Experience the National
The National Folk Festival is the nation’s premier multicultural festival of traditional arts.
A large-scale, three-day outdoor event presented free to the public, the National honors the artistic traditions of all Americans through continuous music and dance performances on six stages, demonstrations, workshops, storytelling, participatory dance, parades, puppetry, a themed stage and regional folklife area, a family activities area, a crafts marketplace, and regional and international cuisine. The National presents deeply rooted cultural expressions from across the nation—music, dance, crafts, rituals, and stories passed on through time in families, communities, and tribal, ethnic, regional, and occupational groups—striving to showcase the country’s very finest artists. Since 1987, National Folk Festivals have attracted audiences upwards of 150,000.
BY THE NUMBERS
150,000 ATTENDEES BY THE THIRD YEAR
3 DAYS 6 STAGES
300 ARTISTS
1,000 VOLUNTEERS
$15-30 MILLION ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT
EXPERIENCE
BLUES • ROCKABILLY • GOSPEL • KLEZMER • JAZZ • BLUEGRASS • BREAKDANCE • IRISH • COWBOY • SALSA • POLKA • HIP HOP • TAMBURITZA • OLD-TIME • MARIACHI • CAJUN • NATIVE AMERICAN HOOP DANCE • CUMBIA • WESTERN SWING • BEATBOX • BHARATA NATYAM • HONKY-TONK • MIDDLE EASTERN • R&B • ZYDECO • AND MORE!
Programming embraces the heritage and traditions of all Americans—from those whose families have been here for centuries, or millennia, to those of the most recent immigrants. In a new program every year, the festival presents traditional culture as the vibrant, living expressions that reflect the cultural life of communities as they change, combining tradition and innovation, from generation to generation.
PARADES AND STREET PERFORMANCES • CHINESE DRAGON AND LION DANCERS • NEW ORLEANS BRASS BANDS • PUERTO RICAN BOMBA AND PLENA • CARNIVAL PARADES •
HBCU MARCHING BANDS • AND A HOST OF OTHER CELEBRATORY ACTIVITIES
Such traditional forms of public celebration are employed to present additional features of vernacular culture that are at the heart of communities throughout America. Interactive music performances, hands-on activities, and participatory games provide engaging experiences for children of all ages.
CELEBRATE
Artistic traditions range from traditional pottery, blacksmithing, body art, quilting, instrument-making, boatbuilding, weaving and woodcarving, to Native American beadwork, basketry, religious iconography, and spoken-word poetry. These masters often take part in discussions and workshops, creating a deeply educational experience.
OCCUPATIONAL, RITUAL, AND RECREATIONAL TRADITIONS OF YOUR NEIGHBORS AS WELL AS FOLKLIFE EXHIBITS, CRAFTS DEMONSTRATIONS, AND FOODWAYS FROM THE HOST CITY AND REGION
EXPLORE
EXUBERANT, JOYOUS, AND DEEPLY EDUCATIONAL, WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!
What the National Brings to Your City
The National Folk Festival is built from the ground up in every host community, with partners who have rarely undertaken such a high degree of community cooperation and involvement. The NCTA works at a grassroots level, facilitating a high degree of community cooperation and involvement. Each festival host city has its own unique local culture and outlook, with different strengths and resources, a new universe of personalities and politics, and a new physical site. The work is labor-intensive, but the results are worth the effort.
Some of the festival’s potential benefits to a host city are obvious: regional and national media exposure; thousands of out-of-town visitors who spend their money at local businesses during this free event; an opportunity to showcase the area’s best traditional artists in a national context in the heart of the community. Less obvious, but equally important, is the role the festival can play in uniting different elements of the community to work towards a common goal—the establishment of a high-quality traditional arts festival that will continue to thrive after the National Folk Festival moves on.
