The Global Citizen Organization wrapped their annual festival at Central Park’s Great Lawn with a number of great performances and a long-lasting impact. Hosted by Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman, the show was packed with thousands of people dedicated to making a difference and enjoying a star-studded show.
Jackman, who was one of the organization’s first supporters, did a brief interview with Associated Press to gush about the festival and called it his favorite night of the year.
“Being out there on that stage, I get the feeling of the power of this movement. Every single person in that crowd and a lot of the people watching online, they all had to volunteer, sign a petition to get here.”
What Is the ‘Global Citizen Festival?’
The Global Citizen festival is an annual show that has taken place in New York City since 2012. The main objective of the festival is to raise money to end extreme poverty. According to their official website, their record for the 2025 objective broke 4.3 million actions. These actions were in place to protect the Amazon, secure clean energy for homes in Africa, and support for children’s education worldwide.
Receiving a ticket to the festival isn’t the same process as typical music festivals. While you can purchase a ticket through their website, they give free tickets to attendees through points. These points are added by signing petitions, calling political representatives, participating in challenges, etc.
Festival Lineup
The festival included an entire lineup of superstar performers and rising stars. Elyanna, the Palestinian-Chilean singer fresh off of Coldplay’s tour, was the first performer of the show. Other performers in the line-up included Ayra Starr, joined by Nigerian artist, Rema, Tyla, Camilo, Mariah the Scientist, and Rosé.
Cardi B and Shakira both acted as headliners for the event. When Shakira hit the stage, the crowd couldn’t get enough as she stamped her name onto the stage with a choreography-heavy set. She performed some of her most popular songs including, “Hips Don’t Lie” and “She Wolf“.
After an album rollout to remember, Cardi made time to grace the stage in her hometown. Along with a few singles from her debut album, she performed a live debut of her track, “Errtime“, featured on her sophomore album, AM I THE DRAMA?.
Amongst the list of celebrity appearances was Idris Elba and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre Elba. The couple was welcomed on stage to an eruption of cheers before they talked about their fundraiser, Elba Hope.
“Our mission is simple. To open doors; doors to education, doors to entrepreneurship, and doors to economic power,” Elba says.
The organization used the festival as a time to uplift many platforms dedicated to helping people and establishments in need. The show brought artists of different cultures together to highlight the importance of acting on global issues while celebrating music. With a duration of five hours, the show was as educating as it was entertaining.
You can watch the entire show uploaded on Global Citizen’s official YouTube channel.
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