The World Peace Festival brings together people of all ages for a day of celebration, reflection, and collective hope for a more peaceful world.

Our 4th Annual World Peace Fest returns to Pierce Park in Appleton! Saturday, September 12 noon – 4 PM

Find Info Below:

• Summary of what to enjoy at the fest
• Fest Schedule
• About Our Entertainers
• Full Festival Article
• Orgs + Vendors at this year’s fest

Enjoy throughout the festival …

• Main Stage Music, Dance, and Speakers
• Info + Vendor Village — meet local orgs + vendors for peace (see map for participating orgs & vendors)
• Mutual Aid Market — free store + supportive info, open to all
• Peace Pole Painting (guided by local artist)
• Face Painting (teen artists) — kids activity area
• Chalk Art — add your peaceful expression on the sidewalks
• Groovy Peace Vibes Photo Opp
• Yard Games & Park Playground
• FREE Water at the Unity Tent
• FOOD Vendors:
  Sabee Culinary Services, Houdini’s Paninis, Fox Pops

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE ~

12:00 — Opening: Main Stage

• Welcome by John Polakowski, Unity of Appleton
• Creating a Culture of Peace by Dena Eakles of Wisconsin Network of Peace and Justice
• ‘Building Unity’ Introduction with Timothy Cordon from the Democracy Tour

12:15 — Peace Song Sing-Along: Main Stage

• Led by Savi Gehrke, with Loving Awareness & Singing Resistance Fox Cities and everyone who’d love to sing along!

12:50 — Songwriting for Peace Playshop w/Karli from Natural Satellite:  Under a shade tree! … Look for Karli’s Cello!

• Co-Create a Peace Song: “Our Voices, Our Song” to perform on stage with Karli and Jason at the end of their Natural Satellite performance (Sing at 3 PM)
• Open to ALL — adults and kids and everyone in between!

1:00 — Bollywood & Bhangra Dance Performance By The M-Effect: Main Stage

• Get ready for colorful music, energetic moves, and lots of enthusiasm from the young performers trained at The M-Effect
• Also, Mahima Grover and Neha Malik will take the stage for an energetic Bhangra and contemporary performance. Enjoy the explosive music and amazing choreography.

1:30 — Love, Light, and Harmony with Penny and Gabe: Main Stage

• Local singer-songwriter duo

1:50 — Pause for Peace (main stage break)

• Connect with fellow peace festers, stroll through the orgs and vendor booths + enjoy the festival

2:15 — Natural Satellite with Karli and Jason Reisdorf: Main Stage

• Jason’s saxophone weaves in and out of verses harmonizing beautifully with Karli’s angelic voice. Their lyrics center on themes of self-love, reflection, and personal growth—offering listeners both comfort and inspiration.

3:00 — Our Voices, Our Song — Playshop Song Performance with Natural Satellite: Main Stage

• All songwriting participants are invited and welcome to join Jason and Karli on stage to perform the song they all co-created together

3:20 — Synchronicity Band & Badger State Choirs: Main Stage

• Synchronicity Band from Unity of Appleton joins with Appleton-based Badger State Girl Choir + Oshkosh based Badger State Youth Choir

3:45 — Festival Closing | Peace BE! 

• Gratitude + Raffle Basket Winners + Announcements

About Our Entertainers!

Natural Satellite Music

Karli and Jason Reisdorf have been enchanting audiences with their distinct sound for nearly a decade, blending artistry, intimacy, and innovation into every performance.

The couple met in 2011 while studying at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, and their connection—both musical and personal—has blossomed into a family and a shared creative life. The Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award winning duo combines finger-style cello, warm saxophone improvisation, and rich vocal harmonies to create music that is as emotionally resonant as it is sonically unique. Their sound draws comparisons to genre-blending acts like Morphine and Portishead, yet remains unmistakably their own.

Loving Awareness + Singing Resistance Fox Cities

Savi has been lovingly guiding singing circles of all kinds for decades. Singing together helps, it feels GOOD! It helps give emotions a safe channel for release, it helps to uplift our tired spirits and renew our souls, it opens the heart and calms the mind, it creates a deeper sense of belonging and unified connection, it brings inner-harmony.
Raising our voices in song creates a unified field of purpose, power, and love that amplifies our connection and collective presence.
Come raise your voices in song with us … Community Sing-Alongs, Mantra Music Journeys, Singing Resistance Sing-Ins and Action Sings, and more!

