Global Citizen Won’t Be Rescheduled but Still Hauled in $200M+ for Charity

For the first time in its 14 year history, the Global Citizen Festival scheduled for September 26 in Central Park was canceled due to the nor’easter. Organizers said it won’t be rescheduled.

“This is the first time in 14 years we’ve had to cancel,” the organizers posted. “We have spent this week working through countless contingencies, which were ultimately not possible, and canceling is a decision we have not taken lightly.”

But even the cancelled concert had a positive impact for the charities the festival supports. “Over the last six weeks, Global Citizens took 3.5 million actions that secured $208.8 million in financial commitments that will impact more than 9.5 million people.” The campaign raised money to end poverty, promote clean energy, and to help farmers. The organization donated the event’s food that was not used at the event to the local groups that help feed the hungry.

While most of the money flows from corporate sponsors, the live performance does seem to help boost the final haul with last minute donations that obviously did not materialize this year. The Global Citizen Festival a year ago, raised $280 million to protect the Amazon, secure clean energy for homes in Africa and support children’s education. A second festival in 2025 was held in Brazil. An even larger record was broken at the 2022 Global Citizen Festival which raised $440 million for ending poverty in Africa with live performances in Central Park and Ghana.

Fans this year had hoped to see Hugh Jackman host a show of top musicians including Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Lainey Wilson, Shaboozy, Tomorrow X Together, Victoria Monét, YeonJun, Yoshiki, and Alicia Keys. While most of the tickets were dispensed free of exchange for to take social action to support causes the festival supports, some individual tickets purchased tickets and they will be eligible for refunds.

The live concert usually attracts 60,000 to the 12-acre Great Lawn.

Global Citizen broke the news to fans on Friday, September 25, indicating it had hoped right until the final hours to be able to pull off a live concert the next day, but the weather did not cooperate.

“Due to the extreme weather forecast for New York City this weekend, we have made the difficult decision, in consultation with the City of New York and NYC Parks, to cancel this year’s Global Citizen Festival. 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.”

Organizers were obviously aware of that the concert generated controversy in 2023 when the event was held as tropical storm Ophelia drenched the Great Lawn. Concert goers tore up the grass on the Great Lawn inflicting $622,000 worth of damage. Councilwoman Gale Brewer had asked then-Mayor Eric Adams to move the concert out of Central Park for future events. Global Citizen reimbursed the city for the costs of the resodding, although the Great Lawn was closed to the public for over two months .

While this marked the first time the Global Citizen Festival was canceled, it is not the first without fans at a live concert. The 2020 event ended up being a virtual concert due to COVID. But organizers plan to be back on the Great Lawn for year 15.

If you are looking to go to the festival in 2027, you can do one of three things. You can complete charitable tasks in the Global Citizen app, you can purchase tickets, or you can give donations to earn tickets.