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This weekend, hundreds of activists, artists, and advocacy groups will be joining forces to create awareness and seek unity, and promote global change.
Elton John and Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder and Shawn Mendes are just a few of the artists who have donated their time to the event. It takes place over a 24-hour period that begins Saturday.
Timed to the UN General Assembly and G20 climate meetings, the festival culminates in Global Citizen Live, a 24-hour music festival spanning six continents and featuring hundreds of the world’s top recording artists and celebrities.
What is the Global Citizen Festival and How Does It Work?
The Global Citizen Festival is one of the main outreach events and initiatives for Global Citizen, an organization founded in 2008, with a goal of ending extreme poverty in the world by the year 2030.
The music festival, dubbed “Global Citizen Live,” is part of Global Citizen’s overarching Recovery Plan for the World, a year-long campaign to help end Covid-19 by calling on governments, philanthropists, and the private sector for financial commitments to help “kickstart an equitable global recovery.”
When Is the Global Citizen Festival? Date, Start Time, Tickets
The Global Citizen Music Festival 2021 officially kicks off on Saturday, September 25 at 2pm ET / 11am PT.
Tickets to the show are selling out quickly, but we’ve spotted good seats still available via VividSeats.com for the show at The Great Lawn, in New York’s Central Park, and for the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets starting at $18 on VividSeats as of the writing
Doors will open at 2pm ET for the show at Central Park, with performances beginning around 4pm ET. Doors for the Greek Theatre show will open at 5:55 p.m. PT. Artists will take to the stage in Los Angeles at 7 p.m. PT. Be sure to check the venue’s latest Covid rules and regulations before heading to the event.
Global Citizen Live: Who Are They?
Global Citizen Live is one the most ambitious live events, featuring artist performances that span six continents as well as multiple time zones. This is the current list, with some surprises added by organizers.
New York City: Performances by Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo, Meek Mill, and Shawn Mendes; special guest performances by Alessia Cara, Burna Boy, Cyndi Lauper, Jon Batiste, and Lang Lang; and appearances by Amber Ruffin, Andy Cohen, Billy Porter, Bonang Matheba, Bridget Moynahan, Connie Britton, Deborra-lee Furness, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, Dikembe Mutombo, Katie Holmes, Nomzamo Mbatha, Padma Lakshmi, Rachel Brosnahan, Skip Marley, and Tan France, presented by Citi and Cisco.
Paris: Performances by Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Black Eyed Peas, Christine and the Queens, Doja Cat, and Måneskin; special guest performances by Angélique Kidjo, Charlie Puth, and Fatma Said; hosted by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Denis Brogniart; and appearances by Carmen Ejogo and Drew McIntyre.
Los Angeles: Performances by Stevie Wonder, Adam Lambert, Chloe x Halle, Demi Lovato, H.E.R., Migos, ONEREPUBLIC, Ozuna, The Lumineers, and 5 Seconds of Summer; and appearances by JoJo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Maggie Q, and Scott Evans, presented by Verizon.
London: Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Nile Rodgers and Chic, and Rag’n’Bone Man.
Lagos: Performances by Femi Kuti, Davido, Tiwa Savage, and Made Kuti; and appearances by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Nancy Isime.
Rio de Janeiro: Performances by Alok, Criolo, Liniker, Mart’nália, Mapu, Aldeia Mutum of the Yawanawa, and Owera (Kunumi MC); with special guests Tropkillaz and Mosquito; and an appearance by Dedé Teicher, in partnership with Rock In Rio.
Sydney: Performance by Delta Goodrem; and appearances by Celeste Barber and Cathy Freeman.
Mumbai: Performances by Ajay-Atul, Badshah featuring Aastha Gill, Amit Trivedi, Tanishk Bagchi, Zara Khan, Nikhita Gandhi, and Yasser Desai; and an appearance by Anil Kapoor, in partnership with Wizcraft.
Numerous artists will be performing at sound-stages and other locations around the world. Although they won’t be performing at the concert venues in person, you can stream their performances online.
