The Global Citizen Festival scheduled for this weekend in New York no longer exists.
The promotional musical event, an annual concert in Central Park timed each year to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly, has been canceled less than 24 hours before its start due to a powerful nor’easter expected to hit the East Coast this weekend. According to the Weather Channel forecast, the storm is expected to bring 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 was made after consultation with New York City officials 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 to the Great Lawn, let alone all necessary equipment,» according to an official statement. «Safety has to come first. This is the first time in 14 years that we have had to cancel. We have spent this week working through countless contingencies, which ultimately were not possible, and canceling is a decision we have not taken lightly.»
The list of musicians taking 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 donate the food that would 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 Northeastern Easter. Among them, Ed Sheeran knocked out stops at Gillette Stadium, including shows scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights in Foxborough, Massachusetts. «Due to severe weather warnings in effect in Boston and throughout New England over the weekend and after consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Ed Sheeran’s concerts at Gillette Stadium,» tour promoter Messina Touring Group said in a statement.
Another music festival, All Things Go, announced today the decision to cancel its event in New York. But unlike Global Citizen, which was scheduled to begin on Saturday, All Things Go revealed its decision just hours before the doors opened on Friday afternoon. The three-day event at Forest Hills Stadium would host performances by Zara Larsson, Lola Young, Brandi Carlile, Ethel Cain, Muna, Carly Rae Jepsen and more.
“New York, after consulting with local officials, Forest Hills Stadium, and trusted weather advisors, we have made the difficult decision to cancel All Things Go NYC on September 25, 26, and 27 at Forest Hills Stadium due to severe weather conditions in the New York metropolitan area throughout the weekend, including high winds,” reads a statement from All Things Go shared on Instagram. «The safety of our fans, artists and local team is our top priority.»
See Global Citizen’s full statement below.
Dear global citizens,
Due to the severe weather forecast for New York City this weekend, we have made the difficult decision, in consultation with the City of New York and New York City 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 to the Great Lawn, let alone all necessary equipment. Safety has to come first. This is the first time in 14 years that we have had to cancel. We have spent this week working through countless contingencies, which ultimately were not possible, and canceling is a decision we have not made lightly.
Over the past six weeks, Global Citizens took 3.5 million shares securing $208.8 million in financial commitments, impacting more than 9.5 million people.
These commitments:
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.
The main commitments include:
Ireland and Canada committed $151.6 million to help children get into 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 agricultural 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 also get a refund. You will receive an email today with your options.
The festival lasts 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 act together.
Together we have invested time, energy and hope in the movement. You took steps to earn your tickets. They made plans, booked trips, and in many cases came to New York from all over the country and world to be with us in Central Park, and we are sincerely grateful for their commitment to our mission.
Food that was 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, global leader, partner, team member, supplier, global citizen and our team.
We will return to Central Park next year. We can’t wait for you to be there with us.
Global citizen
