International advocacy organization Global Citizen today announced that headliners Janet Jackson, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B, and Janelle Monae will perform at the 2018 Global Citizen Festival, the free-ticketed event on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York City on Saturday, September 29, 2018.
For the fifth consecutive year, MSNBC & Comcast NBCUniversal will air a live simulcast of the Festival on MSNBC and for the seventh consecutive year, iHeartMedia has been named the exclusive audio media partner.
A special guest performance will be given by John Legend.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness return as lead hosts for the 5th year.
Co-hosts will include Camren Bicondova, Cynthia Erivo, Danai Gurira, Forest Whitaker, Gus Kenworthy, Kal Penn, La La Anthony, Naomi Campbell, and Rachel Brosnahan.
The 2018 festival will serve as a platform from which millions of Global Citizens around the world will demand that world leaders fulfill their obligation to achieve the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development and end extreme poverty by 2030.
Building off momentum by activists and students from across the globe, Global Citizens and music fans will stand together to call on world leaders to uphold their responsibilities towards improving the quality of health care and nutrition that women receive during adolescence and childbirth, ensuring girls do not marry before they are ready, reducing, reusing and recycling plastic waste worldwide, ending the criminalization of poverty, providing quality education for all, and ensuring the United States fully funds its foreign aid budget.
Coinciding with the annual UN General Assembly meetings, this year’s Festival is a continuation of Global Citizen’s “Mandela 100” campaign; a series of global events honoring the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela in his centenary year.
Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, said, “In 2018, it is more important than ever for Global Citizens here in the United States and around the world to demand their voices be heard – through activism and at the polls – so that we can continue progress towards a world free from needless suffering and want. We are truly grateful to have such incredible artists, hosts and partners standing with us in a moment of history so pivotal in our fight to achieve the global goals and end extreme poverty.”
“We’re incredibly proud to take our support of Global Citizen Festival to the next level as Presenting Partner. As a global bank that is committed to welcoming what’s next, we look forward to helping bring together citizens around the world to stand for issues that matter most and foster meaningful change,” said Jennifer Breithaupt, Global Consumer CMO, Citi
The Weeknd said, “It is invaluable to be in a position where I can use my voice to help the millions of people in need. I am honored to align myself with Global Citizen in the fight to end world poverty.”
Shawn Mendes said, “I’m so excited to be a part of the Global Citizen movement. It’s an honor to be able to use my platform and music to help those in the world who need it most.”
John Legend said, “I’m proud to be supporting Global Citizen again to help focus people’s energy and attention on the issues that matter. I believe we need to look at human beings across the world as our brothers and sisters and do everything we can do to end extreme poverty to make life more livable. We are more powerful when we come together like this.”
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness said, “We are thrilled to be returning for this year’s Global Citizen Festival. It is important that we continue to work towards ending extreme poverty. On September 29, tens of thousands of Global Citizens will come together to celebrate being a part of this movement and the impact of their actions, and we cannot wait to be a part of it.”
Camren Bicondova said, “I am beyond honored and thankful to be a host at this year’s Global Citizen Festival, advocating for rising voices and actions taken. Here’s to making the world a better place.”
Cynthia Erivo said, “I am thrilled to join the millions of Global Citizens who are helping to make our world a better place. By joining together to make our voices heard, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of the world’s poor.”
Forest Whitaker said, “This year, it’s more important than ever that we bring attention to extreme poverty and ask our leaders to take action. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish at this year’s Global Citizen Festival.”
Gus Kenworthy said, “I believe that if we all speak up and do our part, we can accomplish great things for the world’s poor. I’m excited to support Global Citizen and join a movement that will help put an end to extreme poverty.”
Kal Penn said, “Our voices remain potent and powerful. It is critical that we reject the culture of fear and cynicism, and instead lift up those among us who need our help. That is why I continue to be a proud supporter of Global Citizen and believe that together we can end world poverty.”
La La Anthony said, “Being a part of the Global Citizen movement and helping to end extreme poverty continues to be important to me. I can’t wait to see what commitments we can achieve by September.”
Rachel Brosnahan said, “Global Citizen is about creating a movement and bringing attention to the difficult choices people living in extreme poverty have to face every day. I’m so happy to be back for another year of supporting this organization that unites people all over the world to tackle some of the world’s biggest issues.”
The 2018 Global Citizen Festival will be presented for the first time by Citi. The leading global bank has been a proud partner of the festival since inception.
Live Nation return for the third consecutive year as production partner.
For the fifth consecutive year, MSNBC & Comcast NBCUniversal will air a live simulcast of the Festival on MSNBC and MSNBC.com. The Festival broadcast will be produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Ken Ehrlich (Grammy Awards).
For the seventh consecutive year, iHeartMedia has been named the exclusive audio media partner and will broadcast live from Central Park on over 150 radio stations across the U.S. and streamed on the iHeartRadio app.
The Festival will also be livestreamed on YouTube and Twitter, presented by Johnson & Johnson.
Proud partners of the 2018 Global Citizen Festival include Global Citizen’s global health partner and major partner Johnson & Johnson, and major partners P&G, CHIME FOR CHANGE Founded by Gucci, Verizon, House of Mandela, and NYC Parks.
Associate Partners include Microsoft, Great Big Story, and One Championship.
Global Citizens can earn their admission to the free-ticketed Festival by joining the movement at glblctzn.me/nyc2018 by downloading the Global Citizen app. Ticket draws will occur throughout the summer and fans will be notified by Global Citizen when they have been selected.
Specific goals for the 2018 Global Citizen Festival campaigns include:
Calling on Congress to resist the White House’s proposed cuts of 32% to American aid programs, which would devastate the fight against extreme poverty.
Calling on the G7 countries to contribute to the $2 billion needed to tackle the world’s maternal health crisis that sees more than 5 million mothers and children die of preventable conditions every year.
Ending the criminalization of poverty, through eliminating and drastically reducing the use of cash bail in jurisdictions including New York State.
Since the first Global Citizen Festival in New York in 2012, Global Citizen has grown into one of the largest, most visible platforms for people around the world calling on world leaders to honor their responsibilities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and ending extreme poverty by 2030.
Global Citizens have generated commitments and policy announcements from leaders valued at over $37.9 billion that are set to affect the lives of more than 2.25 billion people. This year alone Global Citizens have secured 29 commitments totaling over $2.9 billion that are set to affect the lives of more than 501 million people by 2030.
