NEW YORK — Saturday’s Global Citizen Festival in Central Park has been canceled because of the wild nor’easter hitting the city, the group said Friday.

“Due to the extreme weather forecast for New York City this weekend, we have made the difficult decision, in consultation with the City of New York and NYC Parks, to cancel this year’s Global Citizen Festival,” organizers said on Instagram. “Forecasts predict dangerous conditions and circumstances in which we cannot safely bring tens of thousands of Global Citizens, artists, crew, vendors, partners, and staff onto the Great Lawn, let alone all of the equipment required.”

“Safety has to come first,” they said.

This is the first time in 14 years organizers have canceled the festival, they said.

“We have spent this week working through countless contingencies, which were ultimately not possible, and canceling is a decision we have not taken lightly,” the statement read.

The Central Park Conservancy, which operates the park, agreed calling off the concert was the right move.

“The Central Park Conservancy supports the decision made by our partners to cancel this year’s Global Citizen Festival out of concern for the safety and well-being of attendees and the Park itself,” a spokesperson said. “We will coordinate with NYC Parks and Global Citizen to reopen the Great Lawn as soon as possible.”

In an article on Wednesday, The Daily News raised concerns that the weekend’s anticipated rainfall could lead to a repeat of 2023, when the Great Lawn had to be shut down two months early for repairs and resodding after tens of thousands of concertgoers stomped it into a muddy mess.

The lawn’s early closure that year, which usually is done over the winter, coincided with peak fall foliage-viewing season, putting a prime spot for autumn leaf lovers off limits.

“What’s going to happen this weekend?” Councilmember Gale Brewer, whose Upper West Side district includes Central Park, told The News with concern earlier this week. “I haven’t heard of any rain dates — they don’t do rain dates.”

Global Citizen, which has raised billions to fight poverty, typically sees 60,000 concertgoers pack the 12-acre lawn. The festival in 2023 paid for the lawn’s repairs.

Brewer has said the festival also brings in around $2 million for the city’s general fund.

Beginning at 2 p.m. Friday and extending through Sunday morning, the travel advisory City Hall released warns New Yorkers that the storm is expected to bring several inches of rain, coastal flooding, and wind gusts of up to 50 mph that could send tree limbs and power lines crashing down.

“The forecast path of this storm has moved closer to our city, and it is bringing more rain and stronger winds with it,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “City workers are clearing catch basins, preparing for downed trees and positioning emergency resources in areas that could see coastal flooding.”

Top musical acts, including Lauryn Hill, John Legend and Lenny Kravitz, were set to hit Central Park’s Great Lawn on Saturday.

Those who purchased tickets to the festival will be automatically refunded. Those who made donations to secure tickets can choose to be refunded as well, organizers said.

Over the past six weeks, the festival raised $208.8 million, “which will impact more than 9.5 million people,” organizers said.

Donations will go toward helping millions of children access education and support millions of smallholder farmers, women, youth and indigenous communities.

“The Festival is one day, but the actions you took and the impact you created will reach far beyond Central Park,” their statement continued.

While the festival is primarily focused on supporting communities living in extreme poverty on less than $3 a day worldwide, it annually injects roughly $33 million into New York City through spending by attendees and visiting tourists on hotels, transit, retail, food and beverages, a spokesperson said.

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