World Culture Festival 2016
People sit on the steps of a stage at the venue of World Culture Festival on the banks of the Yamuna river in New Delhi, India days before the event begins. REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee

The World Culture Festival 2016 is due to kick off in India's capital of New Delhi on 11 March, bringing together nearly 3.5 million people from around the world. The three-day festival is being hosted across 1,000 acres of land and is said to be one of the biggest cultural gatherings in recent times.

A number of world leaders are expected to attend the event, including President Bidhya Devi Bhandari of Nepal and President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka. Vice president of the European Parliament, Ryszard Czarnecki, and former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin, are also due to attend the cultural event. The event is being hosted by the Art of Living, a non-profit organisation based in India that was started by the world famous philanthropist Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Bhanumati Narsimhan, director of the Art of Living, said: "In an era when people wonder what to do about terrorism and violence, the festival wants to state that there are good people in the world. We should not lose heart either to terrorism, or on an individual level, to stress."

For those unable to attend the WCF, a live stream is available for people around the world to join in virtually. IBTimes UK has also uploaded a full schedule of events for the three-day festival to ensure you don't miss your favourite parts.

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