How to watch Global Citizen Live: Line-up and latest news
Elton John, Jennifer Lopez and Coldplay are among the artists headlining the once-in-a-generation charity event.
Benefit concerts have steadily grown in scope since Bob Geldof's landmark Live Aid initiative in 1985, but few can claim to match the scale of this year's Global Citizen Live concert.
Taking place across six continents over a 24 hour period, the concert will see many of the biggest artists in the world take to the stage to raise awareness and funds to defeat poverty worldwide - and when we say many we mean many.
Ed Sheeran, BTS, Elton John and Coldplay are just some of the many celebrities who will be taking part in the annual charity concert run by the Global Citizen organisation as part of their mission to end extreme poverty.
It looks to be a landmark event unlike any benefit concert attempted before - here's everything you need to know about Global Citizen Live.
How to watch Global Citizen Live
In an ambitious effort to reach as many people worldwide as possible, Global Citizen Live has announced a multitude of ways to watch the landmark concert over TV, phone, laptop or any smart screen.
The benefit concert kicks off at 6pm BST on Saturday 25th September 2021 - and will go on for a whopping 24 hours.
UK fans in particular will have a grand total of seven different ways to watch the musical money-raiser - see below for details:
BBC One
It may be one of the more old-fashioned methods, but live TV is one of the easiest methods to watch the event. Global Citizen Live will be airing on BBC One from 5:50pm BST, only stopping or the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing at 7pm.
Coverage of the concert will then resume afterwards until 3am, with a highlights package airing on Sunday 24th September at 4:30pm BST.
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With social media hosting more and more live streams these days, the Global Citizen UK Twitter channel will be streaming the entire event on a post that will be pinned at the top of the page.
However, unlike the BBC One version that will be condensed for TV, Twitter's coverage will live stream every moment of the 24 hour extravaganza - featuring every artist from every continent.
YouTube
Unsurprisingly, the 24-hour live stream will also be available on prolific video-sharing site YouTube on the Global Citizen channel.
As with Twitter, this will include the entire concert from 6pm on Saturday 25th to 6pm on Sunday 26th - but with the added bonus (or detriment!) of YouTube comments allowing you to interact with fellow fans in real-time.
The Global Citizen Website
It would make sense of course that the live stream was also available on the Global Citizen website. A perfect online method for those averse to social media, as well as the opportunity to explore Global Citizen's campaigns and work around the world.
BBC Radio 2
No screens are required for a good old listen-along to the radio, perfect for those driving, on the move or without internet. Trevor Nelson will be hosting a highlights show at 7pm on Sunday 26th September, while Vick Hope and Katie Thistleton will be exploring some of the issues Global Citizen Live is raising awareness of in a special episode of Life Hacks earlier the same day at 4pm.
BBC iPlayer
Of course, Global Citizen Live can be streamed live on BBC iPlayer, and will be available on-demand for up to 30 days after broadcast.
Apple
The Global Citizen Live concert will also be available worldwide on Apple Music and the Apple TV app.
Global Citizen Live line-up
It might be easier to list who's not performing - BTS, Jennifer Lopez, and Coldplay are among the headliners of a seriously impressive line-up.
The London portion of the show will feature Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Rag’n’Bone Man, Eurovision winners Måneskin and Nile Rodgers and Chic.
However plenty more Brits will be taking part at other locations around the world, with Elton John and Stormzy set to perform under the Eiffel Tower in Paris along with Charlie Puth and Fatma Said.
The New York concert in particular looks particularly impressive, featuring performances from Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo, Meek Mill, Shawn Mendes among others, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex set to be in attendance also.
Other artists performing around the world include:
- Adam Lambert
- Alessia Cara
- Alok
- Andrea Bocelli
- Angélique Kidjo
- Black Eyed Peas
- BTS
- Burna Boy
- Christine and the Queens
- Criolo
- Cyndi Lauper
- Davido
- Deborra-Lee Furness
- Delta Goodrem
- Demi Lovato
- DJ Snake
- Doja Cat
- Femi Kuti
- Green Day
- H.E.R.
- Hugh Jackman
- Jennifer Lopez
- Jon Batiste
- Keith Urban
- Lang Lang
- Liniker
- Lorde
- Made Kuti
- Mart’nália
- Meek Mill
- Metallica
- Mosquito
- Ricky Martin
- The Lumineers,
- The Weeknd
- Tiwa Savage
- Tropkillaz
- Usher
Incredibly, that's not even the full line-up - see the Global Citizen website for the long, long list of performers taking part.
What is Global Citizen Live?
Global Citizen Live is an annual music festival organised by the Global Citizen organisation as part of their mission to end extreme poverty.
The festival was the brainchild of Global Citizen co-founders Hugh Evans and Ryan Gall after seeing the corporate branding on music stages and wishing to replace them with charities.
The first concert took place in 2012 and included headliners such as Foo Fighters and The Black Keys, but was mostly limited to New York City's Central Park. However there has been an ongoing attempt for a more global outreach by live-streaming from public locations over the years, culminating in this year's ambitious 24-hour festival.
In 2015 Chris Martin agreed to become curator of the festival - having signed onto the role until 2030, the year the United Nations have aimed to wipe out extreme poverty as part of their Sustainable Development Goals.
The concert's mission and line-up can be seen in the trailer below:
If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide.
