The Festival was cut short today due to heavy rains and an ill-boding afternoon forecast, but visitors enjoyed a gloomy morning before the clouds rolled through. Birds ruffled some feathers with the Earth Conservation Corps at Earth Optimism × Folklife and with Emiratis in the Falconry tent. Our production crew scrambled to take cover while Festival goers headed inside the museums and participants went back to their hotel rooms for some much-needed rest and relaxation.

We now take our usual two-day break to give participants and staff a chance to recharge, but you can join us on Thursday for week two! Start your day with pearl singing or a conversation about saving species in the grasslands. Do a calligraphy workshop and learn about eco-tourism. Drop by the Folklife Studio for narrative discussions on oysters and coastal restoration and how experts in various fields from farming to artificial intelligence can collaborate for sustainability.

Visit Festival Foodways to learn about how to get more out of the food you eat, and join the UAE chefs while they cook and share culinary stories together. In the afternoon, stop in for a cross-program discussion about wearing natural items between participants from the UAE and Earth Optimism. Stick around for the evening concert, Los Texmaniacs featuring La Marisoul and local opened Son Cosita Seria.

See you back on the National Mall soon!

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.