The Rolling Stones will play a free concert in Havana, Cuba on March 25, the band announced Tuesday.
The concert will mark the first open-air concert in Cuba by a British rock band, as well as the Stones’ first time playing in the country.
“We have performed in many special places during our long career but this show in Havana is going to be a landmark event for us, and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba too,” the band said in a statement.
The event will follow the Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood on their “America Latina Ole” tour, on which the band has already performed in cities like Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The band will play in Lima, Bogotá and Mexico in the coming weeks.
The Rolling Stones are also leading an initiative where musical instruments and equipment are being donated to major suppliers for the benefit of Cuban musicians. Donors include the Gibson Foundations, Vic Firth, Roland and RS Berkeley with assistance from the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation.
The announcement of the Stones’ concert comes just a few days after President Barack Obama announced a visit to Cuba.
The event is being put on by Fundashon Bon Intenschon on behalf of the island of Curaçao. Fundashon supports international charitable projects in areas like education, athletics, cultural literacy, healthcare and tourism.