Welcome to the 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival! This year we feature four programs--Oman: Desert, Oasis, and Sea; Forest Service, Culture, and Community; Food Culture USA; and Nuestra Música: Music in Latino Culture. Now in its 39th year, the Festival once again presents a sample of the diverse cultural heritage of America and the world to large public audiences in an educational, respectful, and profoundly democratic way on the National Mall of the United States. True to form, the Festival illustrates the living, vital aspect of cultural heritage and provides a forum for discussion on matters of contemporary concern.

For the first time, ...