UNI TED W E CELEBR ATE

2401 15th St, NW, Washington, DC 20009

1-877-WCF-2023 | wcf@us.artofliving.org

www.artofliving.org
wcf.artofliving.org

WASHINGTON, D.C.
September 29 - October 1, 2023
The National Mall
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VISION

“In a world which is so

polarized, divided and
despondent, it is time for us to
come together in celebration
and appreciate the rich
diversity on this planet. It’s
high time we recognize that
we are a One World Family.”
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Founder, Art of Living Foundation &
International Association for Human Values
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a wo r l d -w
Art. g

id e
Music.

at i
Dance.

circle
r
Meditation

C
for World Peace.

s s

o
Inspirational

f
n be
ng
Talks.
lo n gi
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RECEPTION COMMITTEE
H.E. Ban Ki-moon
OVERVIEW 8th Secretary-General of the
United Nations, South Korea
World Culture Festival IV Chair, Reception Committee

comes to America’s backyard! H.E. Pravind Jugnauth H.E. Ratu Wiliame Katonivere
Prime Minister, Mauritius President, Fiji
At the World Culture Festival, attendees will take a journey
around the world on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,
experiencing a diverse set of music, dance, art, food, and H.E. Chan Santokhi H.E. Jacques Santer

fashion. This historic event will bring together people from all President, Suriname Former President,
European Commission
corners of the world, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, Canada Former Prime Minister, Luxembourg
“We are incredibly excited and proud to
to Australia, and from every state in America. At a time of announce that Washington DC will host
the fourth World Culture Festival.” H.E. Erik Solheim H.E. Venkaiah Naidu
widening differences and divisions, the Festival will be an
Former UN Under-Secretary-General Former Vice President, India
uplifting experience of unity and celebration for all people. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Executive Director of the UN
Washington, D.C. Environmental Programme (UNEP)
Former Minister of International
Development & Environment, Norway

H.E. Kjell Magne Bondevik H.E. Helen Clark

Former Prime Minister, Norway Former Prime Minister,
Founder and Executive Chair, New Zealand
The Oslo Center

H.E. Nambaryn Enkhbayar H.E. Dr. Mark Eyskens

Former President, Mongolia Former Prime Minister, Belgium

H.E. Vicente Fox H.E. Federico Franco

Former President, Mexico Former President, Paraguay

H.E. Mohamed Moncef Marzouki H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President, Tunisia Former President, Nigeria

H.E. Alojz Peterle H.E. Rosalía Arteaga Serrano

Former Prime Minister, Slovenia Former President, Ecuador
Executive Director, Fidal Foundation