The M-Effect | Located at 201 W Northland Ave Ste C, Appleton

The M-Effect Youth Performance:
Our young dancers from The M-Effect Studio, ages 6-14, will present a lively medley of Bollywood and Bhangra. These dances are part of what they learn at the studio and have been choreographed by Mahima Grover. Get ready for colorful music, energetic moves, and lots of enthusiasm from our young performers!

Performers: Maya, Nieya, Sitara, Anaya, Elina, Saihaj

The M-Effect Adult Performance:

Mahima Grover and Neha Malik will take the stage for an energetic Bhangra and contemporary performance. Get ready for some explosive music and amazing choreography.

Bhangra and Bollywood style dance are offered as youth and adult dance classes at The M-Effect Studio, where both adults and youth can learn, exercise, and enjoy these vibrant Indian dance forms.

Love, Light, and Harmony

Love, Light and Harmony is a Wisconsin based Kirtan and singer/songwriter band. Members include Penny Paiser-Wilson and Gabriel Wilson

Badger State Girl Choir + Badger State Youth Choir

A place to build self-confidence and personal growth through the power of song.
Our programs make it easy for local families to access a premier choral education that builds confidence and creativity.

Synchronicity

Synchronicity is a local live music band associated with the Unity of Appleton spiritual community. The band frequently performs at community outreach and public events coordinated by the church, most notably the annual World Peace Festival held at Pierce Park

About World Peace Festival 2026

World Peace Festival returns to Pierce Park in Appleton on September 12th from noon until 4:00. Attendance is free and welcoming to the entire Community.

This Community Festival is 100% supported and organized by volunteers and is completely donation run.

Centered on the theme, “peace begins with us”, the festival will feature powerful messages from local and regional peace advocates and include musical performances by Natural Satellite, Loving Awareness Peace Song Sing-Along, Love, Light and Harmony, Synchronicity, and the Badger State Choirs, as well as a lively medley of Bollywood and Bhangra Dance performances by students and instructors from The M-Effect, and “Our Voices, Our Song” live, in-the-moment co-creative songwriting play shop for peace led by Natural Satellite’s Karli Reisdorf.

In addition,  over 20 different organizations and vendors for peace will be available to connect with throughout the festival, including a Mutual Aid Free Market with items that can simply be received freely from participating vendors.

We will also feature a vibrant children’s activity area with face painting, arts and crafts, and yard games. Peaceful FUN for the whole family, including a playground in the beautiful natural setting of Pierce Park.

Please visit our annual peace pole painting tent to add your peaceful painted expressions to this year’s creation.

Building Unity Wisconsin will have their tour bus onsite and will be sharing PEACE with everyone in colorful and creative ways.

Our food vendors this year include Houdini’s Paninis, Sabee Culinary Service, and Fox Pops.

We will also have a tent with beautiful donated raffle baskets. Please consider a basket for yourself and help us to raise funds for next year’s World Peace Festival.

See you on Saturday, September 12th in Pierce Park for World Peace Festival.

Peace begins with each one of us … and together peace grows and grows!!

World Peace Festival Fox Cities is a co-creative, collaborative partnership with Unity of Appleton and Being Collective

This year’s Orgs + Vendors for Peace:

Loving Awareness
Common Roots Rising
Citizen Action of Wisconsin
Building Unity Wisconsin
Fox Valley for Palestine
NEW CARE | Community Action Resource Exchange
Northeast WI Veterans and Advocates for Peace
Hate Free Outagamie
Japan Outreach Initiative
Meraki Tribe
Peaceful Patriots
Rights of Nature
Secular Community Alliance
Sierra Club
Fox Valley Shares
WI Network for Peace and Justice
The M-Effect
Badger State Girl and Youth Choirs
Sister Jones Bookless Bookclub
Oshkosh Vagabond Network
Queer Closet
Hope Fridge
… and more!

FOOD VENDORS:
Houdini’s Paninis, Sabee Culinary Services, Fox Pops

The World Peace Festival brings together people of all ages for a day of celebration, reflection and collective hope for a more peaceful world.

Mission Statement: Inspired by the U.N. International Day of Peace, our World Peace Festival is rooted in the belief that peace begins within and expands outward through conscious action, shared understanding, and loving connection.

Vision Statement: We are growing a community rooted in peace and love within a welcoming space where diversity is honored, hope is cultivated, and peace is nurtured.