Rescheduled: Sun 6/29 @ 10AM-4PM
This year, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s annual Parade the Circle community celebration was rained out on its original date June 6. So it’s announced that the rescheduled event will take place on Sunday June 29, with a significant change. The expanded event will feature TWO processions around the art museum pond, at noon and 2pm, with activities around the pond in the fine arts garden from 10am-4pm.
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For three and a half decades, the Cleveland Museum of Art has hosted its signature Parade the Circle community arts event. It was created by artistic visionary Robin VanLear in 1990, who also conceived of CMA’s Chalk Fest and Lantern Parade before she was laid off in 2020 in the early days of the pandemic. The festival was also “laid off” for a couple of years, punting as smaller neighborhood fests before coming back in 2023 under the guidance of local artist Héctor Castellanos Lara.
The theme this year is “Magical Allure: A Vibrant Celebration of the Snowy Owl.” The museum tells us that. “When a snowy owl enters your domain or appears in your dreams, it is believed to signify good luck, good health, and prosperity.” That’s a big promise!
Community members singly and in groups have been working for months now to create the costumes, props, masks and puppets that will be marching around Wade Oval this Saturday. As usual, this is a handmade-by-the-community event where families, school groups, neighborhood associations and others come up with their own ideas and execute them, on their own or in CMA-sponsored workshops. Nothing commercial or political is allowed, and there are no motorized vehicles or fancy floats.
Once the parade is over, everyone is invited to convene at the Wade Oval Circle Village for an afternoon of food, vendors, music and other activities. It’s free and open to all.
clevelandart.org/events/parade-circle