World Cultural Festival

World Cultural Festival
Rajasthani Artists' green room at the World Cultural Festival 2016 held in New Delhi.
Statusactive
Genrefestivals
Dates2011 (Berlin), 2016 (New Delhi),[1] 2023 (Washington DC)
LocationsNew Delhi, Berlin, Bangalore, Washington, DC
CountryIndia, Germany, United States
FounderRavi Shankar
Most recent28 September 2023 to 1 October 2023
Attendance2.1 million (average)[2]
Activity
Organised byThe Art of Living Foundation

The World Cultural Festival (WCF) is a global event series organized by the Art of Living Foundation.

History

The inaugural edition was held in 2006 to mark the foundation's 25th anniversary. The festival expanded internationally with editions in Berlin (2011), New Delhi (2016), and Washington, D.C. (2023).

Year Location Dates Attendance Notes
2006 Bengaluru, India 17–19 February 2.5 million Silver Jubilee Celebrations (25 years of Art of Living) [3]
2011 Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany 2–3 July 60,000–70,000 30th anniversary celebration [4]
2016 New Delhi, India 11–13 March 3.5 million (including 36,000 artists) 35th anniversary; [5]
2023 National Mall, Washington, D.C., United States 29 September – 1 October 1 million First edition held in the United States [6]

Editions

2006

The Art of Living Foundation documents the first edition of the festival as 2006 in Bangalore. [7]

2011

In July 2011, the festival was organized at Berlin Olympic Stadium. Attendance were estimated at 60,000.[8]

2016

In 2016, the festival was held on the Yamuna floodplains in New Delhi from 11 to 13 March.[9]

It was organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to celebrate the Art of Living Foundation's 35 years in service.[10] Attendance was estimated at around 3.5 million people in audience and 37,000 artists over 3 days.[11] The performances were held on a 100 feet tall by 1,200 feet wide stage with an area of seven acres.[12] Around 1,700 officials were deployed for traffic management, during the festival, and around 300 were on standby for the other events (specifically marriages) to be held during the festival.[13]

In 2016, the festival was chaired by Justice RC Lahoti.[14] Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali from United Nations was also listed as a co-chair for the event but he died prior to the event. Some other committee members included former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers; Nancy Pelosi, Katherine Clark and Ed Witfield from United States Congress; and former Lithuanian president Vytautas Landsbergis.[15]

Following the 2016 edition, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull invited Art of Living Foundation to Australia for the next World Culture Festival.[16]

2023

In March 2023, the Art Of Living Foundation announced their next WFC event to be held in Washington, DC from 29 September to 1 October 2023.[17]

By September 29, 2023, more than 600,000 people registered to attend at least one day of the event. WFC 2023 featured 17,000 performers[18] from more than 100 countries.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser opened the festival and emphasized the festival’s goals of coming together to celebrate diversity and unity. [19]

The event hosted global leaders and performers representing various cultures.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, addressed the assembly, stating that culture facilitates global unity by fostering dialogue and mutual understanding. While noting progress in science and technology, he emphasized that cultural, spiritual, and moral cooperation is necessary for conflict resolution and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. [20]

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also delivered a speech, remarking that it was heartwarming to see the panorama of global cultures on display. He noted that the gathering served to express friendship, strengthen solidarity, and promote peace and understanding. He further observed that humanity is a truly diverse group, an identity expressed through its various cultures, traditions, and heritage. [21]

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shared the spiritual objective of the gathering, telling the crowds that the purpose of all sound is to create inner silence, which he described as the source of creativity and the foundation of love and compassion. He expressed a vision for a world defined by celebration, compassion, and togetherness. [22]

Other notable figures who attended the 2023 edition include Jaime Aparicio, the former Bolivian Ambassador to the United States , former Slovenian Prime Minister Alojz Peterle, former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki, former Surgeon General of the United States Vivek Murthy, President of Mauritius Prithvirajsing Roopun, Ryzsard Czarnecki, former President of India Ramnath Kovind, and Tim Draper. [23][24][25][26]

The festival's centerpiece was an array of artistic performances, featuring local art troupes and professional artists showcasing dance, vocal performances, musical instrument recitals, martial arts, and acrobatics. [27]

Artistic showcases represented a broad spectrum of global traditions, including Chinese dancers and dragons, an Indian Garba folk dance, and a 50th-anniversary tribute to Hip-Hop featuring Kurtis Blow, SHA-Rock, the Sequence Girls, and DJ Kool. The program also featured Indian classical dance accompanied by a live symphony, a Ukrainian Hopak, and Bulgarian folklore groups. Meanwhile, a group of Swiss alphorn players traveled to perform in their second World Culture Festival, joining other musical highlights such as a guitar ensemble led by Micki Free. [28][29] [30]

The event concluded with Skip Marley, grandson of Bob Marley, who performed "One Love" as a tribute to the festival's message of global unity. [31]

Local criticism, concern raised by the NGT, and plea to the Supreme Court

The festival was criticized in the Indian news media for environmental reasons.[32] The foundation was involved in a legal battle with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which allowed the festival to be held after paying a security deposit of ₹5 crore (US$590,000) in order to compensate for any possible damage.[33] The Art of Living Foundation questioned the findings by the tribunal and has since then submitted a plea in the Supreme Court of India.[34][35][36] Eventually it was found that the entire area where the event took place was successfully cleared without any damage and handed over to the respective authorities.

