It’s a celebration of culture that is unique to Cleveland.
Over 35,000 people attended the annual One World Day celebration in 2019. The 2020 One World Day was canceled because of COVID-19, however, the event will be back live on Aug. 29, for its 75th anniversary.
One highlight of One World Day is the Parade of Flags with hundreds of marchers in native costumes carrying flags of their heritage. An inspiring naturalization ceremony will welcome 25 or so new citizens. Ethnic food, tours, dances, international shopping, music and performances will be featured throughout the entire Cultural Gardens footprint. Many of the performances will take place in the new Centennial Peace Plaza, which the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation (CCGF) created with a more than $1 million fundraising effort.
In 1896, John D. Rockefeller donated land around the Doan Brook stretching from University Circle to Lake Erie to commemorate Cleveland’s Centennial.
In 1916, the first garden was established. A civic-minded Shakespeare enthusiast named Leo Weidenthal wanted to link Cleveland to the worldwide effort to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. A bust of Shakespeare was installed on the land on East Boulevard, and royalty and celebrities visited the garden, which evolved from the Shakespeare Garden to the British Garden. About 10 years later, Weidenthal established the second Cultural Garden across the street from the British Garden. He was Jewish and called it the Hebrew Garden.
Other groups started to take note and began working on their own cultural gardens. The history and growth of the Cultural Gardens is a mirror of the history and growth of Cleveland. The early gardens were predominantly European (Italian, German, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Irish, Slovak, etc.).
As people from other areas arrived, interest in gardens for their heritage grew. New and proposed gardens more fully represent the Middle East, Asia and Africa. There is renewed effort to complete African American and Native American gardens.
Attendees to this year’s celebration will receive a free Passport to Peace, which they can take to any garden and participate in a free, fun activity to get their passport stamped. Kids get a prize when they turn it in. The free One World Day souvenir program book includes info, maps, history and more about the Gardens.
There is free admission, entertainment and parking with shuttle to the Gardens. Find more details at clevelandoneworldday.org/2021.