Photo Credit: National Park Service

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H.E. Jigmi Yoser Thinley
Former Prime Minister, Bhutan
The Honorable Katherine Clark
Minority Whip of the United States
House of Representatives (D-MA),
United States of America
The Honorable Prof. Herman De Croo
Minister of State
Honorary Speaker of the House
Honorary Mayor of Brakel, Belgium
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Former Speaker and
Member of House of Representatives (D-CA),
United States of America
The Honorable Ryszard Czarnecki
Former Vice President of European
Parliament,
Member of European Parliament, Poland
H.E. Ted Baillieu
Former Premier of Victoria, Australia
The Honorable Hakubun Shimomura
Member of the House of Representatives,
Former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology, Japan
The Honorable Geoffrey Van Orden CBE
Former Leader of British Conservatives
in the European Parliament,
United Kingdom
The Honorable John Sarbanes
Member of House of Representatives
(D-MD), United States of America
Senator Charles Schumer
Majority Leader of United States Senate
(D-NY), United States of America
H.E. Akie Abe
Former First Lady, Japan
The Honorable Armin Laschet
Member of German Parliament
Vice-President, Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe, Former Minister-
President of North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany
Right Honorable Sir Robert James
Buckland KBE KC MP
Former Lord Chancellor and Wales
Secretary, United Kingdom
The Honorable Sumitra Mahajan
Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, India
The Honorable Bruno Bruins
Former Minister for Medical Care,
Netherlands
The Honorable Hildebrando Tapia
Former Vice President,
Andean Parliament, Peru
The Honorable Danny Davis
Member of House of Representatives
(D-IL), United States of America
The Honorable Mike Quigley
Member of House of Representatives
(D-IL), United States of America
The Honorable Bill Foster
Member of House of Representatives
(D-IL), United States of America
The Honorable Richard Hudson
Member of House of Representatives
(R-NC), United States of America
The Honorable Don Beyer
Member of House of Representatives
(D-VA), United States of America
The Honorable Ro Khanna
Member of House of Representatives
(D-CA), United States of America
The Honorable Michael Guest
Member of House of Representatives
(R-MS), United States of America
The Honorable Jake Auchincloss
Member of House of Representatives
(D-MA), United States of America
The Honorable Young Kim
Member of House of Representatives
(R-CA), United States of America
The Honorable Michelle Steel
Member of House of Representatives
(R-CA), United States of America
The Honorable Laurel Lee
Member of House of Representatives
(R-FL), United States of America
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UNITED WE CELEBRATE
The Honorable Andy Barr
Member of House of Representatives
(R-KY), United States of America
The Honorable Marc Veasey
Member of House of Representatives
(D-TX), United States of America
The Honorable Darin LaHood
Member of House of Representatives
(R-IL), United States of America
The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi
Member of House of Representatives
(D-IL), United States of America
The Honorable Andy Kim
Member of House of Representatives
(D-NJ), United States of America
The Honorable Jerry Carl
Member of House of Representatives
(R-AL), United States of America
The Honorable Deborah Ross
Member of House of Representatives
(D-NC), United States of America
The Honorable Kevin Kiley
Member of House of Representatives (R-CA),
United States of America
The Honorable Rich McCormick
Member of House of Representatives
(R-GA), United States of America
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The Honorable Shri Thanedar The Honorable Binod Chaudhary Dr. Manoj K. Jain Mike Perlis
Member of House of Representatives Member of Parliament, Nepal Founder and President, Vice Chairman,
(D-MI), United States of America Chairman and President, Mid-South Infectious Disease Forbes Media
The Chaudhary Group (CG) Associates  
 

The Honorable Yvonne Feri The Honorable Dr. Nik Gugger M.R. Rangaswami
Member of Parliament, Switzerland Member of the Parliament, Switzerland Founder, Indiaspora Forum and
Member of the European Parliament Corporate Eco Forum
Managing Director, Sand Hill Group
His Highness Azzan Bin Qais Al Said
Vice Chairman, Prem Jain
Oman National Olympic Committee, Oman Co-Founder,
Pensando Systems, now the
Networking Solutions Group
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE AMDPensando
Ranvir Trehan
Rob Trombold
Trustee,
President, Art of Living Foundation John F. Kennedy Center for the
Convener, World Culture Festival Performing Arts
H.E. Nirj Deva, DL, FRSA
Presidential Envoy to Western Europe
& Commonwealth of Nations,
Commonwealth Union
Former Vice President for International
Development, European Parliament
Randi Weingarten
President,
American Federation of Teachers
Reginald (Reggie) Van Lee
Partner and Chief Transformation Officer,
Carlyle Group

Rabbi Abraham Cooper Dr. Alfred Balitzer Rodney Mims Cook, Jr. Sanjay Govil
Chair, United States Commission on Chairman, Pacific Research & Strategies, President, Chairman,
International Religious Freedom Senior Fellow and Board of Trustees, National Monuments Foundation Infinite Computer Solutions
Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Claremont Graduate University,
Action Agenda, Simon Wiesenthal Center Board of Trustees, Sri Sri University

Sanjay Pradhan Shekar Narasimhan

Ann Luskey Chirag Patel
Chief Executive Officer, Managing Partner, Beekman Advisors
Founder and Trustee, President and CEO,
Open Government Partnership President, Dharma Into Action Foundation
Charlotte’s Web Amneal Pharmaceuticals
(DhIA)

