55 000 free tickets for Live 8
2005-06-27 13:03
London - A headline Live 8 gig for Africa in London grew even bigger on Monday after the organisers announced they would give away an extra 55 000 free tickets and put the finishing time back one-and-a-half hours.
The passes, however, will only enable fans to watch Saturday's concert - featuring top artists such as Madonna, U2 and Live 8 frontman Bob Geldof - on giant television screens at the venue in Hyde Park rather than see it live.
The gig, along with same-day shows in seven other cities worldwide, is part of an unprecedented effort to pressure the leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) leading industrialised nations to strike a deal to erase Africa's debt, double aid and boost trade at their annual summit in Scotland on July 6-8.
More than one million are due to attend the concerts in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Philadelphia, Toronto, Tokyo and Johannesburg and millions more will watch on television in one of the biggest music events ever.
Free tickets
In Britain alone, rocker-turned-activist Geldof said a further 55 000 tickets would be given away on top of 150 000 tickets that were distributed through a lottery system earlier in the month for the London extravaganza.
"This is going to be the biggest event in Hyde Park's history and the biggest ticketed event ever in the UK," said Geldof in a statement.
"The park will be filled to the brim. In other cities around the country and around the world millions of people will be joining in to make poverty history," he said.
"It will be one of those defining moments that come around once in a generation."
The additional tickets will be handed out free of charge in London and other selected venues across the country. In addition, the finish time for the event has been extended from 20:00 to 21.30 pm.
The organisers had already arranged for 14 free viewing screens to be set up in major cities around the country including Birmingham and Manchester, in the West Midlands and northern England respectively.