Historic ‘Back to the Beginning’ Concert in Birmingham Sets New Charity Fundraising Record

The day-long heavy metal fest played to roughly 40,000 ticket holders and 5.8 million people online.

Proceeds will be distributed equally to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s — an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease Ozzy has battled since at least 2019.

Each charity was able to raise additional donation by raffling tickets to the show, auctioning off art and photographs donated by Black Sabbath, and through individual contributions from fans as they streamed into the concert at Villa Park.

The $190 million mark exceeds the funds raised by FireAid this past January, LiveAid and FarmAid in 1985, Hope for Haiti Now in 2010, One Love Manchester in 2017 and George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, which was one of the world’s first large-scale charity concert events.

**Historic ‘Back to the Beginning’ Concert in Birmingham Sets New Charity Fundraising Record**

On July 5, 2025, Birmingham, England played host to a monumental event in music history — the ‘Back to the Beginning’ concert featuring Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell performance alongside the final show of the founding lineup of Black Sabbath. This day-long heavy metal festival not only marked the end of an iconic era but also shattered records by raising over $190 million for charity, making it the most successful charity concert ever held.

The concert, held at Villa Park, attracted approximately 40,000 ticket holders who gathered to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. The global reach of the show was staggering, with an estimated 5.8 million people tuning in online, eager to partake in what many described as a historic moment for both heavy metal fans and philanthropists alike.

The funds raised from ticket sales and additional fundraising activities will be distributed equally among three charities, each with a special connection to the music legend and the city where Black Sabbath was born. Birmingham Children’s Hospital, which provides vital healthcare services to children in the region, Acorn Children’s Hospice, supporting children with life-limiting conditions, and Cure Parkinson’s, dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease, are the proud beneficiaries of this unprecedented generosity.