Over the past four years, the tradition of the Global Citizens Festival in Central Park has broadened its platform to take action on poverty and inequality around the world and gained a significant amount of popularity. This past Saturday, September 26, the concert was held on the Great Lawn in Central Park and boasted about 60,000 attendees. Headliners for this year’s show included Coldplay, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Pearl Jam. The star-studded show featured artists singing some of their most popular songs and wowing the crowd with their talent. On top of that, there were quite a few collaborations including Coldplay and Arianna Grande singing “Just A Little Bit of My Heart” and Ed Sheeran teaming with Chris Martin to sing “Thinking Out Loud.” But perhaps the most talked about duet of the evening was the outstanding rendition of “Drunk in Love” in which Beyoncé brought out Ed Sheeran to sing with her.

With celebrities like Katie Holmes, Usher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Olivia Wilde and Sophia Bush in attendance, there was no shortage of entertainment for the crowd. In addition, politicians like Michelle Obama and Joe Biden, as well as world-renowned activists like Malala Yousafzafi, made appearances. However, with a long list of celebrities, global leaders, and activists, the show did not lose track of what was important: advocating change for an array of social justice issues.

The tickets to this festival are free, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come at a price. In order to obtain tickets, participants must complete an action journey, which then qualifies them to be placed in a drawing to win tickets. This action plan can include making phone calls, sending emails, or even signing petitions to advocate to the government and world leaders the changes that must occur to make the world a better place.

Over 1 billion people in the world live in extreme poverty, and the main goal of Global Citizens is to eliminate poverty by the year 2030. The group is getting the attention of leaders across the world and already making a difference in the lives of a number of individuals. By partnering with various other organizations, Global Citizens is working to combat issues for women, education, health, hunger, environment, and so much more. While the festival is a great concert filled with entertainment and amazing talents, perhaps the most remarkable thing about it is the message it sends about helping to impact our world in such a positive way.