National Geographic kicking off Earth Day with free virtual concert special tonight

WASHINGTON -- National Geographic is kicking off Earth Day early this year with Earth Day Eve 2021, a free virtual concert celebration at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.

Travel expert Jessica Nabongo, the first documented Black woman to have traveled to every country in the world, will host the event. It will feature performances from Angélique Kidjo, AURORA, José González, Maggie Rogers, Rostam, Valerie June, Willie Nelson, Yo-Yo Ma and Ziggy Marley, as well as a world premiere new music video from My Morning Jacket.

Various National Geographic Explorers are also slated to appear, including Dr. Jane Goodall, carnivore ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn Grant, environmental journalist Lillygol Sedaghat and biologist Dr. Lucy Hawkes. Marine photographer Brian Skerry will preview the new four-part Disney+ series "Secrets of the Whales," which will premiere on the streaming service on Thursday.

National Geographic teased that there will be additional announcements during the event as well as a virtual afterparty on the new National Geographic TikTok account at 10 p.m. ET.

Viewers can find the concert special on National Geographic's YouTube channel and at NatGeo.com/EarthDayEve.

"For over 133 years, National Geographic has strived to inspire people to care more deeply for the planet. This Earth Day, we hope to provide that inspiration with a one-of-a-kind celebration that invites audiences everywhere to unite around the power of music," said National Geographic Chairman Gary Knell said in a news release. "Our Earth Day Eve event - virtual and accessible to everyone - will showcase environmentally passionate artists from around the world together with some of National Geographic's most extraordinary Explorers. From AURORA's forest performance in Bergen, Norway, to Jane Goodall's greeting from her home in England, the celebration will give us even more of a reason to fall in love with the place we all call home - and empower us to act to protect it."

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of National Geographic Partners and this ABC station.