Day Nine: Top Ten Photos
A blue-and-yellow macaw and other visitors flocked to the Folklife Festival on Saturday for a hot and humid day of culture of, by, and for the people. We started our day with quiet one-on-ones for families at Morning on the Mall. NASA Day was in full swing across Earth Optimism × Folklife, with speakers and activities galore. A U.S. Park Police horse even sauntered through to enjoy a drink from the Falaj, our UAE-inspired irrigation oasis.
At Festival Foodways, fan-favorites chicken adobo and UAE BBQ made a reappearance, along with new demonstrations about sustainable seafood and oysters. Visitors added to the whale origami public art installation with Peggy Oki, and “breakers” from the UAE talked about bringing their dance of the streets to the stage before performing in the afternoon.
As rainclouds loomed in the distance, the evening concert got an early start, continuing until lightning bolts flashed to the west. The multimedia medley “A View from the Streets: Urban Culture from the UAE” brought together rappers, dancers, visual artists, poets, and other musicians from across the Emirates creating art for all of us, together.
Join us on the penultimate day of the Festival for exciting and thoughtful activities, demonstrations and discussions. Learn how to prepare invasive lionfish while hearing about their impact on Belizean fishing at Festival Foodways. Stop by the Earth Optimism Stories stage to hear from women at the forefront of conservation efforts and from young teens leading the way as the future of global sustainability.
Visit Folklife Studio for a special cross-program conversation about meaningful human-animal connections and a one-time-only poetry slam competition between Rooftop Rhythms from the UAE and Busboys and Poets from D.C. Visit the Story Majlis for “What We Carry: Migration Stories,” where participants will talk about stories of exile and displacement. End your afternoon with a preview performance of the 2023 Festival program Creative Encounters: Living Religions in the U.S., featuring Houston-based Riyaaz Qawwali and the sounds of multifaith America.
Annabella Hoge is the 2022 Folklife Festival media intern, and Elisa Hough is the editor at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Together they are Team Top Ten.