Client: Art of Living Foundation | Event Type: Festival, In-Person & Live Stream
The Art of Living Foundation wanted to bring the World Culture Festival to the United States for the first time, hosting the incredible event on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
As one of the most challenging and complex venues in the world, they needed an event production partner with extensive knowledge of the city and experience in creating high-profile, complex event experiences.
The Art of Living brought in Hargrove as the overall event production partner and general services contractor, and Encore for event infrastructure services. We planned, built, and produced this large-scale, multi-day event in the open, National Park space in the heart of Washington, DC.
Building out an entire infrastructure from scratch, we transformed the park into 3,000,000 sq ft of event space, including a football field-sized performance area and 5 acres of matrix flooring to protect the venue grass. We created a bold and inclusive family-friendly festival experience that united people through a celebration of global cultures focused on messages of unity and joy.
We transformed the The National Mall into a 3-day, multi-cultural festival, with over 17,000 performers representing more than 180 countries. Over the festival, the event welcomed 1 million attendees, more than double the number of originally anticipated attendees, and an additional 25 million viewing the online live stream. The festival treated audiences to 23 hours of family-friendly, cultural programming.
The weekend’s programming representing a vast array of cultural traditions, art forms, and cuisine from every corner of the globe. An impressive series of remarks were made by current and former heads of state, elected officials from every level of the U.S. government, foreign dignitaries, and leaders from spiritual and business organizations.
From the Media
“The event was replete with shared moments of human connection, solidarity, and upliftment of human spirit.” – The Times of India
“Gatherings like the World Culture Festival help shape national and global perceptions on multiculturalism and bring an overall sense of peace and positivity to today’s world.” – The Hoya
From Attendees
“We have seen so many cultures, so many different people here. They’re wearing their traditional day clothes. Everybody’s so happy. We are very pleased to come to this event today.”
“The atmosphere is spectacular; not only is it really friendly, but it’s really human.”
Awards
Eventex Awards 2024
Best Cultural Event
Bronze Award
