LINE UP INCLUDES GRAMMY ® AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS IMAGINE DRAGONS, ZEDD AND LINKIN PARK'S MIKE SHINODA, GRACE VANDERWAAL, NEON TREES' TYLER GLENN, VAGABON AND A.W.

SPEAKERS AND PERFORMERS INCLUDE CAMERON ESPOSITO, JULIANNE HOUGH , JUSSIE SMOLLETT, ALFONSO RIBEIRO, KALEN ALLEN, TEGAN QUIN, JUSTIN TRANTER, WRABEL, MARY LAMBERT, GUS KENWORTHY, HEATHER MORRIS, DANA GOLDBERG, CARMEN CARRERA, V INCINT & PARSON JAMES. APPLE CEO TIM COOK TO SPEAK AND INTRODUCE IMAGINE DRAGONS 

FESTIVAL TO BE STREAMED LIVE ON TWITTER ON JULY 28 TH

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

SALT LAKE CITY, July 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LOVELOUD Festival Powered by AT&T ( http://loveloudfest.com ) is thrilled to announce its final artist and speaker line-up for the 2nd Annual Festival on July 28th, 2018. The festival, which will be held at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, is designed to ignite the vital conversation about what it means to unconditionally love, understand, accept, and support LGBTQ+ youth in our communities. To watch the trailer for the festival, visit HERE .

On the day of the event, LOVELOUD Festival will be live streamed in its entirety on AT&T’s social media handles HERE . In addition to the live stream, AT&T will donate $1 for every use of the hashtag #LOVELOUD on Twitter, up to $50,000. AT&T, a longtime supporter of the LGBTQ community, recently announced a $1 million sponsorship and multi-year initiative with The Trevor Project. Together, through music and an inspiring message, LOVELOUD and AT&T share a vision of the future where LGBTQ youth are loved and accepted.

Apple CEO Tim Cook will cap off an exceptional lineup of speakers and performers at the festival that includes actress, singer and dancer Julianne Hough, actor and singer Jussie Smollett, Ellen Show star Kalen Allen, Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, Grammy-nominated songwriter Justin Tranter, musician WRABEL, singer Mary Lambert, Olympic Freeskier Silver Medalist Gus Kenworthy, actress and dancer Heather Morris, comic Dana Goldberg, and singer-songwriters VINCINT & Parson James. The event will also feature performances and choreography by several notable celebrity all-star dancers. A complete list of guest speakers and performers can be found below.

The 2018 LOVELOUD Festival will feature performances by Grammy® Award-winning artists Imagine Dragons, Zedd and Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda along with Grace Vanderwaal, Neon Trees' Tyler Glenn and A.W. Stand-up comedian, actor and writer Cameron Esposito will also perform and emcee the day's festivities.

“Tim Cook joining us in Utah for LOVELOUD sends a clear message to LGBTQ youth that they have unlimited potential to achieve their dreams,” said founder and Imagine Dragons front-man Dan Reynolds about Tim’s presence at this year’s festival. “Tim is an unwavering advocate for human rights and equality, and we’re thrilled he’ll be joining our powerful line-up of speakers and performers.”

This July,  Music Choice  is teaming up with the  LOVELOUD Foundation  to help amplify their mission. Music Choice programming currently includes a “LOVELOUD” pop-up video channel on the Music Choice Enhanced TV app and its web and app platforms from now through July 29, 2018. The channel will showcase exclusive artist interviews, as well as the top music videos from artists within the LGBTQ+ community. The LOVELOUD pop-up video channel will be available to DIRECTV customers on channel 800 for Genie customers, and to all Music Choice consumers via the Music Choice website or app.

LOVELOUD tickets are available for purchase HERE . Doors open at 2pm and the music begins at 3:30pm. The festival will feature food, beverages and various activities for fans of all ages. The LOVELOUD Foundation will donate proceeds from this year's event to LGBTQ+ organizations including Encircle, the Tegan and Sara Foundation and the Trevor Project.