Broadcast Performances from Around the World: Andrea Bocelli from Tuscany, BTS from Seoul, Green Day from Los Angeles, Keith Urban and Ricky Martin from various locations in Las Vegas, Lorde and My Morning Jacket from various locations in New York City, Metallica from Louisville, Sho Madjozi and Muzi from Johannesburg and, in partnership with Sony Music Latin, Camilo from Madrid and Lali from Buenos Aires.
How to Watch Global Citizen Festival on TV
The Global Citizen Festival will air live across the world, on major television networks like BBC in the United Kingdom, Sky & TV8 in Italy, TF1/TMC in France, TV Azteca in México, and Zee TV in India, among others. There will be a variation in TV coverage in the U.S. in terms both of coverage and start times.
If you have a traditional cable package (like this one from Verizon), you can watch Global Citizen live on TV beginning at 1pm ET / 10am PT Saturday on ABC News Live. FX will begin airing coverage at 9am ET / noon PT, and you’ll be able to watch Global Citizen in primetime on ABC beginning at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
How to Stream Global Citizen Festival Live Online
If you don’t have cable, there are ways to watch the Global Citizen festival and all the musical performances online.
The Global Citizen live stream can be viewed in the U.S. on Apple Music, ABC and Hulu. Don’t have a subscription to those services? Here’s how to live stream Global Citizen online free.
1. Stream Global Citizen on fuboTV
We love the ease and convenience of fuboTV, which gets you 100+ live TV channels that you can stream online. fuboTV offers both ABC and ABC News Live. This will allow you to watch the Global Citizen music performances online.
Right now, fuboTV is offering a 7-day free trial that you can grab here in time for Saturday, to watch Global Citizen Live online free. You can cancel your subscription at any time within the week and you won’t be charged.
2. Stream Global Citizen on Hulu + Live TV
You already know Hulu for their countless hours of on-demand shows and original programming (think Nine Perfect Strangers and Selena Gomez’s Only Murders in the Building). But the streamer’s Hulu + Live TV plan takes it up a notch, giving you unlimited access to their shows and movies and live TV streaming to 75+ channels.
Hulu + Live TV has ABC as one of their live TV channels, so if you’re already signed-up for the service, you can watch the Global Citizen Festival on Hulu. Not a Hulu subscriber? Grab this 7-day free trial to Hulu + Live TV and use it to stream all the performances from Global Citizen Live for free online.
After that, you can stay with Hulu + Live TV at its current reduced rate of just $54.99/month (regularly $64.99+). This is the best Hulu streaming deal we’ve seen online yet.
3. Stream Global Citizen on Vidgo
Vidgo is one of the newer streaming options online but it’s become a hit with cord cutters thanks to its new $10 deal, that includes 90+ channels of live sports and entertainment. Vidgo allows you to stream the Global Citizen Festival live online from ABC.
Vidgo is currently offering a 3-day free trial to test out the service, which you can grab to watch Global Citizen Live online free. After that, try Vidgo out for just $10 for your first month. The price goes up to $55 per month.
How to Stream Global Citizen Live Online Free
All of the above services — fuboTV, Hulu and Vidgo — will get you a free live stream of the Global Citizen Music Festival, when you log-in with your subscription or sign-up for one of their free trials. You’ll have unlimited access to watch the Global Citizen Festival online free from start to finish.
If you have a Roku-compatible device, a Roku streaming stick or a Roku TV, you can watch the Global Citizen Live performances for free via The Roku Channel. Roku Channel provides free programming. This includes 24/7 live news from ABC News.
Global Citizen
What Are the Goals of the Global Citizen Festival?
The Global Citizen Festival promises memorable performances but there is a bigger goal. According to the organization artists and presenters are joining forces to call for accountability and concrete action from EU and G7 leaders. Among their demands: for the G7 and EU to share at least one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses immediately with those most in need; for the wealthiest nations to give $100 billion annually to address the climate needs of developing countries; to encourage businesses to help curb emissions through joining the Race to Zero and planting one billion trees by 2022; and for the G7 and the world’s billionaires to end the hunger crisis by contributing at least $6 billion “for the urgent provision of millions of meals for the 41 million people on the brink of starvation.”
Is Global Citizen a Non-Profit?
While Global Citizen works with world leaders, it is considered an “advocacy organization” rather than an NGO. Global Citizen is also registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, according to CharityNavigator.org.