This weekend, all eyes will be on Washington DC as the US capital gets set to host the fourth edition of Art of Living’s World Culture Festival from September 29 to October 1.
Set against the iconic backdrop of the US Capitol, the stage alone is the size of a football field. The event will witness a monumental gathering of 17,000 artists, numerous heads of states, and thought leaders from over 100 countries, all converging at the National Mall. An astounding half-a-million people are anticipated to participate, making it a global spectacle of unprecedented proportions.
The event features over 50 performances, including a traditional Chinese cultural performance with 1,000 singers and dancers; a ‘Garba’ extravaganza with 7,000 dancers; 700 Indian classical dancers with a live symphony; a 50th anniversary tribute to Hip Hop by Kurtis Blow, SHA-Rock, Sequence Girls and DJ Kool and other legends of Hip Hop alongside 100 break dancers debuting choreography by King Charles and Kelli Forman; 100 Ukrainian dancers performing their traditional Hopak; 1,000 guitarists led by Grammy Award winner Micki Free; and a recreation of Bob Marley’s legendary classic ‘One Love’ by his grandson Skip Marley.
It was at the National Mall that Martin Luther King delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 to spread the message of equality and unity to the world.
A century before that, at the first World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda delivered an electrifying speech that brought everyone in attendance to their feet. He addressed representatives of the world’s major faiths as his brothers and sisters, and called for the end of religious bigotry and intolerance.
On September 29, 2023, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will bridge the divides of borders, religion and race by uniting people from 180 countries under the banner of “One World Family”.
Nothing unites like food does, and so the event will also feature cuisines from around the world. What sets this festival apart is its commitment to give budding artists and performers a platform to showcase their talents.
Special dignitaries who will speak at the event include Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations; S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs; Dr Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General; Rick Scott, US Senator; Nancy Pelosi; Ram Nath Kovind, former President of India; Krishnakoemarie Mathoera, Minister of Defence, Suriname, among others.