One of Cleveland's longest-running multicultural celebrations is gearing up for a milestone year, as One World Day marks its 80th anniversary on Sunday, Aug. 30 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Representing Armenia in the Parade of Flags.in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Organizers say this year's event will be bigger and even more meaningful, with special programming tied to America's 250th birthday.

The annual event has grown dramatically over the past decade-plus, says Johnny Wu, the event's producer, who has been at the helm for 12 years and has seen attendance skyrocket.

"Two years before me, it was about 5,000 people," Wu recalls. "After I took over, it became 10,000 to 30,000."

In recent years, attendance has reached an estimated 35,000, with a record-setting more than 50,000 people attending in 2023, according to Cleveland Police estimates.

That growth has required a significant logistical operation. Wu notes the event now runs on the efforts of a large volunteer and paid staff.

"We got about 100 volunteers and seven paid coordinators to run the whole show," Wu says. "Each coordinator takes on a task or certain responsibility. It's a lot of work."

Wu also highlights One World Day’s growing appeal among vendors and sponsors as a sign of its cultural staying power.

"This year, we seem to have a lot more participation from different vendors and sponsors than the year before," Wu observes, adding that One World Day has become one of Cleveland’s most popular not-to-miss summer traditions.

"We grew so quickly and so fast, and with so many people attending, it's become another niche event like the Cleveland Asian Festival, where people just want to be there no matter what."

The Naturalization Ceremony at the Centennial Peace Plaza.A celebration of all cultures
Thomas Turkaly, executive director of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation, which represents the 38 cultural gardens and the 13 gardens in development, says One World Day has come a long way from its humble beginnings, when only a few hundred people attended and just one garden served as host.

The first One World Day in Cleveland was held in 1946, shortly after World War II, and was hosted at the Slovak Cultural Garden to unite and heal nations through cultural healing.

"Historically…it was mainly just in one garden," Turkaly says. "There wasn't a lot of general knowledge or the general public coming to the event. We used to have maybe 300, 400 people back in the olden days."

Turkaly says organizers made a pivotal decision in 2011 to expand the event across all the gardens and open it to the broader public.

"We took a gamble and took a turn about 15 years ago to try and make it into a bigger event and have all the gardens participating and open it up," Turkaly says. "It worked out beautifully."

Today, One World Day is a major operation—featuring shuttle buses, trams, and golf carts to move visitors between gardens. The event organizers make a point to welcome all cultural communities to One World Day.

"We open it up to other communities that don't have gardens," Turkaly explains. "It's not only limited to those that have a cultural garden. We allow other communities to march in the parade, have a booth space. We really open it up to the entire community."

Highlighting America 250
This year's One World Day features special programming in partnership with the America 250-Ohio to mark the United States’ 250th birthday.

Turkaly says two major initiatives mark America 250. First, each garden will present three representatives connected to its culture who have contributed to America.

Maha Kita Filipino Dance group was recently formed to share the vibrant dances of the Philippine Islands."Each garden is going to highlight three individuals [who] are either newly immigrated to the U.S. or direct descendants of that community who have made contributions to America and their cultures," Turkaly says. "We'll have posters at each garden with [bios and pictures] of each of those three people, so that it's telling the immigrant story of America as part of the 250th."

The second initiative will reimagine the long-neglected American Cultural Garden, dedicated in 1935 but never fully developed.

"We are currently in the process of re-imagining and redoing the American Cultural Garden," Turkaly says. "It's been kind of lacking over the years, so this year we're going to kind of kick it off. We're looking at a new site and new plans. We're going to be serving the public and getting their ideas of how they would represent [the American Garden] or what they think needs to be represented in the American Cultural Garden."

Turkaly says surveys will be collected at the event, with the results going to a design team for initial design concepts.

Schedule of events
One World Day kicks off at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30 with a naturalization ceremony at Centennial Peace Plaza. Wu hints this year could be a record year for new citizens.

“This year, I believe we have more people swearing-in year than in any other past year, because [attendees] requested more parking passes this year," Wu speculates.

At noon, the Parade of Flags will step off from the Ethiopian Cultural Garden and wind its way to the Lithuanian Cultural Garden.

"I'll be wearing one of my armors," Wu says with a laugh, referring to his armor collection featured in the Silk Road Cultural Collective, the nonprofit he and two other formed earlier this year.

The opening ceremony will take place at 1:20 p.m. on the main stage at Centennial Peace Plaza, followed by performances by various international cultural groups:

• 2:00 p.m.: JK Kang Taekwondo will demonstrate Korean Taekwondo, while Columbus-based Ohio Korean American Pungmool Nori Drumming Group will give a Korean Pungmool Nori demonstration.
• 2:50 p.m.: Polynesian dances by Pacific Paradise Entertainment.
• 3:30 p.m.: Performances by Ketzev Cleveland Israel Dance
• 4:30 p.m.: Filipino dance by the Mahal Kita Performance Group

Plenty to expect
For Wu, the most meaningful part of One World Day is what it represents: A celebration unlike any other in the region that brings together many cultures, ethnicities, and traditions in one event.

2026 One World Day map"You guys should see everybody working together on a wonderful day, celebrating different cultures," Wu says. "Unlike the Cleveland Asian Festival, when you only celebrate the Asian culture, here, you celebrate the diverse culture we have in Cleveland, which is extremely unique and different from every other culture event you go to.

“You can go to Cleveland WinterFest, you can go to any St. Patrick's parade, Wu continues, “but here, it's all the cultures. Fifty-something cultures all together, in one day.”

As for the weather, always a wildcard for an outdoor event, Turkaly has a lighthearted take.

"That is probably the biggest thing that is totally out of our control," Turkaly says. "I'll take full credit for good weather.”