34th Annual Parade the Circle and Circle Village 2026

Parade the Circle and Chalk Festival, the CMA’s annual signature community programs, provide opportunities for artists and community members to work side by side creating art together.
Parade the Circle
The Cleveland Museum of Art’s (CMA) Parade the Circle is a beloved tradition celebrating art, culture, and community. The annual parade takes place in University Circle and features vibrant and imaginative costumes, towering puppets, floats, and intricately crafted masks.

PARADE THE CIRCLE AND CIRCLE VILLAGE
Saturday, June 13, 2026 10:00AM —
Saturday, June 13, 2026 3:00PM

The day begins at 10:00 a.m. with Circle Village on Wade Oval, presented by University Circle Inc. Visitors are invited to immerse themselves in interactive activities offered by esteemed institutions from the area, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Botanical Garden, and the Music Settlement.

The Cleveland Museum of Art’s (CMA) Parade the Circle, the beloved tradition celebrating art, culture, and community, returns on Saturday, June 13, 2026. The 34th annual parade takes place in University Circle and features vibrant and imaginative costumes, towering puppets, floats, and intricately crafted masks. This year’s event coincides with the CMA’s 110th anniversary as an institution and the United States Semiquincentennial.

This year’s theme, “Momentum,” is inspired by the special exhibition American Printed Silks, 1927–1947, the lived experience of acclaimed lead artist Héctor Castellanos Lara, and the legacy and evolution of our creative community. Those interested in participating are highly encouraged to view the exhibition.

“I grew up between sewing machines. Surrounded by women, transforming fabric to be worn. Hands, colors, and patterns chasing one another. My own strike of marbles clacking from the patio, at play.

The exhibition American Printed Silks took me back to that room in Guatemala, our own little industrial garment revolution, my childhood home. Much like the textile designers of the early to mid-1900s, I draw inspiration from the museum and use lived experiences to define my visual language. Our stories—some of sacrifice and resilience—are momentous and unyielding.

Breathless and energized, our own momentum pushes us to innovate. Let’s harness the power of this creative energy together, express ourselves, and keep celebrating. Creativity in motion stays in motion. What story will you bring to the parade?”

Parade the Circle, which was founded by the CMA in 1990 with a small number of artists, has since grown to become a treasured large-scale event, drawing crowds in the tens of thousands every June. Families, friends, neighbors, community groups, churches, artists, performers—everyone is welcome to express their creativity, show their talent, and celebrate the arts at Parade the Circle. Every year, unique and magnificent parade designs delight participants and attendees alike. Watching the parade is free for all.

On Saturday, June 13, 2026, my son, Michael Smith, and I had a great time at The Cleveland Museum of Art’s “Parade The Circle” and at “Circle Village” on Wade Oval, presented by University Circle. I would have liked to have published this blog post earlier, since it is my way to thank the organizers and participants, but two days later, I headed out to backpack the entire Susquehannock Trail System (STS) Circuit Hike. I also was busy preparing for a month-long backpacking trip in mid-July on the Appalachian Trail. Learn more about these two backpacking trips in my last blog post entitled: Adventure Trips 2026: Great Britain & Two Backpacking Trails (STS, AT)

Note that a friend of our family, Spike Radway, was with a group of interns from the NASA Glenn Research Center in the parade -- see the photo at the top of this blog post. Spike was a board member and program director for CDPUG (Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group) for many years, which was a group for creative people in our community. After the parade, I talked to Herb Schilling, who is a computer scientist at NASA Glenn Research Center, and learned that he was part of the group in the parade with Spike. I have known Herb Schilling for years from community events, such as IngenuityFest, where he staffs the NASA Glenn booth, and from onsite NASA Glenn Research Center events I have attended at his invitation. (I often write about NASA -- see my NASA blog posts by clicking here.) In recent years, Spike's and Herb's group have been participating every year in this annual parade. Spike let me know that if you visit the Cleveland Museum of Art's Community Arts Center | Centro de Artes Comunitarias (CAC), you can view some of the artwork that was in this year's parade.

Thank you to all the participants in the parade, and to the partner organizations in “Circle Village,” which included:

Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland Botanical Garden/Holden Forests & Gardens
Cleveland History Center
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Public Library
moCa (Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland)
The Music School Settlement
Piano Cleveland
and more!!!

Here are my photos and videos from the day:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode.
Please feel free to pause the video to look more closely at the artwork in the slides!!

34th Annual Parade the Circle and Circle Village 2026

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