Louis Tomlinson has been garnering swarms of adoring fans since appearing on the X Factor where he became a member of One Direction, before launching an independent music career with successful singles and his touching album Walls. These fans (affectionately referred to as “Louies”) have come together to launch an expansive program to celebrate Louis’ birthday, as well as the spirit of the holiday season.
The project, December With Louis, kicks off on December 1, 2020 and will run for 23 days, until Louis’ birthday on December 24, 2020. The project is organized by the fan update accounts Louis Tomlinson France and Louis Tomlinson Team France, who have over 18,000 followers when combining their Twitter presence alone. They shared, “Louis has always been so careful with his fans, sweet and caring. It doesn’t only show online but also in his own way of behaving face-to-face. Louis’ kindness is not always pictured the way it should be, however it’s still one of his biggest qualities. He inspires his whole fandom, including us, of course, with his acts of generosity. We grew with him and of course learnt a lot… which led him to have a kind and sweet fandom as well. And this is our main inspiration. Running an update account has shown us many times how grateful other fans are for us, when we actually are grateful for them. So, that’s our way to thank Louis and the fandom for their kindness, and be kind in return.”
Each day of the month leading up until the 24th will be featured on an interactive calendar. Fans will be able to check the calendar each day and see what. The fans have worked with other large fan accounts, publications and even radio stations, DJs and cover artists have partnered up with Louis Tomlinson France for the day. Games, streaming parties and social media takeovers will be featured each day.
Thank you so much for all the birthday messages!
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) December 24, 2019
Beyond the games and joy available to fans after such a difficult year, December With Louis also has a charitable impact. The update accounts have selected BBC Children in Need, who fund local charity projects across the UK to tackle “mental health and wellbeing, violence impacting young people, child sexual exploitation, holiday hunger; access to employment, and social injustice.” When fans interact with the calendar, they have the opportunity to fundraise for these organizations. There will be a raffle, as well as a charity point system. Fans will be able to donate, but those who do charitable actions will be able earn bonus points. These points can also be earned by participating in the aforementioned fan activities. The fan with the most points by Louis’ birthday will win. The raffle will be available to those willing to donate £3 to Children in Need, and fans will be entered into a drawing for a signed copy of Louis’ Walls album. There will essentially be two options: Fans can either simply donate to the charity, or donate and comment their Twitter handle to be entered into the raffle.
The site will act as an Advent calendar of sorts. After a difficult year, these organizers want people to have something to look forward to, explaining, “This year has been a hard one for everyone, may it be socially or mentally. Louis’ tour being postponed twice, and not only his but also other artists’…This project has a main goal: make people happy, and reunite them their favourite artist, Louis.”
#DecemberWithLouis is a labor of fandom love.
Feature image courtesy of Louis Tomlinson France and Louis Tomlinson Team France
