Bellevue's Cultural Conversations program returns Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, with a free storytelling evening at City Hall that opens the 2026-2027 season and launches the city's Welcoming Week.

The event, titled "Welcoming Neighbors through Stories," runs 6-8 p.m. at Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave NE. Members of the program's inaugural class of trained community facilitators will lead attendees through storytelling and conversation. Light refreshments will be provided.

The kickoff is part of Bellevue's Welcoming Week celebration, a national effort that brings together neighbors of all backgrounds, especially immigrants and refugees, to build connections.

The week runs Sept. 13-19, and the mayors of Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond and Sammamish will issue a joint proclamation inviting residents to connect across differences. The week's flagship event, the biennial Experience Bellevue! follows Saturday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at City Hall.

Mayor Mo Malakoutian, in the city's Aug. 31 Welcoming Week announcement, called the week "our chance to open the doors of city government and show everyone belongs here."

Cultural Conversations began in 2010 after the city's Neighborhood Outreach team conducted a listening tour of neighborhood groups and faith organizations in 2009, according to the program's page.

Residents told staff they wanted to meet the diverse neighbors they saw around them. Staff started gathering informally with women at Crossroads Community Center for tea and conversation, and the program grew from there.

For the first time, the city recruited and trained community members as facilitators through a course running May through August 2026. Those graduates will lead events throughout the season, which runs through May 2027.

Nickhath Sheriff, a program participant featured on the city's Cultural Conversations page, described what keeps her coming back: "We started as strangers. We slowly built connections and now have become a family."

The event is free.

To RSVP, visit the Eventbrite listing or email [email protected]. For questions, contact Cara Iwasaki at [email protected] or 425-229-6557.