Global Citizen Festival 2026 Canceled Due to Extreme Weather Affecting New York City

Global Citizen Festival has been canceled due to the extreme weather forecast for New York City.

The event was slated to take place on Saturday at the Great Lawn in Central Park, with performances from Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, Lenny Kravitz, John Legend and more. But organizers shared that they had to make the difficult decision to call off the festival for the first time in 14 years.

“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,” said organizers. “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.”

Those who purchased tickets will be refunded automatically, while those who acquired tickets through a donation will also be refunded. Options will be provided via email today for those who donated. Food that was meant to be available at the festival will be donated to local organizations in New York City.

“The Festival is one day, but the actions you took and the impact you created will reach far beyond Central Park,” continued the statement. “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.”

Additional performers for Global Citizen Festival included Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey, Tomorrow X Together, Victoria Monét, Yeonjun, Yoshiki and Alicia Keys with friends. Hugh Jackman was set to host.

Along with Global Citizen Festival, the three-day All Things Go NYC Festival was canceled just hours before doors were set to open on Friday afternoon due to the extreme weather conditions affecting the city.