The Manhattan Beat: Global Citizen Festival at the Great Lawn, Central Park

International advocacy organization Global Citizen today hosted the 2019 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park's Great Lawn. Throughout the six-hour event, world and business leaders, non-profit organizations, socially conscious artists, and thousands of Global Citizens committed to further the world’s progress toward achieving the United Nations' Global Goals for Sustainable Development and ending extreme poverty by 2030. The festival led to 18 commitments totaling $932.1 million, which are set to affect the lives of 7.6 million people, as well as announcements from partners and members of congress worth $1.6 billion. Since 2012, Global Citizens have mobilized $48.5 billion in commitments and policy announcements from world leaders that have impacted the lives of 880 million people living in extreme poverty.

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness hosted the 2019 event, and co-hosts included Forest Whitaker, Taraji P. Henson, Kal Penn, Dakota Johnson, Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, and Becky G. Queen + Adam Lambert, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, OneRepublic, H.E.R., Carole King, French Montana, Ben Platt, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, David Gray, and NCT 127 performed live. H.E.R. joined Alicia Keys for a rocking cover of Aerosmith's "Dream On," and Kelly Clarkson joined Carole King for one song.

Planners may make next year's event the biggest Global Citizen Festival yet. In 2020, a 10-hour global media event entitled Global Goal Live: The Possible Dream will span five continents for the largest live-broadcast cause event in history. Deborra-lee Furness & Hugh Jackman, Idris Elba, Jill Vedder, Rachel Brosnahan, Trevor Noah, and Uzo Aduba have committed to host the event, and Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Cyndi Lauper, D’banj, Eddie Vedder, EXO, H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, Lizzo, Metallica, Miley Cyrus, Muse, Ozuna, Ozzy Osbourne, Pharrell Williams, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shawn Mendes, Tiwa Savage, Usher, and others will perform.