Ojibway Park will come alive with the second annual One Woodbury, an event that celebrates the diversity of the community, on Sunday from 4-7 p.m.

2023 was One Woodbury’s inaugural year, and it was a true grassroots endeavor. The city’s community relations staff alongside the Parks and Recreation Department recruited a committee of community members, partners, and staff to refine the vision of what One Woodbury would look like. Their hard work paid off with about 2,000 attendees showing up to listen to music, enjoy foods from various cultures, and learn about the diverse people and perspectives that make up Woodbury.

This year, the event is being hosted by the City of Woodbury. According to Shelly Schafer, Woodbury’s community relations manager, the committee decided to expand from a one-day celebration to several events throughout the year.

“We held a number of workshops, looked at other cities, how they put together similar events, and one of the things that stuck out to us was something that Eden Prairie does, where they do a series of events,” Shafer said. “Some of our partners, like our school districts, already do multicultural events, so we thought, instead of recreating what they’re doing, what if we amplified it? Our community partners can take the opportunity to host their own event under the One Woodbury umbrella throughout the year.”

Several area school districts, Woodbury Community Foundation, the YMCA, Woodbury Chamber of Commerce, and Explore Minnesota will attend to promote their multicultural events and provide information on their organizations. There will also be food trucks, bounce houses, and performing groups such as Imnizaska Drum Group, DJ Dime, and the dance group Kuyayki Peru, among others.

Recreation Operations Manager Reed Smidt summed up the mission of One Woodbury. “We want our residents to feel and experience an event where they feel welcomed and included, and can enjoy themselves,” Smidt said. “They can feel like this event is for me, I belong here.”