We Strengthen Our City By Welcoming Our World
Welcoming Week 2023
September 8-17
Welcoming Week brings together neighbors of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity.
Welcoming Events
Friday, Sept. 8
Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds
4 PM – 12 AM
The mission of Cleveland Oktoberfest is to promote and support the arts by conducting live musical and artistic cultural performances for the general public. This serves to preserve, promote and perpetuate European Heritage within the Cleveland area, while at once advancing and fostering education and general awareness.
Pleibol at the Historic League Park - Gala Dinner
Historic League Park
6 PM – 10 PM
An evening of art, music, food and wine. Following the VIP dinner will be a panel discussion hosted by Mayor Bibbs and the Cleveland Guardians. The evening ends with a lights ceremony on the field.
Saturday, Sept. 9
Cuyahoga County Public Library: Solon Branch – Conference Room 10
9 AM – 2 APM
Aspire ESOL/Citizenship Testing and Orientation for Aspire ESOL/Citizenship students attending virtual classes and new students registering.
Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds
12 PM – 12 AM
The mission of Cleveland Oktoberfest is to promote and support the arts by conducting live musical and artistic cultural performances for the general public. This serves to preserve, promote and perpetuate European Heritage within the Cleveland area, while at once advancing and fostering education and general awareness.
World on Stage - Asian Cultural Day
Cleveland Cultural Gardens Centennial Plaza
3 PM – 5 PM
An afternoon of dancing and music covering Northeast and Southeast Asia. Acts include Pacific Paradise Entertainment, Stellar Acrobatic Dance Academy, Cleveland Contemporary Culture Association, Sho-Jo-Ji Japanese Dancers, and Kwan Family Lion Dance Team.
Pleibol at the Historic League Park - Community Games
Historic League Park
All Day
The day starts with field activities on the Historic League Park field from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. The first game of the day will be Classic Vintage Baseball. Food trucks arrive at 11am, resource tables and plenty of fun for the whole family. Every child that visits will receive a swag bag filled with amazing items from our sponsors and partners. The afternoon starts with community games of softball between local sponsors and supporters.
Sunday, Sept. 10
Pleibol at the Historic League Park - Tournament
Historic League Park
All Day
Sunday’s tournament at League Park Field is a highly anticipated event in the world of competitive softball in Ohio. Teams are playing for a chance to be crowned the 2023 Pleibol Tournament Champion.
Cleveland Museum of Art
9-10-23 through 1-7-2024
China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta will be the first exhibition in the West that focuses on the artistic production and cultural impact of a region located in the coastal area south of the Yangzi River. Called Jiangnan, this region has throughout large parts of its history been one of the wealthiest, most populous, and fertile lands. The exhibition features about 200 objects from Neolithic times to the 18th century, ranging from jade, silk, prints, and paintings to porcelain, lacquer, and bamboo carvings.
Monday, Sept. 11
Ethiopian Flag at City Hall – Cleveland is home to immigrants and descendants of people from over 120 countries and almost every continent. One of Cleveland’s oldest and largest African immigrant communities is the Ethiopian community. Ethiopia is also the birthplace of coffee, so as this Welcoming Week begins and you sip your morning cup of coffee, think about our ties to the world through food, migration, and art, and reflect on how you want to celebrate this Welcoming Week.
United Church of Christ's Interfaith Service
Virtual
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Join us for a virtual gathering of community leaders from diverse religious backgrounds. Together we will remember this somber day and honor the values we share that help us to rise above our differences.
