Global Citizen Announces Inaugural Lineup for South Africa-Based Festival Dubbed “Mandela 100” Featuring Jay-Z, Chris Martin and Pharrell and Eddie Vedder

The Global Citizen Festival, one of the more intriguing festivals on the circuit, has announced a special version of the concert, to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 2nd as reported by Pitchfork. The lineup this year according to the festival’s website features the likes of Beyonce and Jay-Z, who will be co-headlining a joint set, a special set from festival chairman Chris Martin of Coldplay and Pharrell, Ed Sheeran, Eddie Vedder, Usher, Wizkid, Femi Kuti, and more.

The location was chosen to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela, the South African hero who was born 100 years ago. Mandela famously spent 27 years in prison during apartheid before being released, eventually becoming the first democratically elected president of South Africa in 1994. What makes Global Citizen such a unique festival is that you can’t just buy tickets for it, typically you have to sign petitions or perform other acts of advocacy or social justice to acquire a ticket.

The festival aims to help end poverty, particularly in Africa, through charitable donations and the work of the fans attending the event as well as the acts performing at the festival. Since its founding in 2012, the festival has had an eclectic mix of acts, from the likes of Metallica to Kendrick Lamar. All of the artists who have made an appearance at the festival have been involved in other philanthropic efforts.

Jay-Z is gearing up for a massive summer tour of the US with Beyonce, which promises to be one of the top concert draws of the year, but he has also been focused on other efforts. He has been overseeing the release of new album of unreleased material from Prince, in addition to signing a massive touring contract with concert giant Live Nation.

Eddie Vedder is primed for a strong finish to the year as his two-day concert, the Ohana Festival is set to take place in late September in Southern California, while his band Pearl Jam, are currently touring the world and gearing up for the release of new album for the first time since 2013.

Photo credit Sharon Alagna