See also

References

  1. ^ Sanghavi, Mionee (3 May 2016). "World Event a Big Moment for Bengaluru Dancer". www.newindianexpress.com.
  2. ^ Williams, Elliot C. (5 July 2023). "A Mysterious Foundation Is Throwing A Huge Cultural Festival On The National Mall". Archived from the original on 6 July 2023.
  3. ^ "From Art of Living to World Meditation Day: Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's global journey". dailypioneer.com. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  4. ^ "From Art of Living to World Meditation Day: Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's global journey". dailypioneer.com. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  5. ^ India, Rolling Stone (29 February 2016). "World Culture Festival Set To Take Place In New Delhi Next Month". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  6. ^ "World Culture Festival comes to National Mall for three-day celebration of diversity and unity - The Eagle". www.theeagleonline.com. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  7. ^ not available, not available (21 December 2025). "The journey so far".
  8. ^ Jacobs, Stephen (1 October 2014). "Inner Peace and Global Harmony: Individual Wellbeing and Global Solutions in the Art of Living". Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research. 6 (4): 873–889. doi:10.3384/cu.2000.1525.146873. hdl:2436/621287. ISSN 2000-1525.
  9. ^ "As it happened: 'This is the Kumbh Mela of culture'", The Hindu, 11 March 2016
  10. ^ "LIVE: Watch - Art of Living's World Culture Festival 2016– Day 3", Zee News, 13 March 2016, archived from the original on 16 April 2016
  11. ^ "The World Culture Festival was a sight to behold". Star2.com. 30 March 2016. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  12. ^ Perappadan, Bindu Shajan (15 April 2016). "Art of Living stage finally dismantled". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Sri Sri's World Culture Festival and rain choke Delhi roads", Mail Today, 12 March 2016
  14. ^ "Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival: Things to look out for". The Indian Express. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Art of Living announces World Culture Fest to be held in March 2016". dna. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  16. ^ "Art of Living event: Global leaders hail Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival". The Financial Express. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Washington DC to host World Culture Festival 2023". Deccan Chronicle. 4 March 2023.
  18. ^ "One World Family: 4th World Culture Festival celebrates unity in diversity". 4 October 2023.
  19. ^ Agostinelli and Bhatia, Ava and Sanya (17 October 2023). "World Culture Festival comes to National Mall for three-day celebration of diversity and unity".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "World Cultural Festival: EAM Jaishankar, Art of Living's Sri Sri Ravi Shankar call for strengthening ties, solidarity, promotion of peace". The Times of India. 30 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  21. ^ "World Cultural Festival: EAM Jaishankar, Art of Living's Sri Sri Ravi Shankar call for strengthening ties, solidarity, promotion of peace". The Times of India. 30 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  22. ^ "World Cultural Festival: EAM Jaishankar, Art of Living's Sri Sri Ravi Shankar call for strengthening ties, solidarity, promotion of peace". The Times of India. 30 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  23. ^ Gingras, Angelique (18 October 2023). "World Culture Festival promotes a 'mission of unity and diversity'". Washington Diplomat. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  24. ^ Inside The 2023 World Culture Festival, 6 October 2023, retrieved 22 November 2023
  25. ^ Nazzaro, Miranda (29 September 2023). "World Culture Festival to touch down in DC in push for unity". The Hill. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  26. ^ "DC's 2023 World Culture Festival Presents a Diverse Array of Cultural Performances". 6 October 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  27. ^ NA, NA (22 February 2026). "WORLD CULTURAL FESTIVAL IN WASHINGTON, DC HOSTED MORE THAN 30,000 PEOPLE FROM ALL CULTURES AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS TO CELEBRATE PEACE AND MEDITATION!".
  28. ^ Jack, Josie (3 October 2023). "Washington's World Culture Festival focused on peace and community". CNS Maryland. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  29. ^ NA, NA (22 February 2026). "WORLD CULTURAL FESTIVAL IN WASHINGTON, DC HOSTED MORE THAN 30,000 PEOPLE FROM ALL CULTURES AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS TO CELEBRATE PEACE AND MEDITATION!".
  30. ^ Stefan, Dana (3 October 2023). "World Culture Festival brought over 1 million people together in Washington". Travel Tomorrow. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  31. ^ Stefan, Dana (3 October 2023). "World Culture Festival brought over 1 million people together in Washington". Travel Tomorrow. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  32. ^ "Why India's huge 'spiritual' festival has run into trouble". BBC News. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  33. ^ "Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu backs Art of Living's world cultural festival", The Economic Times, 11 March 2016
  34. ^ "Art of Living questions expert panel's Yamuna floodplains findings". The Economic Times. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  35. ^ Mittal, Priyanka (2 February 2018). "SC notice on plea against environment compensation imposed on Art of Living for damage to Yamuna floodplains". Mint. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  36. ^ "Vyakti Vikas Kendra India vs Manoj Misra on 5 September, 2018". indiankanoon.org. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
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