Featuring:
- Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ
- Rabbi Scott Roland, President, Cleveland Board of Rabbis
- Dean Williams, Guiding Teacher, Crooked River Zen Center
- Allen V. Harris, Regional Minister, Christian Church in Ohio
- Adrienne Koch, Priest Associate, Trinity Cathedral Episcopal Church
- Faten Husni Odeh, Educator, Activist, and Founder, Misada Family Literacy
- Mark Pettis, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Minister, United Church of Christ
Tuesday, Sept. 12
Global Cleveland Flag at City Hall – Over 12 years ago, a partnership between the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Greater Cleveland’s philanthropic community founded Global Cleveland to help make Cleveland among the most welcoming cities in the U.S. At Global Cleveland we celebrate the importance that diverse communities have played in Cleveland’s past, present, and future. Our vision is to strengthen our city by welcoming our world. With Welcoming Week as our reminder, let’s work together to achieve this vision and create a Cleveland for all!
Special Naturalization Event
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Jukebox
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Engage with other Cleveland professionals while testing your international knowledge and networking with individuals of different cultures, backgrounds, and countries of origin.
Complementary drink tickets available for the first 50 registrations! Appetizers available, while food lasts. Additional food available for purchase. Space is limited and registration is required.
Networking from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 13
United Kingdom Flag at City Hall – Whether English, Welsh, Scottish, or Northern Irish, immigrants have been coming from the U.K. to Cleveland for most of the city’s history. In fact, the oldest of Cleveland’s iconic cultural gardens on MLK Jr. Blvd is the British Cultural Garden. This Welcoming Week, head down to cultural gardens and reflect on the histories of all the ethnic and cultural groups represented therein – and those that aren’t. Then imagine what those gardens will look like in 100 years and all the contributions that new migrants now and in the future will bring.
Cuyahoga County Unveils Welcoming Initiatives Press Event
Ohio City Farm
9:30 AM
Learn about Cuyahoga County’s ongoing initiatives and collaborations with community organizations to build a more inclusive and accessible community for immigrants, newcomers and English language learners. A tour of the Ohio City Farm will take place directly after the press event.
Virtual
12 PM – 1 PM
Learn how Global Cleveland established Ohio’s first Global Entrepreneur in Residence (GEIR) program from our project manager, Supriya Tamang. GEIR provides international students with opportunity to launch their entrepreneurial endeavors in Northeast Ohio. Some of the benefits include local job creation, retaining more international students in Northeast Ohio, and more companies being founded in our region to create a culture of entrepreneurism. Learn how you and your company can get involved by registering for this complimentary webinar.
Thursday, Sept. 14
Nepal Flag at City Hall – Over the last 20 years, one of the fastest growing communities in Greater Cleveland, and Ohio as a whole, has been the Nepali community. Ethnic Nepali immigrants from Nepal and Bhutan have made their homes throughout the region, including on Cleveland’s West Side and in Cleveland Heights. Immigrants from the Asian continent have comprised a greater share of immigration to the United States over the last three decades. Like immigrant groups that came before, they are bringing their art, food, and language and enriching our shared communities in new ways!
Cleveland Public Library – Louis Stokes Wing (525 Superior Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114)
Networking begins: 3PM | Panel commences: 3:45 PM-5 PM
The International Community Forum provides an opportunity to connect with prominent leaders in our international community. Explore their experience of coming to Cleveland and gain insights into their journey while connecting with other global-minded individuals in the community.
Moderated by Kwame Botchway, NAACP Cleveland Branch’s inaugural international affairs chair, the panel includes:
Chief Bradford Davy, Mayor Justin Bibb’s Chief of Staff *
Marina Jackman, CEO of Time2Talk
Ramzia Nasiri, Catholic Charities
Frank Yang, Data Analyst at Westfield Insurance
Sponsored in part by the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Public Library.
*Please visit the registration page for more info
LatinUs Theater Company at the PIVOT Center for Art, Dance, and Expression
7:30 PM
Thursday, September 14, 2023 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 1, 2023 4:00 PM
From the hand of René Marqués comes this history of Puerto Rican classical theater.
Written in 1958 and with a historical background from the late 19th century to the beginning of 20 century, three sisters belonging to the upper social class in Puerto Rico begin to lose everything.
