Just when you thought the summer would start winding down, a massive music festival is giving itself away for free. Dog days be darned, August is on the way up!
The Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2009, to take place Aug. 30 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., is free because, as the website states: “Times are tough and money’s tight.” All the organizers ask is for attendees to “pass on the karma” by donating $5 to The RE*Generation, Virgin Mobile USA’s initiative to help homeless youth.
Virgin is using a mobile donation system to collect contributions: Concertgoers are asked to text “FREEFEST” to 20222 and answer “yes” to the response to have the $5 sent on its way and added to the next phone bill. If all 35,000 ticket holders do their part, RE*Generation will be up $175,000.
Don’t jump for joy just yet. The bad news is that the concert is sold out. Folks will be coming from all over the country, especially since Virgin America airline has donated a plane to give a free lift to San Diegans and Los Angelinos who volunteer at homeless youth organizations in their cities (which we covered in this blog).
Those who were lucky enough to get tickets will be treated to a small army of bands from 11 in the morning until 10 at night. The headliners, Blink-182 and Weezer, will be joined by the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Public Enemy, Mates of State and The National.
As far as I can tell, this is win-win-win. Music lovers get a free concert, homeless youth get a helping hand and Virgin gets a boatload of positive publicity. Turns out to be a good summer in more ways than one.
Photo courtesy of isuperwang, via Flickr