Sir Elton John is hosting a virtual Oscars party for his fans.

Sir Elton John

Sir Elton John

The 'Rocketman' hitmaker usually hosts an annual bash to raise money for the Elton John AIDs Foundation, but now he is giving fans the chance to be there - virtually - for the cost of $19.99.

In a video posted online, he said: "This year, we are bringing our Oscar Party into people's homes for the first time virtually for an unforgettable evening with David, myself, our dear friend Neil Patrick Harris and the incredible Dua Lipa plus many fabulous surprise names.

"Now more than ever, we need to ensure that one pandemic does not override another, and we cannot forget the 38 million people living with HIV globally who need our care, love and support so we hope everyone joins us for this special one of a kind Oscar Pre-Party."

The virtual party will be hosted four times to cope with different time zones - April 25 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET for the US, 7 PM GMT on April 26 for those in the UK, 7 PM AEST on April 26 for Australia and New Zealand and 7 PM PT on April 26 for the US - with 100,000 tickets available for each show.

If every ticket sold, this would make $8 million for charity.

Dua Lipa is set to perform, with the star admitting it was a huge "honour".

She said: 'It's such an honour to be a part of one of the most iconic Oscar Parties and I'm really proud to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation to help tackle the stigma that exists around HIV as we need to build a kinder and more accepting world together. And to share the stage with Elton John will be a dream come true!"

Whilst Neil added: "I've always been a huge supporter of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and could not be more honoured to host this year's virtual gala with my close friends Elton and David. Coming off the back of working on 'It's a Sin' about the AIDS epidemic in the 80s, this cause resonates more deeply with me than ever. The tireless work done by the Foundation to help end the AIDS epidemic is incredibly inspiring, and I'm proud to have a small part in the effort to continue raising awareness for the movement."

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