The Global Citizen Festival, a fundraising concert set to take place on Sept. 26 at Central Park’s Great Lawn, was canceled due to weather concerns regarding nor’easter.
“Forecasts predict dangerous conditions and circumstances in which we cannot safely bring tens of thousands of Global Citizens, artists, crew, vendors, partners and staff onto the Great Lawn, let alone all of the equipment required. Safety has to come first. This is the first time in 14 years we’ve had to cancel. We have spent this week working through countless contingencies, which were ultimately not possible, and cancelling is a decision we have not taken lightly,” the organizers said in a statement.
Global Citizen, an advocacy organization campaigning to end extreme poverty, launched the music festival in 2012.
The festival has been held annually ever since then, purposefully coinciding with the UN General Assembly and Climate Week in New York City.
This year, actor Hugh Jackman was set to return as the host. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey and Tomorrow X Together were among the many artists who were scheduled to perform.
The decision to cancel the festival came after consultation with New York City Parks and followed the cancellations of many other events that were scheduled for the Sept. 26-27 weekend.
Nor’easter brought flooding, heavy rain, strong winds, downed trees and power outages throughout the city.
Although the festival was held in 2023 during a rainstorm, the ensuing damage kept the Great Lawn closed until spring.
This year’s cancellation avoided the possibility of similar damage to the lawn. The Festival has not been rescheduled, but organizers have said that the it will return to Central Park next year.
Anyone who purchased a ticket to the festival was given a refund, and those who donated to get their ticket were given the option of a refund as well. Tickets started at $89 for general admission and ranged up to $3,000 for “Ultimate VIP.”
Food intended for the festival was donated to organizations around the city.
Many fans across social media platforms, particularly on Instagram and X, expressed their disappointment over the cancelation, but also understood the safety concerns behind the decision.
Fans universally thanked Global Citizen for taking precautions and acknowledged all the effort that had gone into this year’s festival.
In the six weeks leading up to the festival, Global Citizen announced several successes, including more than $1 billion in commitments, efforts that helped two million children stay in school and initiatives that impacted 7.5 million people around the world.
This only goes to show all that Global Citizen has been able to achieve, and the festival’s return in 2027 has the potential to expand that impact and reach new accomplishments.
