Pepsi Brings Breakout Latin Artist to St. Mary's Basilica's 9th Annual Festival Along with Check Presentation to Maricopa County Community College District to Support Higher Education for Local Students
PHOENIX, Nov. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi is showing up big in Phoenix this Sunday to celebrate Día De Los Muertos and uplift the community alongside St. Mary's Basilica with a free concert from DannyLux, named one of Billboard's "Latin Artists to Watch," and a $500,000 donation from the PepsiCo Foundation to Maricopa County Community College District to help fund education opportunities locally.
As part of Pepsi's sponsorship of the Basilica's 9th Annual Día De Los Muertos Festival on November 6, the brand is activating The Pepsi Stage for free musical performances, providing free Pepsi products throughout the event, and highlighting local food trucks on-site.
On The Pepsi Stage, the PepsiCo Foundation will present a $500,000 check to Maricopa County Community College District as part of the Uplift Scholarship program to provide 200 students with financial assistance as they pursue degrees in fields including technology and management, along with access to success coaching, emergency grants, and financial literacy resources. The scholarship will reach students enrolled in the Chandler-Gilbert, Estrella Mountain, GateWay, Glendale, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Rio Salado, Scottsdale, and South Mountain campuses.
The PepsiCo Foundation's Uplift Scholarship program will provide 4,000 scholarships across the country by 2025 in an effort to address historical barriers that make it challenging for minority students to enroll, persist, and graduate from college – barriers that have widened during the pandemic. This initiative is a cornerstone effort of PepsiCo's more than $570 million Racial Equality Journey, a comprehensive initiative to support marginalized and historically underserved communities, people, and businesses.
"Pepsi is showing up for Phoenix this Día De Los Muertos to amplify and celebrate the Hispanic community through the power of our connection to music and the long-term impact of our PepsiCo Foundation Uplift Scholarships," said PepsiCo Beverages North America's West Division President, Johannes Evenblij. "We're excited to be celebrating this key cultural moment alongside the community while also driving lasting support for local students."
Pepsi is amplifying the event's musical performances from The Pepsi Stage which will host free concerts throughout the day from award-winning Latin Jazz group Carmela Y Más and more, with Mexican American breakthrough artist DannyLux as the grand finale at 6 pm.
"I appreciate Pepsi for inviting me to perform for the first time in Arizona. It's cool to help them support the community and make Phoenix's Día De Los Muertos even bigger and better than ever," said singer-songwriter DannyLux. "I'm so excited to be able to show up and celebrate with fans during this iconic cultural moment."
Eventgoers will also have a chance to get their hands on the brand's recently launched, limited-edition Día De Los Muertos cans. Designed by Mexican artist Totoi Semerena, the packaging includes three new designs on Pepsi Real Sugar, Manzanita Sol, and Crush products featuring celebrated Día de Los Muertos icons including Xoloitzcuintli, revered as the spirit guide to the kingdom of the dead, La Catrina, one of the strongest and most recognizable symbols representing the relationship Mexicans have with death, and La Calavera, or skeleton, a playful symbol of life after death.
These limited-edition cans and more free Pepsi products will be available at the brand's sampling activation area. The event will run from 11 am-7 pm on Sunday, November 6. For more information about the event, visit saintmarysbasilica.org.
ABOUT PEPSICO
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
ABOUT THE PEPSICO FOUNDATION
Established in 1962, the PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, invests in the essential elements of a sustainable food system with a mission to support thriving communities. Working with non-profits and experts around the globe, we're focused on helping communities obtain access to food security, safe water and economic opportunity. We strive for tangible impact in the places where we live and work—collaborating with industry peers, local and international organizations, and our employees to affect large-scale change on the issues that matter to us and are of global importance. Learn more at www.pepsico.com/pepsico-foundation and https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pepsico-foundation/.
SOURCE PepsiCo Beverages North America
