The summer calendar is wrapping up, and Clevelanders are starting to focus on back-to-school plans and questions on just who the heck the Browns will have under center this season.

One World Day celebrates Cleveland’s diverse cultural heritage with food, performances, and a naturalization ceremony.But feat now, several end-of-summer festivals are here to lift our spirits, thanks to support from Cleveland grant maker Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC).

More than 150 local nonprofits secured CAC 2026=27 funding, powering general operations as well as various events across Cleveland. CAC executive director Jill Paulsen says lingering warm weather is the perfect opportunity for a full-fledged immersion in the arts.

“Cuyahoga County’s arts and culture scene really comes alive in the summer, with so many things to do every weekend,” says Paulsen. “These events are great ways for residents to connect with one another because they are accessible, affordable and fun. As summer winds down, we hope residents and visitors take advantage of the exceptional programming by these nonprofit organizations.”

‘Garden’ of plenty
Most residents know Cleveland Cultural Gardens, which celebrates our city’s immigrant heritage through 38 landscaped greenspaces along East Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in Rockefeller Park.

While the gardens are ideal for a scenic drive or walk, guests to the forthcoming One World Day festival are free to stick around.

In its 80^th year, the festival takes place on Sunday, Aug. 30, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The celebration begins with a naturalization ceremony on the main stage, honoring America’s 250th anniversary and recognizing the contributions immigrants have made to the nation.

Next is the Parade of Flags, where colorful banners and street performers wind from the Ethiopian Cultural Garden to the Lithuanian Cultural Garden’s display. Between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors are expected to enjoy the sights and sounds, spiced with Estonian pastries, Lebanese spinach pies, and other diverse cuisine.

One World Day celebrates Cleveland’s diverse cultural heritage with food, performances, and a naturalization ceremony.“What makes this event unique is having all these different cultures represented in one area,” says Cleveland Cultural Gardens director Thomas Turkaly. “You can see the commonalities shared between communities artistically and with these different performances.”

One World Day receives $20,000 annually through a General Operating Support grant from CAC to cover key operational costs, which include organizing and producing the festival.

“CAC’s mission aligns perfectly [with the event],” says Turkaly. “We are showcasing the arts in many different forms and showing how people represent their heritage.”

Meet your Waterloo
In September, Cleveland’s Waterloo Arts District, with $18,500 in General Operating Support grant funding from CAC, will host Waterloo Arts Fest, its signature late-season bash featuring live music, food trucks, gallery exhibitions, and more than 100 maker booths.

Festival-goers can explore Waterloo Road in North Collinwood, a cultural enclave lined with record stores, cafés, craft shops, and vintage clothing storefronts. This year’s festival, planned for Saturday, Sept. 12, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., will highlight one of Cleveland’s most distinctive creative pockets, says Waterloo Arts executive director Amy Callahan.

Attracting approximately 7,000 guests annually, this year’s Waterloo Arts Fest will feature acrobats and an eclectic musical mix.“We are a community, whereas a place like 78th Street Studios is amazing, but it’s just that one building,” Callahan says. “This is a neighborhood that’s close to the lake and gives us a different flavor. Part of our mission is giving visitors a fuller picture of what’s happening in the neighborhood.”

Live music, street art, and pop-up performances are North Collinwood’s calling card, a creative engine anchored by the iconic Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, says Callahan. Launched in 2002 from gatherings in the Beachland’s small parking lot, the arts fest grew through word of mouth to span nearly the entire corridor.

Attracting about 7,000 guests annually, this year’s wing-ding will feature acrobats from Crooked River Circus as well as 45 bands playing on a half-dozen stages—a far cry from the bad old days of the early 2000s, when the historic street had more vacancies than businesses.

“Let’s have one day every year where the whole street is activated,” says Callahan. “We want our neighbors coming out to celebrate, while showing off a vibrant community district. It’s good for businesses here to be in front of new audiences. We’re letting people know about the neighborhood, so they want to come back.”

Keeping if ‘Fresh’
Arts and urban agriculture are the focus of Fresh Fest, which receives $6,375 in project funding for its annual event held every second Saturday in September.

Slated for Saturday, Sept. 12 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., the 2026 get-together invites residents to Rid-All Urban Farm and Otter Park, which occupy 26.5 acres of repurposed land in Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood.

Arts and urban agriculture are the focus of Fresh Fest held every second Saturday in September in Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood.The farm is part of Rid-All Green Partnership, a community-based nonprofit centered on urban agriculture and youth education. Alongside the Environmental Health Watch nonprofit and Brittany’s Record Shop, Rid-All uses Fresh Fest to promote wellness, local food, and family-friendly entertainment.

“Let’s focus on health and the connection between food and farm,” says Kimberly Foreman, CEO of Environmental Health Watch. “[Through Fresh Fest], we had the idea of marrying food, arts, and culture.”

Located at East 81st Street and Kinsman Avenue, Rid-All’s farm prioritizes fresh produce grown year-round inside a handful of hoop houses. Fresh Fest pairs locally grown produce with art installations and live music, headlined this go-round by hip-hop icon Rakim.

For her part, Foreman is eager to welcome residents to a side of the Kinsman corridor—a side they may have never experienced before.

“We get people from all walks of life who haven’t seen each other since the last festival,” says Foreman. “The connection we have to the city is beautiful.”