2011 Festival Blog - Behind the Scenes

The constant sounds of music have ceased, and the aroma of cooking food no longer wafts over the National Mall.Read More

This year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival brings over 280 participants and a million visitors to the National Mall. It  features daily andRead More

We are very fortunate to have great interns in participant staff! Their help is greatly appreciated, and we are asRead More

Peace Corps Participant Assistant Meredith Adhikari accompanied the Peace Corps participants to a reception honoring their contributions to this year’sRead More

Hamadoun (Simbè) Sankaré wrote this poem and read it at a July 6 reception organized by the Peace Corps toRead More

I have been working since 1987 at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and have curated too manyRead More

Of the many Smithsonian Folklife Festivals I have attended or worked since 1973, this one certainly has that special feel.Read More

The first week of the Festival was great! We have had two days off to catch our breath, and weRead More

The Smithsonian Institution Archives, the record keeper of the history of the Smithsonian, features a blog today in THE BIGGER PICTURE,Read More

Visitors, volunteers, and staff who make the Smithsonian Folklife Festival an annual event in their lives often collect Festival T-shirts.Read More