Global Citizen unveils 2026 Central Park headliners
Global Citizen has announced the performer lineup for its 2026 festival, returning to the Great Lawn in Central Park on Sept. 26. Ms. Lauryn Hill and her Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean will headline, marking the 30th anniversary of the Fugees' album The Score, with Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey and Tomorrow x Together also taking the stage.
Host, co-hosts and the festival's advocacy targets
Hugh Jackman, a Global Citizen ambassador, will host the event, with appearances by Rachel Brosnahan and Gayle King and additional participants to be announced. The festival, organized by the antipoverty movement Global Citizen, will focus on three goals: educational opportunities for 2 million children, support for 1.5 million smallholder farmers, and electricity access for 2.5 million homes.
How tickets work and the urgency framing
Admission to the festival is free, with tickets earned through action taken on the Global Citizen app or website. Co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans framed the event around continued progress against extreme poverty, citing a decline from roughly 2.3 billion people in extreme poverty in 1990 to about 830 million today, and asking whether the current generation will finish eradicating extreme poverty or allow that progress to reverse.
Artist statements and remaining unknowns
Lainey Wilson said the performance would be her first at the Global Citizen Festival and highlighted the event's mix of advocacy and music. Additional celebrity appearances and any further lineup additions are expected to be announced in the weeks leading up to Sept. 26, while the full performance order and set details have not yet been released.
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