In 2009 the Royal Variety Performance was held in Blackpool – for the first time since 1955. This annual event is staged in aid of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, whose Patron is Her Majesty The Queen. Among those appearing in 2009 was the American pop singer-songwriter Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in 1986), who wore an Elizabethan-style red PVC costume for her act. Members of the dance group Diversity can be seen in the background.