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The sixth ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Global Arts Festival and 14th World Music and Dance Concert will take place March 17–19, 2026, celebrating 20 years of global arts in the OHIO community. The milestone event will feature artists, scholars and performers from around the world. A full schedule is available on the Global Arts Festival webpage and will be updated regularly.

The 2026 Global Arts Festival is a unique three-day celebration of free arts and cultural events designed to stimulate the mind and inspire creativity. Festival highlights include afternoon and evening concerts by Napakò: A Coahuiltecan Creation Story, presented by the Indigenous Cultures Institute; the Azagu Steel Band; the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Steel Band; and OHIO Faculty and Friends: Music of South America. Additional events include an International Fashion Show, film screenings, art exhibitions, lectures and interactive workshops.

The festival will culminate in a keynote address by Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts of Ghana and Member of Parliament for Ketu South, as part of the International Conference on Spectrums of Creativity: Exploring Global Performing and Visual Arts, held March 17–19. Her keynote address will take place Thursday, March 19, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Baker University Center Theater.

The 14th World Music and Dance Concert will feature an evening of traditional and contemporary music and dance that transcends borders and cultures. Performers include Azaguno, Inc.; Zelma Badu-Younge; Eric Fountain; Tracey Whorton; Nii-Tete Yartey; Noyam African Dance Institute (Ghana); Alidu Al-hassan; the National Dance Company of Ghana; ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Bella Voce; the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Percussion Studio; the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ African Ensemble; the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Steel Band; and more than 25 ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ and West Virginia Steel Bands and African Ensemble alumni. The program will showcase music and dance traditions from Ghana, Brazil, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States and beyond.

Marking his 20th year at ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ, Professor Paschal Yao Younge will direct his final concert as festival director. This milestone reflects his long-standing commitment to advancing global arts and international education at OHIO. Younge extends his sincere appreciation to the administrators, faculty, staff and students of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ for their support, guidance and collaboration since 2005. He is especially grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the School of Music and the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts.

The Global Arts Festival at ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ was established in 2019 by Professor Paschal Yao Younge and Professor Emerita Zelma C.M. Badu-Younge as an expansion of earlier initiatives, including the AZA African Music and Dance Concert and Festival (2005–2010) and the World Music and Dance Festival and Concerts, organized through the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts from 2011 to 2018.

Sponsors of the 2026 festival include the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts; the Office of the President; the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs; the College of Arts and Sciences; Performing Arts Series; ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Division of Student Affairs; Campus Involvement Center; School of Music; School of Dance; School of Art + Design; School of Film; School of Interdisciplinary Arts; the Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education; Center for International Studies; School of International Studies and Languages; ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Printing Services; African Studies Program; Professor Emerita Zelma C.M. Badu-Younge; Jonathan K.M. Gass and the Estate of the Late Menilyn T. Merrick-Gass; Azaguno, Inc.; and Arts for Ohio.

All Global Arts Festival events are free and open to the public, except the 14th World Music and Dance Concert, which is $15 per ticket. OHIO students with a valid OHIO ID may attend for free, thanks to Arts for Ohio. Tickets are available through Event Services and Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium.