Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2012 - Washington, DC

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a special annual event sponsored each June-July by the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage celebrating cultural traditions around the world. The Folklife Festival includes daily and evening music and dance performances, crafts and cooking demonstrations, storytelling and discussions of cultural issues. The themes of the 2012 program will be: Campus and Community and Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding The AIDS Memorial Quilt.

2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Dates and Hours

June 27 - July 1 and July 4 - 8. Open daily 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Evening events begin at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. During the Festival, you may call (202) 633-7484 to hear a recorded description of daily events.

Location

National Mall, between 7th and 14th Streets in Washington, DC. Parking around the Mall is extremely limited, so the best way to get to the festival is by Metro. The closest stations are Smithsonian, Federal Triangle and National Archives.

Visiting Tips

• This event is held during the warmest time of year in Washington, DC. Plan ahead, dress appropriately and drink lots of water. Give yourself time to visit the Smithsonian Museums to cool off.
  
  
• Eat lunch or dinner at the festival. The food is great and reflects the themes of the festival. If children are picky, you can easily find a hotdog from a street vendor.
  
  
• Seek hands-on activities to keep children involved.
  
  
• Be sure to check out the Marketplace (located in front of the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art) where you can find merchandise produced by festival artisans and related books and CDs.

2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Program

Campus and Community - The Smithsonian Folklife Festival celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of land-grant universities and the USDA. The program focuses on agriculture and food, health care, sustainable living, urban and rural revitalization, and education.

Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding The AIDS Memorial Quilt - This year marks the 25th anniversary of The AIDS Memorial Quilt and 30 years of life with AIDS. Through hands-on panel-making activities, individuals and communities come together to remember loved ones and find support and strength in the largest community art project in the world. The program will present more than 100 visual artists, designers, quilters, dancers, musicians, community activists, and others who will share their emotional experience with this project.

Photos of the Smithsonian Folklife Festivals

2011 Folklife Festival - Themes: Colombia, Peace Corps and Rhythm and Blues.

2010 Festival - Themes: México Profundo: A Deeper Mexico, Asian Pacific American Connections and Smithsonian Inside Out.

2009 Festival - Themes: Giving Voice: The Power of Words in African American Culture, The Americas: A Musical World, and Wales Smithsonian Cymru.

2008 Festival - Themes: A Celebration of Texas Music, Food and Wine, Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon and NASA: 50 Years and Beyond.

2007 Festival - Themes: Mekong River: Connecting Cultures, Northern Ireland at the Smithsonian, and the Roots of Virginia Culture.

2006 Festival - Themes: Alberta at the Smithsonian, Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basket Traditions, and Nuestra Música 2006: Latino Chicago.

See Previous years

Official Website

www.folklife.si.edu

If you are planning to be in town for the 4th of July, read about Fourth of July Fireworks and Celebrations in the Washington, DC area.