Dr. Sreenivas Reddy, MD Tim Draper

Courteney Monroe The Honorable Francisco Sanchez Vascular Interventional Radiologist Founder,
President, National Geographic Former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce, Draper Associates, DFJ,
Global Television Networks US Department of Commerce Draper Venture Network,
Draper University

Tim Ryan Tonya Kinlow

The Honorable Jo Leinen Louis Gagnon Former Congressman, Vice President of Community Engagement,
Former Member, Founder and CEO, Ohio’s 13th District Advocacy, and Government Affairs,
European Parliament Regenerative Group Children’s National Hospital
Chair, Board of Directors,
DC Chamber of Commerce

The Honorable Luis Moreno Ocampo Madhu Rao Ambassador Vijay Nambiar Vivek Paul
Founding Prosecutor, Former CEO, Former Chef-de-Cabinet, Adjunct Professor, Stanford University
International Court of Justice Shangri-La Group Special Ambassador to Myanmar, Former CEO, Wipro Limited
  United Nations
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PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Friday - SEPT 29, 2023

Festival Grounds Festival Village Hip-Hop, Breakdance & Rap by 200 Artists
12pm - 6pm A one-mile stretch between 7th St and 14th St, featuring cultural pavilions, activities Kurtis Blow and Legendary accompanied by 200 breakdancers, MC’s, DJ’s and
including fashion showcases, and over 80 food trucks serving international cuisines. graffiti artists.
Main Stage World Culture Festival Showcase Indian Classical Dance & Classical Symphony with 850 Artists
6pm - 9pm Symphony of 250 instrumentalists plus 600 dancers performing Bharatanatyam,
Army and Navy Marching Band Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, and Kathakali.

National Anthem Children’s Choir East Meets West Dance Fusion Finale with 500 Dancers
Fusion of contemporary ballet, hip hop, African, Caribbean, & Bollywood dance.
Native American Invocation & Blessing of the Land
Messages from World Leaders
One World Family Invocation Brief remarks by dignitaries inspiring unity, cultural understanding, and cooperation
A 200-artist choir with Grammy nominated artist Chandrika Tandon. will be interspersed throughout the program.
Welcome Address by the WCF Convener Vote of Thanks
Opening Remarks by Chairperson H.E. Ban Ki-moon, Draft Program Schedule. Subject to change.
8th Secretary-General of the UN

Native American Dance by 100 Artists

Dancers representing various tribes from the region perform to the powerful beats of
live drums. Saturday - SEPT 30, 2023

Howard University Marching Band with 150 Musicians Festival Grounds Festival Village
The acclaimed 150-member Showtime Band from Howard University. 12pm - 6pm A one-mile stretch between 7th St and 14th St, featuring cultural pavilions, activities
including fashion showcases, and over 80 food trucks serving international cuisines.
International Drum Mashup with 150 Musicians
A grand mashup of Brazilian Batala, Indian Tabla, & African Djembe led by Main Stage
World Culture Festival Showcase
world-renowned drummer Sivamani. 5pm - 9pm
Go-Go Performance
Latin American Folk Dance with 200 Dancers Pulsating beats and infectious energy of Washington’s iconic go-go bands.
Vibrant folk dancers from Colombia, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Global ‘I Belong to You’ Song with 200 School Children
Global Guitar Ensemble with 1000 Guitarists Pop influencer Jini June with 200 children, spreading a message of harmony.
Popular sing-along classics with renowned lead guitarists, including
Grammy-award winners. Garba Dance with 10,000 Artists
10,000 garba dancers circle the National Mall in a spirit of celebration.
Bulgarian Folk Dance by 300 Artists
300 artists dance to the soul-stirring melodies of award-winning Bulgarian singer Invocations by Spiritual Traditions
Desi Slava. Invocations from Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Jain, Christian, Islamic, and Sikh traditions.

