Global Citizen Festival 2025: Top 7 performances and highlights

The Global Citizen Festival 2025 took place at New York City’s Central Park Great Lawn on September 27, 2025. The event brought together music, activism, and global advocacy in front of a crowd of 60,000 people. It was a space where artists and public figures used their voices and performances to push for change.

The festival ran from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and included performances from both established and emerging artists. It was also supported by hosts and speakers who spoke about key issues like climate change, global poverty, and education. The Global Citizen Festival 2025 announced goals such as giving access to energy to 1 million people in Africa, raising $200 million to protect the Amazon rainforest, and improving education for 30,000 children worldwide.

Hugh Jackman hosted the event for the 11th year, joined by others like Bill Nye, Danai Gurira, and Liza Koshy. Together with the performers, they helped create a safe space, blending music and awareness.

7 best performances in The Global Citizen Festival 2025

Here are the top seven performances and highlights from the festival.

Shakira

Shakira was the main attraction of the festival, and she gave an energetic performance that kept the audience entertained. She reminded the people of how music has united people from all over the world and assisted in bringing about changes. This performance explained why she was selected as one of the headliners of the event.

The setlist included tracks such as She Wolf, Waka Waka, and Whenever, Wherever, among a few others, and her performance reflected the mission, stressing unity and the power of coming together for a global cause, making the audience join the Global Citizen movement.

Cardi B

In addition to Shakira, Cardi B was also one of the headliners of the Global Citizen Festival 2025. She performed one of the newest singles Outside, from her recent album titled Am I the Drama?, among her other hit records.

Cardi B's performance, one of the most discussed of the evening, reiterated the cause for this festival. She expressed gratitude and the importance of coming together for children all over the world.

Tyla

Pandora Celebrates Talisman Collection Launch - Source: Getty

Among the list of emerging artists, Tyla's performance was one of the most anticipated as well! The message of the Global Citizen Festival 2025 is reflected in the diversity of the lineup. Johannesburg-born singer Tyla rose to fame with hit singles, including Water, PUSH 2 START. Her setlist included a cover, tracks from her debut album TYLA, as well as her newest EP WWP.

Often dubbed as the "Queen of Popiano," her musical style is a combination of pop and amapiano. It is also significant that global artists such as Tyla are featured in the festival, reiterating the mission of uniting for global causes to bring about changes.

Ayra Starr

2025 Global Citizen Festival - Source: Getty

Another artist who introduced her own sound to the festival is Ayra Starr. The Nigerian-born singer, songwriter interacted with the crowd, performed her track, including Hot Body, and covered Selena Gomez's Calm Down, accompanied by REMA.

Starr's style, the all white look with a cap, in addition to her stage presence, emphasized the variety of the lineup.

Mariah the Scientist

Introduced by Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and the internet sensation Liza Koshy, American singer-songwriter Mariah the Scientist enthralled the audience with her R&B set. Her performance was soulful and resonated with the audience. She sang songs from her album titled Sway, including Sacrifice, Burning Blue, and United Nations + 1000 Ways to Die.

Joined to reiterate the missions of the Global Citizen Festival 2025, including causes such as ending global poverty and providing access to quality education for 30,000 children around the world, Mariah the Scientist's performance lasted over 20 minutes. The Global Citizen Festival 2025 made space to represent various genres of music, uniting multiple audiences to raise money for global causes.

Camilo and Evaluna

Camilo and Evaluna performed together in a special collaboration. Their joint set stood out because of how it reflected the multicultural vision of the festival.

The collaboration was not just about music but also about showing how artists from different backgrounds can come together. This fits well with the festival’s message of unity and global connection.

ROSÉ (Special Appearance)

'Saint Laurent' The Hyundai Pop-up Store Open - Photocall - Source: Getty

A surprise performance by ROSÉ was probably one of the most thrilling moments of the night. Her set was not announced prior to the festival, thus leaving the crowd with some form of excitement upon her appearance on the stage. Her act provided an added another dimension to the repertoire.

It also demonstrated how different artists, from a range of musical styles and genres, came together on the same Global Citizen stage, not only making the event memorable but also contributing to the betterment of the world.

Additional Highlights

It was not just a musical festival. Hugh Jackman, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Danai Gurira, and Liza Koshy as hosts and speakers lent immense interest to the event. Their on-stage time was used to demand the solution of some problems, such as climate change, equality, and the end of extreme poverty. The other point of interest was a high level of volunteer support.

According to CBS, the number of New Yorkers who signed up to participate in the mission organised by Global Citizen was approximately 40,000, illustrating the level of local interest. The audience comprised 60,000 people, and the Festival, organized by Global Citizen, hosted multiple artists from different countries and musical styles to create awareness for the cause. For 2025, Global Citizen, called to resist and defend the Earth from climate change, demands equal access to nutritious food and the end of extreme poverty.

Edited by IRMA

Help Us Improve