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Central Park's Great Lawn has a long history of hosting massive live music events: Think the Simon & Garfunkel reunion show in 1981 and the famous Diana Ross concert in 1983. This year, it will once again serve as the home of the Global Citizen Festival, which gears up for its seventh year of bringing big-name talent to the park for charity. The event, happening on Saturday, September 29, features performances from Janet Jackson (who recently visited NYC for the Panorama Festival) and the Weeknd (whose Panorama set got rained out), as well as Cardi B, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monáe and a special guest performance by John Legend. Hosts and co-hosts include Hugh Jackman, Deborra-lee Furness, Camren Bicondova, Cynthia Erivo, Danai Gurira, Forest Whitaker, Gus Kenworthy, Kal Penn, La La Anthony, Naomi Campbell and Rachel Brosnahan.
Linked to the U.N. General Assembly, the annual event raises awareness about a range of issues, including reducing the amount of plastic used and providing quality education to everyone, while working to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030. This year's event is part of the “Mandela 100” campaign, which honors Nelson Mandela's life and legacy for what would be his 100th birthday.
Folks who are interested in attending can complete a variety of tasks—such as emailing a representative and posting on Twitter—to earn points for a chance to win tickets. Ticket draws will occur leading up to the event. For more details, visit glblctzn.me/nyc2018 or download the Global Citizen app.
Global Citizen already hosted events in Vancouver and London earlier this year, and has another major fest (headlined by Beyoncé and Jay-Z) set for December 2 in Johannesburg, South Africa.