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The Global Citizen Festival scheduled for this weekend in New York is no longer.
The advocacy music event — an annual concert in Central Park timed each year to line up with the United Nations General Assembly — has been canceled less than 24 hours before kick off due to a powerful nor’easter that is expected to pummel the East Coast this weekend. Per a Weather Channel forecast, the storm is expected to bring with it heavy rain and strong winds and cause flooding in some locations along the coast.
Global Citizen officials made the announcement Friday afternoon, revealing that the decision came after a consultation with officials from the city of New York and its parks division. “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,” per an official release. “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 roster of musicians set to hit the stage included Lauryn Hill with Wyclef Jean, Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey, Tomorrow X Together, Victoria Monét, Yeonjun, Yoshiki, Alicia Keys & Friends, and more. The organization reports that it will be donating food that was set to be served to local organizations. Refunds are also said to be in process.
The Global Citizen event is part of a wave of cancellations this weekend due to the nor’easter. Among them, Ed Sheeran scrapped stops at Gillette Stadium including shows set for Friday and Saturday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts. “Due to the severe weather warnings in place in Boston and across New England throughout the weekend and following consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium,” tour promoter Messina Touring Group said in a statement.
Another musical festival, All Things Go, announced a decision today to cancel its event in New York. But unlike Global Citizen, which was scheduled to start Saturday, All Things Go revealed its decision just hours before gates were set to open Friday afternoon. The three-day event at Forest Hills Stadium was set to host performances from Zara Larsson, Lola Young, Brandi Carlile, Ethel Cain, Muna, Carly Rae Jepsen and more.
“New York, after consultation with local officials, Forest Hills Stadium, and trusted weather advisors, we have made the difficult decision to cancel All Things Go NYC on Sept. 25, 26 and 27 at Forest Hills Stadium due to severe weather conditions in the New York Metro area throughout the weekend, including high winds,” reads an All Things Go statement shared on Instagram. “The safety of our fans, the artists and local crew is our top priority.”
See Global Citizen’s full statement below.
Dear Global Citizens,
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. 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.
Over the last six weeks, Global Citizens took 3.5 million actions that secured $208.8 million in financial commitments, which will impact more than 9.5 million people.
These commitments will:
Help more than two million children access education and stay in school. Support 7.5 million people, including smallholder farmers, women, youth, and indigenous communities.
Major commitments include:
Ireland and Canada committed $151.6 million to help children get in and stay in school. Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Guinea, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, the Minderoo Foundation, and the Green Climate Fund will support small farming businesses.
If you purchased tickets to the festival, your refunds will be processed automatically. If you made a donation to secure your ticket, you can have this refunded, too. You will receive an email today that lays out your options.
The festival is one day, but the actions you took and the impact you created will reach far beyond Central Park. Conflict, extreme weather, and rising costs are forcing millions of families from their homes, disrupting education, threatening food supplies and pushing communities back into extreme poverty, but we have seen what is possible when we take action together.
Together, we have invested time, energy, and hope into the movement. You took action to earn your tickets. You made plans, booked travel, and in many cases came to New York from across the country and around the world to be with us in Central Park, and we are sincerely grateful for your commitment to our mission.
Food that was due to be available at the festival will be donated to local organizations serving the people of New York City.
We are enormously proud of what we have achieved together this year — one of the most impactful years for our movement around the world — and we are deeply grateful to every artist, world leader, partner, crew member, vendor, global citizen, and our team.
We will be back in Central Park next year. We can’t wait for you to be there with us.
Global Citizen
English (US) ·