British Airways to host record-breaking highest concert for Red Nose Day
Howard Lake | 18 February 2013 | News
 Nick Morrish, BA.jpg)
 Nick Morrish, BA_0.jpg)
British Airways is planning to break the Guinness World Record for the 'Highest Concert' by hosting the 'Highest 80s Gig in the Sky' to raise funds for Comic Relief.
The sky high performance will take place at up to 43,000 feet on 10 March, and will feature Bananarama, Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Kim Wilde and Go West.
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Win tickets to the Highest Concert
BA is offering 40 pairs of tickets for the flight in a competition to raise funds for Comic Relief. To enter, text 'fly' to 64100. Texts are charged at £5 "with all profit donated to Comic Relief".
All entrants must be aged 18 or over, resident in the UK and have a valid UK passport. The competition is open from 6am on 18 February, until midnight on March 1.
In order to set a new Guinness World Record, the concert will need to take place at 42,018ft or higher within the guidelines set.
The airline is making a donation to the BA Carbon Fund on behalf of each passenger on board.
The 1980s and the first Red Nose Day
The concert is a nod towards the 25th anniversary of Comic Relief. In keeping with the theme there will be British Airways crew in original uniforms from the era. Menus from the period will be brought back with canapés including cocktail sausages, pineapple and cheese on skewers, mini prawn cocktails, pineapple upside down cake, gobstoppers and popping candy.
Bananarama, who teamed up with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Kathy Burke to record 'Help' as a charity single for Red Nose Day 1989, said: “We are proud to have supported Comic Relief right from the start. Since then, the charity has helped at least 50 million people in Africa and across the world. We are delighted to be once again showing our support through this exclusive 80s gig with British Airways."
The event is being promoted by Magic 105.4, online and on air, as well as special giveaways during the breakfast show with Neil Fox in the week leading up to the flight.
It is also being promoted appropritely with a fax, which BA is inviting people to put up on office noticeboards across the country.
Highest Stand-Up Comedy Gig
In 2011, British Airways set a new Guinness World Record for the ‘Highest Stand-Up Comedy Gig’ at 35,000ft with Dara O’Brien, Jack Whitehall and Jon Richardson. Through its Flying Start partnership, British Airways has raised over £4 million for Comic Relief.
www.rednoseday.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.