On August 4th, 2020 Beirut experienced a deadly explosion that rocked the city, causing over $15 billion USD in material damages and the deterioration of the livelihoods of tens of thousands of individuals and families. The capitol of Lebanon was already facing extreme hardships from the economic pitfalls of COVID-19, and this blast has now made as many as 300,000 people temporarily homeless.
In efforts to help, Electronic Labor Day and Beatport ReConnect have teamed up to launch the "For Beirut" initiative to raise funds by those affected from the catastrophic explosion. They are uniting the international electronic music community to host a massive livestream on Sunday, September 13th geared towards raising funds to help rebuild Beirut.
Andhim, Amelie Lens, Blond:ish, Carl Cox, Danny Howard, Dennis Ferrer, Derrick May, Kölsch, Luciano, Pete Tong, Roger Sanchez, Skream, Umek, and more, will broadcast their sets across multiple rooms. The fundraiser will begin at 1:58PM EEST (Beirut Time) on Sunday with a moment of silence, marking the timing of the blast. This minute of silence is to honor the nearly 200 victims who lost their lives, others injured, and those who may still be buried under the rubble 40 days later. The DJ sets will begin at 2PM EEST and end at 2AM EEST.
The goal is to raise at least $500,000, which would be distributed to three initiatives leading the way in relief efforts in the city of Beirut: the Beirut Emergency Fund, Impact Lebanon, and Bebw'shebbek. To donate to the fundraiser, navigate here.
You can watch the "For Beirut" livestream on Electronic Labor Day's website and Beatport's Twitch channel on September 13th, 2020. Check the full list of artists participating here.