To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the Smithsonian is taking its oldest and largest public event—the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival—on the road to communities across the country and three U.S. territories. Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals will amplify how festivals serve as enduring tools for civic engagement and cultural exchange. By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian will join millions of people in their own communities to commemorate, celebrate, and contemplate this national milestone.

Between March and November, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage will collaborate with approximately forty festivals around the country, ranging from one-day events to weeklong gatherings. The Center will work with local organizations to design activities that reflect the voices, stories, and aspirations of their communities. Among the featured festivals are the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival in March in Texas, Concert of Colors in July in Detroit, Montclair Jazz Festival in August in New Jersey, Tucson Meet Yourself in October in Arizona, and the National Folk Festival in November in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Center will also present a slate of signature programs at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., including food and music demonstrations at the National Museum of American History and the Anacostia Community Museum. In the Arts and Industries Building, visitors can explore the Folklife Marketplace, featuring handcrafted items from American artisans, and a special exhibition showcasing objects and stories from past Folklife Festivals. The building will also host “For the Common Good: Smithsonian Voices on Our Shared Future 250,” a series of conversations with Smithsonian staff, community partners, and thought leaders.

“The 250th anniversary is a time to celebrate our extraordinary cultural democracy, to visit with the people, places and traditions within it, and to contemplate our shared future,” said Clifford Murphy, director of the Center. “By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, we recommit to our original purpose to take the Smithsonian beyond objects and buildings; we also carry out our mission to connect communities across cultures—cultivating curiosity, understanding, and belonging for all people.”

To complement the nationwide festival collaborations, the Center will produce two additional programs to form its national initiative Culture of, by, and for the People:

• By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 is a series of community-based programs hosted by fifty-one humanities councils in collaboration with local partners and heritage professionals. Organized by the Federation of State Humanities Councils, activities will take different forms—conversations, performances, and film screenings—with the goal of sparking dialogue about cultural heritage.
• For the People: Living Traditions for Engaged Learning turns festivals into learning labs, equipping artists and middle school classroom educators with the tools to create educational materials that are rooted in local traditions. This professional development program includes a stipend and travel to the Concert of Colors in Detroit for an in-person workshop.

“To mark the bicentennial in 1976, the Smithsonian invited the country to the National Mall for a three-month Festival of American Folklife,” Festival director Sabrina Lynn Motley said. “For the 250th, we’re going to communities to celebrate the nation’s remarkable cultural landscape, as well as the creativity of everyday life. Doing so allows us to carry the Folklife Festival’s legacy forward in a meaningful way as we approach our own sixtieth anniversary in 2027.”  

Culture of, by, and for the People received support from the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250, a Smithsonian-wide initiative commemorating the nation’s 250th. Major support for Our Shared Future: 250 has been provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. Additional contributions have been made by Target.

For media inquiries, please email Paulina Segarra at SegarraP@si.edu.