29th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Pre-Party Raises $3 Million
April 27, 2021
The 29th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Pre-Party hosted by Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris alongside Sir Elton John and David Furnish, raised $3 million for the global effort to end AIDS with thanks to our generous donors, sponsors and supporters.
The Foundation’s first-ever virtual gala took place on Sunday, April 25 and featured a stripped back performance by GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist Dua Lipa and appearances by very special guests including Lady Gaga, Cynthia Erivo and the cast of It’s a Sin, among others. For the first time, EJAF supporters worldwide were invited to attend the famed Oscar party by joining a 60-minute pre-show special produced by Fulwell 73 at Rosewood London. The one-of-a-kind Pre-Party was powered by Cisco Webex to securely bring the event to audiences.
April 25, 2021
10:41pm PT
by
Chris Gardner
Inside Elton John s First-Ever Virtual Oscar Viewing Party: This Is the Only Way We Could Do It
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for EJAF
Dua Lipa joined the music icon and partner David Furnish as the event raised $3 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. It s a pain, Elton John quipped to host Neil Patrick Harris during the early moments of the music legend s first-ever virtual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party on Sunday night. John was describing how it felt to pivot the 29th annual affair from an in-person, glamour-drenched fundraiser to a streaming event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It s become an all too familiar sentiment over the past 13 months and one shared by many event producers but still, John was quick to walk back the comment and clarify.