2006 To celebrate the 25th anniversary of
The Art of Living, it organized the first World Culture Festival in
Bangalore in 2006. The venue was the
Jakkur Aerodrome in
Bangalore,
India. Centered on the theme
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ("The world is one family"), this edition of the festival was considered the largest peaceful gathering, with an estimated attendance of 2.5 million people from over 110 countries. The festival was graced by many significant dignitaries, including 100+ spiritual leaders and prominent global political leaders. The list included President
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Vice President
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, and former Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Global leaders like the
King of Ghana and the presidents of
Fiji and
Mauritius. A “Grand Musical Symphony" was organised. This Symphony included 3,800 musicians performing simultaneously. The collective included 920
veenas, 888
mridangams, 822
violins, and 900
flutes. Well-known Indian classical maestros
Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna and
Lalgudi Jayaraman also performed, alongside international artist
Peter Maffay. The festival came to a close with a mass meditation session led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, praying for world peace.
2011 The
Art of Living Foundation commemorated its 30th anniversary with the second World Culture Festival that took place from July 2–3, 2011, at the
Olympiastadion in
Berlin,
Germany. This version of the event aimed to promote global peace and intercultural dialogue through
music,
dance, and
meditation. The festival hosted participants and performers from over 151 countries with a turnout of 70,000 people. The event was attended by 804 dignitaries, including ministers, members of parliament, and ambassadors. Notable attendees included Prof. Ruud Lubbers (Former
Prime Minister of the
Netherlands),
Nitin Gadkari (President of the
Bharatiya Janata Party), and
Subodh Kant Sahay (Minister for
Tourism,
India). Additional international representation included Sheikh Fahad of
Kuwait,
Abul Kalam Azad (Minister for Information and Cultural Affairs,
Bangladesh), and
Ayoob Kara (Deputy Minister for Development,
Israel). Congratulatory messages were sent by global figures, including
Nancy Pelosi,
The President of India, and
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The proceedings commenced with Vedic chants followed by the German national anthem and the European anthem, "Ode to Joy." Despite the rain during the event, the program continued. During his speech, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar spoke in both German and English, telling the crowd that "it is time that walls come down between cultures. 800 experts performed synchronised yogasanas and surya namaskars led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
2016 In 2016, the festival was held on the
Yamuna floodplains in
New Delhi from 11 to 13 March. It was organised by
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to celebrate the
Art of Living Foundation's 35 years in service. Attendance was estimated at around 3.5 million people in audience and 37,000 artists over 3 days. The performances were held on a 100 feet tall by 1,200 feet wide stage with an area of seven acres. Around 1,700 officials were deployed for traffic management, during the festival, and around 300 were on standby for the other events (specifically marriages) to be held during the festival. In 2016, the festival was chaired by Justice
RC Lahoti. Dr.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali from
United Nations was also listed as a co-chair for the event but he died prior to the event. Some other committee members included former Dutch Prime Minister
Ruud Lubbers;
Nancy Pelosi,
Katherine Clark and
Ed Witfield from United States Congress; and former Lithuanian president
Vytautas Landsbergis. Following the 2016 edition, Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull invited Art of Living Foundation to Australia for the next World Culture Festival.
2023 In March 2023, the Art Of Living Foundation announced their next WFC event to be held in Washington, DC from 29 September to 1 October 2023. By September 29, 2023, more than 600,000 people registered to attend at least one day of the event. WFC 2023 featured 17,000 performers from more than 100 countries. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser opened the festival and emphasized the festival’s goals of coming together to celebrate diversity and unity. The event hosted global leaders and performers representing various cultures. Former UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon, addressed the assembly, stating that culture facilitates global unity by fostering dialogue and mutual understanding. While noting progress in science and technology, he emphasized that cultural, spiritual, and moral cooperation is necessary for conflict resolution and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Indian External Affairs Minister
S. Jaishankar also delivered a speech, remarking that it was heartwarming to see the panorama of global cultures on display. He noted that the gathering served to express friendship, strengthen solidarity, and promote peace and understanding. He further observed that humanity is a truly diverse group, an identity expressed through its various cultures, traditions, and heritage.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shared the spiritual objective of the gathering, telling the crowds that the purpose of all sound is to create inner silence, which he described as the source of creativity and the foundation of love and compassion. He expressed a vision for a world defined by celebration, compassion, and togetherness. Other notable figures who attended the 2023 edition include
Jaime Aparicio, the former Bolivian Ambassador to the United States , former Slovenian Prime Minister
Alojz Peterle, former Tunisian president
Moncef Marzouki,
former Surgeon General of the United States Vivek Murthy, President of
Mauritius Prithvirajsing Roopun,
Ryzsard Czarnecki,
former President of India Ramnath Kovind, and
Tim Draper. The festival's centerpiece was an array of artistic performances, featuring local art troupes and professional artists
showcasing dance,
vocal performances,
musical instrument recitals,
martial arts, and
acrobatics. Artistic showcases represented a broad spectrum of global traditions, including
Chinese dancers and dragons, an
Indian Garba folk dance, and a 50th-anniversary tribute to
Hip-Hop featuring
Kurtis Blow,
SHA-Rock, the Sequence Girls, and
DJ Kool. The program also featured
Indian classical dance accompanied by a live symphony,
a Ukrainian Hopak, and
Bulgarian folklore groups. Meanwhile, a group of
Swiss alphorn players traveled to perform in their second World Culture Festival, joining other musical highlights such as a
guitar ensemble led by
Micki Free. The event concluded with
Skip Marley, grandson of
Bob Marley, who performed "
One Love" as a tribute to the festival's message of global unity. ==Local criticism, concern raised by the NGT, and plea to the Supreme Court==