Summer in Washington, D.C., would not be complete without its great civic rituals--the Fourth of July concert at the foot of Capitol Hill, the fireworks by the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. A remarkable celebration of the freedom of expression--sharing and seeking ideas and information--the Festival brings you face-to-face with hundreds of tradition bearers from around the world to explore their cultures and histories on the National Mall of the United States. The inherent give-and-take of the Festival creates relationships between people that in turn foster new understandings and new aspirations for communities