African Music & Dance with 200 Artists Chenda Drums with 400 Artists
Amadou Kouyate and his Djembe and Kora orchestra, accompanied by African
dancers. Indonesian Dance by 100 Artists

Middle Eastern Dance by 100 Artists Brazilian Performance with 100 Artists
Three dynamic segments represent the Arabian Gulf, Egypt, and Lebanon. 100 all-woman Batala drum group unites with dancers and martial artists.
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Sunday - OCT 1, 2023

Chinese Cultural Choir & Dance with 1000 Artists
Classical Chinese dancers, choir, dragons, & kung-fu in a fusion of
music & movement.
Traditional Afghan Music & Sufi Whirling with 100 Artists
Global Peace Meditation With Gurudev
Soul Chants Choir
200-person choir reciting shanti (peace) mantras in Sanskrit led by
Chandrika Tandon.
Nepalese Dance with 150 Artists
Traditional Gospel Choir with 1000 Singers
Performance by 1,000 artists from church, synagogue, and university choirs.
Ukrainian Dance by 200 Dancers
Exhilarating acrobatics and vibrant footwork of the Hopak, a traditional
Ukrainian dance.
Bhangra Dance by 200 Dancers
Bhangra, a lively and vibrant dance form originating from Punjab, India.
Latin American Dance Fusion with 200 Artists
Fusion of traditional folk dances from Honduras, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic.
Pakistani Folk Music & Dance with 100 Artists
Pakistani folk dancers, Sufi poetry, and folk music led by Wahab Shah.
Russian Ballet
Russian classical ballet accompanied by Russian-composed classical music.
Main Stage Yoga Festival
8am - 9am A one-mile stretch between 7th St and 14th St, featuring cultural pavilions, activities
including fashion showcases, and over 80 food trucks serving international cuisines.
Festival Grounds
Festival Village
10am - 2pm
Main Stage World Culture Festival Showcase
10am - 1pm
Swiss Alphorns with 42 Artists
Elegant harmonies of Swiss alphorns, the original wooden wind instrument of
Switzerland .
Classic Reggae & Jamaican Performance
Rhythms of reggae with Skip Marley, the grandson of the legendary Bob Marley.
Soulful Melodies with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC
Uplifting vocals from one of the nation’s largest and oldest LGBT choral organizations.
Japanese Taiko Drum Performance with 50 Artists
Thunderous beats and synchronized movements by skilled Taiko drummers.
Argentine Tango with 40 Dancers
Tango couples showcasing the essence of this beloved Argentine dance form.
Rock n’ Roll with an International Lineup of Bands
Rock n’ roll with high-energy beats and electrifying guitar riffs.
Jazz Performance with Award-winning Musicians
Soulful melodies of a captivating jazz medley.
Hawaiian Performance by 50 Traditional Dancers

Irish Dance with 100 Dancers Ode to America and India

Lively Irish dancers in traditional dress showcasing the rich traditions of A beautiful choral medley of 200 voices blending “America the Beautiful” and
the Emerald Isle. “Vande Mataram.”

Flamenco with 50 Artists Messages from World Leaders

Traditional Spanish flamenco dance, accompanied by the melodies of live Brief remarks by dignitaries inspiring unity, cultural understanding, and cooperation
flamenco guitar. will be interspersed throughout the program.

Messages from World Leaders Vote of Thanks

Brief remarks by dignitaries inspiring unity, cultural understanding, and cooperation
will be interspersed throughout the program. Closing Ceremony

Vote of Thanks Draft Program Schedule. Subject to change.

Draft Program Schedule. Subject to change.

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Footprints through time...

2006 2011 2016 2023
BANG ALORE BERLIN NE W DELHI WA S H I N GTO N , D.C .
• 2.5 million attendees • 70,000 attendees • 3.75 million in-person attendees • September 29 - October 1, 2023
• 110 countries • 151 countries • 155 countries • NATIONAL MALL
• 750 key political and business leaders • 6,000 artists and dignitaries • 2500 religious & spiritual leaders
• 3,800 musicians and performers • Performances from Europe, Japan, Argentina, • 3000 prominent dignitaries
• 1,000 spiritual and religious leaders Cyprus, Cuba, Ukraine, the U.S. and more! • 36,603 performers
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ABOUT US

42 years The Art of Living is one of the world’s largest volunteer

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peace, organization, the International Association for Human

resilience Values, we offer programs in a range of sectors including

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