The World Culture Festival is a unique time in history.   It is a festival that brings the world together.  Unlike politics and sports, there are no competitions at the World Culture Festival.  It is a time of celebration.  Everyone celebrates the beauty that each country presents. Founded by Art of Living Foundation the World Culture Festival “provides a platform for the preservation of local and indigenous traditions through music and dance…” The first festival was in 2006 in Bangalore. The next two festivals were in 2011 in Berlin Olympic stadium. The 2016 festival was on the Yamuna floodplains in New Delhi.

This year the 2023 US Edition of the World Culture Festival was held at the center of government in the USA, Washington D.C.  During a speech on day 2 of the festival, the former President of India reminded everyone of the purpose of the festival, “to create a harmonious and unified society.”

Since the World Culture Festival is new to most Americans, we wondered what to expect.  Festival organizers promised a weekend full of pageantry, vibrant colors, delicious food, 17,000 performers, and a crowd of up to 400,000 people.  The week before the festival, the Art of Living website had 600,000 plus festival registrations.  The festival was very organized.  The National Mall in Washington, D.C. was sectioned off for crowd control and ease of movement.  There were signs everywhere, making it easy to navigate the National Mall.  

There was a lot to see, do and experience at the festival.  Meditation, art, ayurveda, food, and so much more.  One of the most awe-inspiring and unbelievably amazing parts of the festival was the Saturday night meditation.   Spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led the meditation.  He asked the crowd to close their eyes and be silent.  He led the crowd in a meditation that seemed like it was at least 10-15 minutes.  The crowd was SILENT.  I was amazed that thousands of people were all silent for a long period of time.  It was truly a moment to remember.

The performances were so vibrant.  One of the most lively performances was the 10,000 Garbar Dancers for Unity who danced in the aisles and on stage.  The crowd also participated in the dance.  My favorite performance was the dance from Pakistani folk dancers.  It was hard to remain still while they were dancing.  Since the festival was in D.C., the pre-show was all D.C.   On night 1, the Howard University marching band marched into the festival and blew the crowd away.  On night 2, D.C. Beats of GoGo Music was center stage.  The Junkyard band played.  Dancers danced, and DJ Kool cleared his throat.  D.C. also closed out night 2.  The 1,000 voice gospel choir led by a D.C. area legendary choir directors Joyce Garret and Rickey Payton had the crowd on their feet.  Everyone was standing, clapping, and swaying right along with the choir singing the words, “We need more love.”

The food was really good.  The menu included Samosa Chaat, Bheri Puri, Pakora, and Gulab Jamun.  Cold drinks include Mango Lassi and Nimbu Pani.  Hot beverages included Masala Chai and Chocolate Ojasuita.  I had the Samosa Chaat, which is savory Indian street food made with spicy chickpea curry deep dried in a pastry shell.  I also had the Nimbu Pani, which tastes like lemonade.

The only issue with the festival is the staging.  The stage was not raised.   The majority of the crowd could not see the stage nor the performers.  You had to be in the first few rows to see the performers.  The only other option was to watch the giant screens.

There were chairs from the Capitol to 7th street.  Each chair contained a light up bracelet.  The bracelet would light-up at various times during the evening.  That was really cool.  
Overall, there was a sense of unity throughout the National Mall.  I am still amazed by the size of crowd attendance and participation at the festival.  The festival achieved its goal.  As people were leaving, everyone felt a sense of togetherness and unity.  We are all already looking forward to the next World Culture Festival.   The weekend can be best summed up with the quote that Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar recited before leading meditation.  “Movement stretch is dance.  Smile stretch is laughter.  Mind stretch is meditation.  Life stretch is celebration.  Silence makes us blossom in our true nature.”

For more information on the World Culture Festival, visit Art of Living HERE. To learn more about Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar visit HERE. To learn more about meditation, visit HERE