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Shakira might still be on her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran world tour, but that doesn’t mean high-priced concert tickets are your only chance to see her performing live this summer. In fact, you can see her totally free on Saturday, September 27, when she and The Weeknd headline the 2025 Global Citizen Festival, once again held at Central Park’s Great Lawn.
An annual NYC event since 2012, Global Citizen Festival effectively turns the Great Lawn into a massive open-air concert as a reward for doing good in the community. The concert blends superstar performances (past headliners include Beyoncé, Lizzo, and Metallica) with calls for global change, from promoting climate action to ending extreme poverty.
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This year’s event will be hosted for the 11th time by Hugh Jackman, a Global Citizen Ambassador. The concert will also see appearances from Tyla, Ayra Starr and Mariah the Scientist, with more performers to be announced in the coming weeks.
"I'm honored to headline the incredible Global Citizen Festival in Central Park this September,” Shakira said in a statement. “Music has always been my way of connecting with people and leaving a mark on the world. I can't wait to perform, unite, and inspire action," Shakira said.
Tickets are technically free; you don’t have to pay for them, but you do have to earn them. Luckily, you’ll simultaneously earn karma.
Anyone interested in scoring tickets for the event can do so by downloading the Global Citizen app or going to its website and signing up to be a Global Citizen. Then you just have to participate in simple advocacy efforts like signing petitions, sharing awareness videos, or finding volunteer opportunities, each of which earns points that can be used to enter ticket lotteries for the festival.
For 2025, the campaign is focused on three major global goals: providing energy access to 1 million people across Africa; mobilizing $200 million to protect 30 million hectares of the Amazon rainforest; and giving 30,000 children around the world access to quality education, in partnership with FIFA.
There’s also a strong local focus this year. The initiative is working to support nonprofits throughout all five boroughs and aims to register 40,000 New Yorkers for volunteer opportunities, including youth mentorship, resume coaching and neighborhood revitalization projects.