2012 Festival Blog - Special Events

The 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival paid tribute to the late Chuck Brown, the “Godfather of Go-Go,” with a day ofRead More

Funk, soul, R&B, and jazz are some of the many influences on multi-instrumentalist Meshell Ndegeocello’s complex musical style. Here, sheRead More

Legendary funk artist George Clinton has influenced countless musicians and musical genres ranging from hip-hop to rock. Here, the NationalRead More

In founding the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band, Othar Turner revitalized a style of country blues music integral toRead More

The Sweet Heaven Kings, an exhilarating brass ensemble, is made up of members of the United House of Prayer forRead More

Today we bring you our 9th fabulous Flickr Gallery of the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Check it out! This isRead More

The mercury reached 105 degrees today; and still, we witnessed some awesome feats at the Festival. A cadre of tirelessRead More

Today we bring you our 8th fabulous Flickr gallery of the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Take a look! We’ve gotRead More

“My role as an organizer—community and cultural—is basically to give people an option. Powerlessness is basically having no option.” —Read More

It’s interesting to see certain themes emerge in visitor photos as we move through the Festival, and to observe whichRead More