They lose their parents, social position, material goods, and money and lock themselves in the house they left on Cristo Street in Old San Juan.
The theme of love, jealousy, time (as a vision of change, impotence, and aging), and the American invasion of Puerto Rico. Thinking that the original invader (Spain) was better than the second. They are all issues that are entangled, between the lines of the three sisters, when they talk about the pain, victimization, and restlessness of the Burkhart sisters of Puerto Rico.
Friday, Sept. 15
Guatemalan Flag at City Hall – Friday, September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. Today, five Latin American Nations celebrate their independence from Spain in 1810, including: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. On the 16th, Mexico celebrates its independence, and, on the 18th, Chile commemorates its independence. Tens of thousands of people of Hispanic/Latino heritage call Cleveland home from across Latin America. As this year’s Welcoming Week comes to a close, prepare to celebrate and honor Hispanic Heritage Month and look to learn something about the many Hispanic/Latin American communities that have called Cleveland home for well over a century.
Kent Student Center
9 AM – 4 PM
The Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs and Kent State will host the 2023 Ohio Latino Affairs Summit, which marks the first year that the education, healthcare and business/workforce development summits are hosted in person in a single summit. It will bring together educators, legislators, state and local communities, students and stakeholders to discuss issues affecting the Latino community and how best to improve them together.
Hybrid sessions will address this year’s theme, “¡Juntos! Latino Growth Is Ohio Growth.”
Special Ground-Breaking Ceremony
St. Gregory of Narek Armenian Church
4 PM – 9 PM
The festival features lots of delicious Armenian ethnic food and pastries such as shish kabob, rice pilaf, cheese pastries, vegetarian delicacies and tasty Armenian desserts, including pakhlava. There will be cultural displays, church tours, and activities for kids, with Armenian music playing throughout the weekend. Entrance and parking are free.
Downtown Cuyahoga Falls
5 PM – 11 PM
The Cuyahoga Falls Oktoberfest Committee was formed back in 1979 and planning began for the first festival ever held on the Front Street Mall (now DtCF-Downtown Cuyahoga Falls) in the fall of 1980. The Oktoberfest Committee is a 501c3, non-profit organization made up of a small group of volunteers that love Cuyahoga Falls!
Donauschwaben’s German-American Cultural Center
6 PM – 7 PM
Saturday, Sept. 16
Brecksville-Broadview Hts. High School
10 AM – 6 PM
India Festival USA is an annual event that attempts to bridge cultures, generations and communities through one-day of togetherness. It is a day when visitors are encouraged to participate in a thematic display of the rich culture and diversity of two of the greatest nations on earth – India and USA. India Festival USA promises an immersive environment that salutes history, embraces globalization and celebrates communities.
St. Gregory of Narek Armenian Church
12 PM – 9 PM
The festival features lots of delicious Armenian ethnic food and pastries such as shish kabob, rice pilaf, cheese pastries, vegetarian delicacies and tasty Armenian desserts, including pakhlava. There will be cultural displays, church tours, and activities for kids, with Armenian music playing throughout the weekend. Entrance and parking are free.
Downtown Cuyahoga Falls
12 PM – 11 PM
The Cuyahoga Falls Oktoberfest Committee was formed back in 1979 and planning began for the first festival ever held on the Front Street Mall (now DtCF-Downtown Cuyahoga Falls) in the fall of 1980. The Oktoberfest Committee is a 501c3, non-profit organization made up of a small group of volunteers that love Cuyahoga Falls!
Sunday, Sept. 17
Downtown Cuyahoga Falls
12 PM – 11 PM
The Cuyahoga Falls Oktoberfest Committee was formed back in 1979 and planning began for the first festival ever held on the Front Street Mall (now DtCF-Downtown Cuyahoga Falls) in the fall of 1980. The Oktoberfest Committee is a 501c3, non-profit organization made up of a small group of volunteers that love Cuyahoga Falls!
Additional Events
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