Level 1 — Absolute Beginner

A big, free music show will happen in Central Park in New York City. It is called the Global Citizen Festival. The show is on September 26, 2026.

Two singers, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, will sing together again. Long ago, they were in a music group called the Fugees. Their famous album is called "The Score." It is now 30 years old.

Other famous singers will also perform. They are Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, and Alicia Keys.

The actor Hugh Jackman will host the show. The festival helps people learn about poverty around the world.

festival

a big event with music, often outdoors

free

costing no money

reunite

to come together again after being apart

album

a collection of songs released together

perform

to sing, play music, or act in front of people

host

a person who leads or introduces a show

actor

a person who plays a role in movies or on stage

poverty

the state of being very poor

Level 2 — Elementary

The Global Citizen Festival, a free concert held every year in New York City's Central Park, will take place on September 26, 2026, on the park's Great Lawn.

One of the biggest moments of the show will be a reunion of the Fugees. Singers Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean will perform together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their famous album "The Score," which was released in 1996 and won two Grammy Awards.

Other major artists joining the lineup include Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey, and the K-pop group Tomorrow X Together. Alicia Keys will also perform with special guests.

The concert will be hosted by actor Hugh Jackman, who has hosted the festival before, with appearances by actress Rachel Brosnahan and television host Gayle King.

The Global Citizen Festival is not just a concert. It is organized to raise awareness about extreme poverty around the world and encourage governments and companies to take action.

concert

a live musical performance for an audience

reunion

an event where people who were apart come together again

anniversary

the date that marks a certain number of years since an event

lineup

the list of performers scheduled to appear at an event

artist

a person who creates or performs music or art

award

a prize given for an achievement

awareness

knowledge or understanding of a situation or issue

extreme

very great in degree; far beyond usual limits

Level 3 — Intermediate

The 2026 Global Citizen Festival, a free annual concert in New York City's Central Park, is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, with gates opening at 2 p.m. and the show beginning at 4 p.m. on the Great Lawn.

The centerpiece of this year's lineup is a long-anticipated reunion: Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean will reunite as the Fugees to mark the 30th anniversary of their landmark 1996 album "The Score," which won two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album, and produced multi-platinum singles such as "Killing Me Softly" and "Ready or Not."

They will be joined by an eclectic roster of performers, including Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, country singer Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey, and the K-pop group Tomorrow X Together, alongside a special performance by Alicia Keys and friends, plus sets from Victoria Monét, YEONJUN, and YOSHIKI.

Actor Hugh Jackman, a longtime Global Citizen ambassador, will return as host, with guest appearances from actress Rachel Brosnahan and television personality Gayle King rounding out the program.

Beyond its star-studded lineup, the festival functions as an advocacy platform: attendees earn free tickets by taking actions intended to pressure world leaders and corporations into policies that address extreme poverty, making the concert as much a campaign as a celebration.

centerpiece

the most important or attractive feature of something

long-anticipated

eagerly awaited for a long time

landmark

an event or achievement that is highly significant

eclectic

made up of a mix of different styles or sources

roster

a list of people, such as performers, involved in an event

ambassador

a person who represents or promotes an organization or cause

advocacy

public support for a particular cause or policy

corporation

a large company recognized as a single legal entity

Level 4 — Advanced

The 2026 Global Citizen Festival, the free advocacy concert that has become a September fixture on Central Park's Great Lawn, will convene on Saturday, September 26, with gates opening at 2 p.m. ahead of a 4 p.m. start.

This year's marquee attraction is a reunion three decades in the making: Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean will reconstitute the Fugees to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "The Score," the 1996 album that captured two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album, and yielded multi-platinum singles such as "Killing Me Softly" and "Ready or Not."

Flanking that reunion is a deliberately eclectic bill spanning Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, country breakout Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey, and the K-pop act Tomorrow X Together, alongside a showcase from Alicia Keys and friends and appearances by Victoria Monét, YEONJUN, and YOSHIKI.

Hosting duties fall once again to Hugh Jackman, a longtime ambassador for the organization, with the actress Rachel Brosnahan and broadcaster Gayle King rounding out a program that blends celebrity star power with the festival's underlying cause.

That cause, in fact, defines the event's very mechanics: rather than a conventional ticket sale, Global Citizen requires supporters to earn entry by taking verifiable actions intended to press governments and corporations toward policies aimed at ending extreme poverty, positioning the concert as an instrument of activism as much as an evening of entertainment.

convene

to come together formally for a meeting or event

marquee

very important or attracting a great deal of attention

reconstitute

to form something again after it had been dissolved

commemorate

to honor the memory of something through a special event

flank

to be positioned on either side of something

showcase

an event designed to present something in its best light

mechanics

the practical details of how something operates

verifiable

able to be checked or proved to be true