"LOVELOUD's inspiring goal is to raise $1 million dollars for LGBTQ+ organizations in one day, and we know that this amazing program of music and speakers will entertain, educate and inspire everyone who comes out in support on July 28th," said Tegan and Sara. "We started the Tegan and Sara Foundation to bring resources and attention to issues affecting the LGBTQ community, and we are proud to work with the LOVELOUD team to amplify their urgent message of acceptance and unconditional love."

As part of this quest, Dan Reynolds created a documentary centered around LOVELOUD, called Believer. The film received runner up for the "Festival Favorite Award" at Sundance Film Festival 2018 and premiered on HBO in June.

LGBTQ+ teen suicide, often caused by a lack of communication or an absence of acceptance, is one of the most troubling issues in the community. The numbers are staggering:

  • Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the US for youth (teenagers) according to the Center for Disease Control.
  • LGBTQ+ youth that come from a home or community where they are not accepted are eight times more likely to commit suicide.

The LOVELOUD Foundation is a catalyst to bring communities and families together to help ignite the vital conversation about what it means to unconditionally love our LGBTQ+ youth. It all begins with talking about, sharing and showing the realities of what LGBTQ+ teens face daily. The LOVELOUD Foundation is a 501(c)(3).

The LOVELOUD 2018 Festival is proud to have sponsorships and overwhelming support from AT&T, MGM Resorts, lululemon, Pluralsight, Vivint Smart Home, Qualtrics Experience Management, DOMO. Lyft is also the official ride share partner for this year’s festival and Hilton is the official hotel partner. The generous commitment of these sponsors can help knock down the negative and offer hope to young LGBTQ+ people, letting them know they’re not alone. 

AT&T's commitment to equality and inclusion for the LGBTQ community began in 1975, when the company became one of the first American corporations to adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination against employees based on sexual orientation. AT&T also has a long-standing commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace. LEAGUE at AT&T (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies Employee Organizations of AT&T) is one of the oldest LGBTQ Employee Resource Groups (ERG) in the nation. In 1998, AT&T adopted one of the first domestic partner benefits programs for LGBTQ employees. In 2006, AT&T was one of the first U.S. corporations to offer transgender-inclusive health care benefits. At AT&T, diversity and inclusion will always be top priorities.

2018 LOVELOUD Festival Featured Speakers and Performers Alexia Meyer Alfonso Ribeiro Ash from Encircle Benji Shwimmer Blair Imani Brooklyn Fullmer Carmen Carrera Chelsie Hightower Dana Goldberg Dan Reynolds Drew Scott Gus Kenworthy Heather Morris Jaxon Willard Jaymz Tuaileva Jonathan and Oksana Platero Julianne Hough Jussie Smollet Justin Tranter Kalen Allen Lt. Governor of Utah Spencer Cox Kathy Tu Malece Miller Mary Lambert Parson James Steve and Barb Young Tegan Quin Tim Cook Tobin Low VINCINT Westminister Slam WRABEL

ABOUT LOVELOUD FESTIVAL: LOVELOUD was founded in 2017 by Dan Reynolds, the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, to help ignite the relevant and vital conversation of what it means to unconditionally love, understand, accept, and support LGBTQ+ youth in an effort to keep families together. LOVELOUD is the catalyst for bringing communities together to start the conversation and celebrate individuality. Talking, sharing and showing the realities of what teens in our society face daily is where it all begins. Find out more at: http://www.loveloudfest.com .

About AT&T Communications: We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video streaming, we innovate to improve lives. We have the nation’s largest and most reliable network and the nation’s best network for video streaming. We’re building FirstNet just for first responders and creating next-generation mobile 5G. With DIRECTV and DIRECTV NOW, we deliver entertainment people love to talk about. Our smart, highly secure solutions serve over 3 million global businesses – nearly all of the Fortune 1000. And worldwide, our spirit of service drives employees to give back to their communities.

AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T ). Learn more at att.com/CommunicationsNews .

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LOVELOUD Festival Press Contacts: Brian Bumbery / Peter Quinn brian@bbgunpress.com peter@bbgunpress.com

Dan Reynolds / Imagine Dragons Contact: Hillary Siskind Hillary.siskind@umusic.com