News & Updates

RFP review begins on August 3rd; RSVP for informational webinars to learn more Webinars to be held on Wednesday, May 20, at 1:30 pm ET and Thursday, May 28, at 1:30 pm ET.  Silver Spring, MD - April 14, 2026 - From its very first iteration in 1934, the National Folk Festival  has hosted hundreds of the nation’s finest musicians, dancers, craftspeople, and other keepers of culture in towns and cities from Massachusetts to Montana. Produced by the National Council for the Tradi

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2025 SILVER SPRING, MD – The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is thrilled to announce it is among seven organizations to receive the 2025 National Meredith Willson Award from The Music Man Foundation. The NCTA will receive $330,000 in general operating support over two years to strengthen operational sustainability and further its mission of promoting America’s rich, living multicultural heritage through dynamic programs that

Dear Friends, As 2025 comes to an end, we are reflecting on a year that began with uncertainty for many arts organizations but culminated with several major successes, particularly the launch of the National Folk Festival’s three-year residency in Jackson, MS. From November 7-9, the Jackson community came out and enthusiastically embraced the 82ndNational Folk Festival. We look ahead to next year with renewed energy: 2026 will present a special platform for the NCTA as we com

On Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 5:30 pm ET, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will honor the 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellows, recipients of the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, at an award ceremony in Washington, DC. This event is hosted by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and will be livestreamed on arts.gov/heritage and available to watch on demand. The 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellows are: Carmen Baron, Mexic

Jackson, MS — Today the National Folk Festival announced six additional artists appearing at the 82nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025, the first year of the event’s three-year residency in the capital city. Mississippi, with its rich musical legacy, is heavily featured in the artists announced today, highlighting the state’s Indigenous culture, its considerable influence on soul and blues, and the prominence of HBCU marching bands in souther

Jackson, MS — Organizers are excited to announce the performers featured in the Family Area, and throughout other areas of the festival through pop-up street performances, at the 82 nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. This is the first year of the event’s three-year residency in Mississippi’s capital city. “The Family Area Stage is a vital part of the festival’s commitment to education and cultural understanding,” said Blaine Waide, executi

Jackson set to host the first year of the festival’s three-year residency in the capital city Jackson, MS — Today the National Folk Festival announced six additional artists appearing at the 82 nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. This year’s festival marks the first year of the event’s three-year residency in Jackson. Expected to draw 60-80,000 in attendance in year one and growing to 150,000 in the third year, the National Folk Festival w

Dear friends, Like many of our colleagues working in the arts, last Friday the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) received notification from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that a grant offer we accepted in December was being withdrawn. We were informed that our project did not align with the NEA’s new grantmaking policy priorities. This grant would have supported the NCTA’s work on the 83rd National Folk Festival, scheduled for November 13-15, 2026,

The National begins its residency in Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. Performers represent a wide variety of traditions, from bluegrass to go-go to flamenco, and more.  The National Folk Festival announced today the first group of artists who will be performing at the 82 nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. This year’s festival marks the first year of the event’s three-year residency in Jackson. Expected to draw 60-80,000 in attendance in y

The NCTA experienced a banner year across all of our longstanding programs in 2024. Over half a million people attended our festivals, and artists representing nearly 100 cultural traditions appeared at our events. We were proud to create, renew, and maintain relationships with community partners across the country. Browse the 2024 Annual Report to see highlights from our programs, and learn more about how your support impacts the artists and communities with whom we work. Re

Dear Friends, It has been a year of looking forward to new opportunities and challenges at the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). In May, we announced that the National Folk Festival will travel to Jackson, Mississippi, from 2025-27. For the first time, the nation’s premier celebration of the artistic traditions of all Americans will take place in the Deep South. Mississippi is renowned for its contributions to our nation’s music, arts, and culture, and we see

Get a preview of the nation’s longest-running multicultural traditional arts celebration Jackson, MS — The National Folk Festival is...

The nation’s longest-running traditional arts event is coming to downtown Jackson. Jackson, MS — The National Council for the Traditional...

Festivals &  Events In March, we return to Wolf Trap for the first time in several decades, with an evening that spotlights some of southwest Virginia's best old-time musicians. We are excited to bring Music from the Crooked Road to The Barns at Wolf Trap, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Crooked Road—southwest Virginia’s “heritage music trail." Also this spring, the tribute videos of the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage F

In 2023, the NCTA celebrated our 90th anniversary. We are proud that our commitment to celebrating traditional arts remains steadfast. These are the vibrant, varied, living treasures of the American people, and they play a central role in the health of American communities. Just shy of half a million people attended NCTA-affiliated events in 2023! Explore highlights from our year in our 2023 annual report, below. <3d-flip-book mode="thumbnail-lightbox" id="5633"> Download a

Washington, DC —The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today this year’s NEA National Heritage Fellows, recipients of our...

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND – The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Blaine...

Fall is an exciting time for the NCTA! September is all things National Heritage Fellows—on September 23, find us at the Reston Multicultural Festival , where we have facilitated the involvement of the National Endowment for the Arts' (NEA) National Heritage Fellows for the past decade. This year's program includes Wayne Henderson (1995), Roen Hufford (2023), Tsering Wangmo of Chaksam-pa (2022), and the Legendary Ingramettes (2022). At the end of the month, we celebrate this

After an accomplished five-year tenure as Executive Director of the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), Lora Bottinelli has decided to pursue new professional opportunities in the arts and community engagement. George Holt, chairman of the NCTA board offered this praise: “Lora brought exceptional leadership skills to the organization. She adeptly navigated the organization through the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic while sustaining and building staff, and returnin

National Council for the Traditional Arts Announces Nationwide Search for the Next National Folk Festival Host City RFP review begins on August 1; RSVP for informational webinars to learn more Silver Spring, MD (April 25, 2023) – The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) introduced the National Folk Festival to Lowell, Massachusetts in 1987, for three years for celebrating the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. When the National moved on to its nex