Published August 22 2025

In celebration of Welcoming Week, Bellevue is joining other Eastside cities and community organizations hosting events around the week of Sept. 12-21.

Welcoming Week is a national, annual celebration bringing together neighbors of all backgrounds to affirm inclusion for everyone in the United States, particularly the country's newest residents.

East King County has been celebrating Welcoming Week since 2016 with events hosted by local nonprofits, neighborhood associations, the King County Library System and the cities of Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Redmond and Sammamish. Eastside for All is the hub for Eastside Welcoming Week and hosts a calendar of events from around the region.

To demonstrate their commitment to creating welcoming and inclusive places where everyone can thrive, the mayors of Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond and Sammamish will issue a joint proclamation inviting the community to connect across differences at Welcoming Week events.

"Welcoming Week is a powerful reminder that our strength as a city lies in our diversity and commitment to inclusion," said Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson. "Bellevue is proud to stand with our Eastside neighbors in creating spaces where people can tell their stories and build cross-cultural connections."

Throughout September, Bellevue community centers will host cultural arts performances as part of their monthlong celebration of Welcoming Week. On Sept. 15, the Cultural Conversations program relaunches with "The Bellevue We Hope to See: A Storytelling Event" at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. And on Sept. 20, the Bellevue Diversity Advisory Network, which advises the city on how to best serve its diverse communities, will present "From Stories to Strength: Creating Cross-Cultural Collaborations," an interactive community event at the Marketplace at Factoria that will feature stories and insights from Cross-Cultural Center Without Walls participants-highlighting how cross-cultural collaboration builds resilience and strengthens community ties.

More information about Bellevue's Welcoming Week programming can be found at Welcoming Week..

For alternate formats, interpreters or reasonable accommodations, please phone at least 48 hours in advance 425-452-7855 (voice) or email [email protected]. For complaints regarding accommodations, contact theADA, Title VI and equal opportunity officer at 425-452-6168.