The Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2009

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, held every year around the Fourth of July, was started in 1967 as a international exhibition of the different living cultural heritages found throughout the United States and the world. Every year, thousands upon thousands of people come to Washington D.C. to experience the festival and all that it has to offer. However, if this is your first time going to the Folklife Festival, you may need a little guidance as to what to expect, where to go, how much things will cost, and things like that. The following is a beginners guide to the festival.

Date and time:

The festival will be held this year from June 24 to June 28th and July 1st to July 5th. It will be open daily from 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Because of the time of the year the Folklife Festival is held, plan on dressing for warm summer weather. Late June to early July are traditionally the warmest times in the area around Washington, DC.

Cost:

As the festival is held on the National Mall in Washington, DC and is an open air location, there are no tickets that you need to buy. It is recommended that you eat at the festival, primarily for the experience. There is not a list of food vendors for this year's festival that has been released as of yet, but the food in prior years focuses around the themes of the festival.

Festival Themes:

This year there are three themes: Wales, The Giving Voice (focusing on African-American heritage) and Las Americas: Un Mundo Musical/The Americas: A Musical World. The food will, as with previous years, focus on the heritages being spotlighted. However, if there is a picky eater in your group, there will more than likely be street vendors selling hot dogs and other items. More information about the food and events surrounding the themes will be made available at the start of June 2009 on the festival's website http://www.festival.si.edu/. For those of you with children, do not worry. There are plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained.

Events for the family and kids:

According to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival website, each of the different themes will have activities for the children. In the Giving Voice program, children will have the chance to explore oral games, focusing on the oral tradition that is prevalent in many cultures, including the African-American culture. In the Wales program, young people and families will have many opportunities to experience Welsh day to day life and culture. According to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival website, visitors will get a chance to see what it's like making cheese around a kitchen table, learn different Welsh songs, try out mining gear that Welsh miners would use, and watch different organic items turn into compost. Finally, in the Las Americas program, there will be the opportunity to experience the different musical styles and instruments of Latin America.

The festival is a true experience year after year. If you do go, I hope you find this information useful.

Sources:
http://www.festival.si.edu/
http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/FolklifeFest.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smithsonian_Folklife_Festival
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=35903

For the listing of events for children:
http://www.festival.si.edu/visitor/children_families.aspx