Elton John to Host Concert Special for World AIDS Day 2020

Sir Elton John is set to host a virtual special for World AIDS Day this year on December 1, 2020. The event is part of a collaboration between the Elton John AIDS Foundation and TikTok that hopes to reach millions of viewers in order to raise awareness and work towards a shared goal of ending the epidemic by 2030. The concert will be streamed live at 2:00 p.m. Eastern and 11:00 a.m. Pacific on John's TikTok channel.

"I'm excited to recognize World AIDS Day with TikTok and my Foundation this year to celebrate progress that we've made and mark what we can do collectively to end the AIDS epidemic," John said in a statement announcing the effort. "We all need to care about HIV and end the discrimination around this disease."

The live event will be hosted by Reggie Yates and feature a list of celebrities and TikTok influencers. Rina Sawayama and Grammy-Award winning artist Sam Smith will both performance. Each performance comes with a message, though.

"There's a great line-up for our TikTok Live to break down the myths around HIV, talk about safe sex and ensure that young people know how to protect themselves and others," John explained.

While the concert is the grand finale, the campaign itself kicks off on November 25. TikTokers can take the HIV/AIDS Education & Awareness Quiz to test their knowledge of this disease. Rich Waterworth, general manager of TikTok UK and Europe explained it's all part of the collaborative effort to use the platform to bring awareness to the disease and education youth and others about prevention.

"For decades, Sir Elton John's AIDS Foundation has worked tirelessly to protect the most vulnerable people in the world from the HIV/AIDS epidemic," Waterworth said in a statement. "We're proud to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation by using our platform to amplify their message and educate our community in an authentically TikTok way."

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