A toast to Arthur Guinness during Arthur’s Day celebrations in Ireland last year

The world’s best selling stout today unveiled plans for its third annual global Arthur's Day on Thursday, 22nd September honouring one of Ireland’s greatest men and exports. The date will be marked by a series of high-profile music events and celebrations in 47 countries around the world to honour the remarkable life and legacy of Arthur Guinness – the legendary philanthropist and founder of Guinness.

Following the huge success of last year’s celebrations, a worldwide ‘toast to Arthur’ will start in Ireland at exactly 17:59 on Thursday 22nd September; honouring the date Arthur Guinness signed the lease on the St. James’ Gate Brewery (in 1759) and introduced Guinness to the world.

The toast will launch a jam-packed night of live music performances taking place all across the world, starting in Dublin, Ireland. As clocks strike 17:59 locally around the world, countries including Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Caribbean nations, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea will join the celebrations. In Ireland, the festivities have grown to include the four cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

The celebrations in Malta will take place on Friday, 23rd September and will include special Guinness promotion nights in various bars and pubs around Malta.

The annual Arthur's Day celebrations directly benefit the Arthur Guinness Fund, which identifies and supports social entrepreneurs aiming to make positive changes in their communities such as helping bereaved families in Europe, or reducing harmful waste in deprived areas of Africa. The aim of the fund is to create a self-sustaining movement for grass-roots social entrepreneurship in the markets where Guinness operates and inspire a generation of potential change makers.

Oliver Loomes, Global Brand Director for Guinness said: “Arthur Guinness was such an inspiration, not just as a brewing and business pioneer, but for his tremendous philanthropy. I think he would be incredibly proud that for the third year running, more and more people all over the world will come together on this anniversary to celebrate and toast his good name while supporting the great work of the Arthur Guinness Fund.”

The Arthur's Day celebration was set up in 2009 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the original lease at St. James’s Gate.

For more information on Arthur's Day please visit www.facebook.com/guinness or www.guinness.com.

For more information about the Arthur Guinness Fund please visit www.guinnessforgood.com.