The Smithsonian Folklife Festival has taken on countless forms and meanings in its forty-nine years. At the 2016 Festival, we asked visitors, participants, and presenters for their own definition of the Festival.

Videography: David Barnes, Helen Lehrer, Alexis Ligon, Claudia Romano, Albert Tong
Editor: Helen Lehrer

Basque: Innovation by Culture was co-sponsored by the Basque Country institutions: the Basque Government and the provincial governments of Araba, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa. Sounds of California was co-produced with the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Radio Bilingüe, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and the Smithsonian Latino Center.