“But…we have to keep up the pressure and one of the ways of keeping up the pressure is by donating to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.”

“The balance is slowly tipping in the right direction… dreams of a world free of AIDS are no longer just dreams.”

Bono reflects on the loss of Freddie “…taken from us all in 1991 – stolen from us actually. This larger than life, dynamic vocal genius – stolen from us…stolen by a little virus, HIV”. He goes on to say, “last year for the first time since AIDS appeared four decades ago more people were put on the treatment than contracted the virus.

Since 1992, The Mercury Phoenix Trust has been raising millions to fight AIDS worldwide and thanks to advances in treatment, many are able to live longer with the disease, but there is still no cure. Around the world, mainly in countries stricken with poverty and lack of education, people are dying. The fight is not over yet...

"All those close to Freddie, all those who loved him and indeed the wider circle of people who also loved him, which spread across the world, were determined to do something to help make sure that this happened less and less often to people and so the trust was founded to help with education and awareness.

Since 1992, The Mercury Phoenix Trust has been raising millions to fight AIDS worldwide and thanks to advances in treatment, many are able to live longer with the disease, but there is still no cure. Around the world, mainly in countries stricken with poverty and lack of education, people are dying. The fight is not over yet.

Robbie talks about his persona on stage being geared around Freddie Mercury and why it is important to support the MPT.

Snehalya means The Home Of Love and provides Rescue, Rights & Rehabilitation to Women & children. Raising awareness and understanding for people living with HIV is a key part of their work. The Mercury Phoenix Trust supports Snehalya in their incredible task.

This specially compiled tribute to Freddie Mercury was made to celebrate what would have been his 65th birthday, on 5th September 2011. The video features rare and unseen footage seen here for the very first time.

Full details and ticket information will be posted here and on MPT, Freddie Mercury and Queen social media channels.

The party will take place at the Casino Barriere in Montreux, Switzerland on Saturday 4th September 2021.

Tickets for the Official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party 2021 will be on sale soon.

The auction page at www.givergy.uk/MPTrust/, allows fans and collectors to help support the MPT for the next month by bidding on an array of Queen related items, plus the chance to buy a ticket for a Prize Draw that includes Roger Taylor’s personally donated sweatshirt that he wore during the incredible Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium in 1992 as well as personally selected items from Brian May’s own archive, including jeans worn during rehearsals.

Following the moving and hugely successful Tribute Concert in 1992, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Jim Beach set up The Mercury Phoenix Trust (MPT) in memory of the iconic Freddie Mercury who died from HIV/AIDS in 1991. The Trust is a core part of rock band Queen and Freddie’s legacy, with the passion and power behind the music forming the bedrock of the MPT.

The MPT has reached millions in the fight against HIV/AIDS worldwide, providing £17M to over 1K projects in 57 countries (and counting!). The MPT predominantly funds smaller organizations it assesses and vets as they effectively work at grassroots level, where governments, larger NGOs and markets don’t often reach.

The current MPT overheads are just under 7p in the £/pound, which means that for each pound donated, over 93p goes to funding the work of the global charities FIGHTING AIDS WORLDWIDE - and we intend to keep it that way. In fact, the more that is raised and the more donations we get in, the more our overheads go down.

With an estimated 37.9M people living with HIV/AIDS and 1.7M more becoming newly infected with HIV in 2018 alone, the battle is far from over.

Freddie was taken from us too young, but there is still time to make a difference and change the destinies of millions around the world.