The festival began in Switzerland as an all-volunteer collaboration of socially conscious musician types working together to stage concerts for charities, and is expanding this year to stage events in 40 countries worldwide. Over three days, from March 19th to March 21st, 150 concerts will take place with this years’ profits going to Keep A Child Alive, a charity providing live-saving medicine to children with HIV and AIDS in the developing world.
One World Beat UK gigs will take place in Bracknell, London, Bournemouth, Brighton, Stoke on Trent, Guildford, Colchester, Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Reading, Boxford, Coventry, Frome, Leeds and Lancaster. Details and dates can be found at oneworldbeat.org. For those who don’t have a gig happening locally, you can listen to webcasts, download music from participating artists and donate to the cause through the site. Or, if you’re capable of extremely swift organisation, they’re still looking for more gigs to add to the events page…