Global Guinness Celebration, Arthur's Day 2010 Includes the Script, Brandon Flowers, Snow Patrol, Kelis, The Manic Street Preachers, Westlife and Paolo Nutini

DUBLIN, September 24, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

- Consumers Around the World Join in the Global Celebration in Addition to Live Music Events and Celebrations in Ireland, the USA, the Caribbean and Asia

The owners of GUINNESS(R) beer, the world's number one stout, last night hosted the 2010 Arthur's Day global celebration, which kicked off at the world famous St. James's Gate Brewery. Westlife, The Script, Brandon Flowers, Snow Patrol, Kelis, The Manic Street Preachers, and Paolo Nutini performed in local pub venues across Dublin, Cork and Galway, Ireland, whilst millions of consumers across the world took part in a global "To Arthur" toast which began at 17:59 in Dublin, Ireland and will finish in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 24 hours later.

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Arthur's Day was created in 2009 to mark the iconic brand's 250th anniversary of the signing of the 9,000 year lease on St. James's Gate in Dublin by the beer's famous philanthropist founder, Arthur Guinness. This year's events will continue to support the philanthropic legacy of Arthur Guinness with the launch of http://www.guinnessforgood.com, continuing to build on the good work that has already started in supporting social entrepreneurship around the world.

In total over 60 artists performed across the country with the celebrations beginning at 17:59 local time with the global toast to Arthur Guinness and his remarkable legacy. Consumers enjoyed the celebration at over 30 venues across Dublin, Cork and Galway from intimate gigs in pubs to music venues and a concert at the St. James's Gate brewery itself.

Additionally, GUINNESS & Co. has recently committed to increasing the Arthur Guinness Fund(TM) to EUR7.4 million by 2012 as it continues its commitment to maintaining the philanthropic legacy of Arthur Guinness, by further supporting the search for the next generation of social entrepreneurs worldwide. As part of this, the Arthur Guinness Fund has launched http://www.guinnessforgood.com and is also announcing a new three year partnership with Ashoka - the world's leading community of social entrepreneurs - to enable the deployment of the funds to new social entrepreneurial projects around the world. The global application process will begin just after this year's Arthur's Day on Tuesday 28 September 2010.

The GUINNESS, ARTHUR'S DAY and ARTHUR GUINNESS FUND words and associated logos are trade marks. As leaders in social responsibility, Diageo and Guinness & Co. encourage everyone to celebrate Arthur's Day responsibly.

About Diageo

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).

For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at http://Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit http://DRINKiQ.com.

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SOURCE Diageo plc