda May, David Gray, The Hot Rats, Jamie Cullum, Sugababes, The Kooks, The Blizzards, Golden Silvers, Jay Jay Pistolet, Mick Flannery, Dirty Epics, The Chakras, Cherbourg, Eoghan Colgan, Hoarsebox, Nat Jenkins, Noise Control and The Chapters.

Notes to editors:
For detailed information about GUINNESS 250 and Arthur's Day visit www.guinnessmedia.com. This information is just two of thousands of photos, facts and video that helps to tell the unique and colourful story of GUINNESS. www.guinnessmedia.com is restricted for media access only.

The Arthur Guinness Fund is an internal fund created by Guinness & Co. which will be used by Guinness & Co. to create opportunities for communities in several countries around the World including providing skills for life and supporting social entrepreneurs. The Fund is not a separate charity but its monies are held separately by Guinness & Co. and will be independently audited.

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Press Contact:
Beth Davies
beth.davies.ryan@diageo.com

guinnessglobal@taylorpr.com