In Quechua, tinkuy means “to come together.” Local youth came together on the National Mall to perform the tinku, a Bolivian folk dance which tells the story of ritual in North Potosí, Bolivia. The dance emulates warrior movements and features traditional clothing.
Photo by James Dacey, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
“Today, I will just listen. Without rehearsing, without discounting, without correcting. Today, I will just listen. With intention, with humility, with respect, with gratitude.”
—Visitor at a Wordsmiths’ Cafe open mic
Do you know what it sounds like when Bolivian tinku music and punk rock simultaneously play over speakers? We do. Within the first hour of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival today, a Bolivian folk dance procession took over the National Mall, sandwiched between MoCAT’s Battle of the Bands and a rowdy, intertribal game of Myaamia peekitahaminki (lacrosse). The collision of music styles mirrored that of bodies bumping into each other, creating a soup of sound and energy that perfectly encapsulated this year’s Festival: one that is proud to be loud.
When sitting at any given stage on Festival grounds, you hear the other ones at the same time. But if you close your eyes and listen closely, you’ll hear Di’Orr Greenwood as she dreams of a future where kids don’t have to choose between affording to eat or affording to skate; Rebel Song Academy make kids’ faces turn red with joy as they hear their song about ice cream come to life; Cassandra Quayson recite poetry about Ghanaian mythology and the beauty of petrichor; and people share their vulnerability on an open mic. This week, people from all corners of the world met each other for the first time. But if listening intently and making spaces loud are things we all do, then haven’t we known each other all along?
As the sun set and wind started to blow, a contradance led by Sugar in the Pan and Adina Gordon weaved dancing feet into organized chaos and laughter, confirming that we were never really strangers.
Experience the day through photos and share some of your own on social media, using the hashtag #2025Folklife.
The West African sankofa is a symbol of the wisdom of learning from the past to build for the future—a fitting emblem for this year’s Festival. Master blacksmith Darryl Reeves and apprentice blacksmith Karina Roca joined us from New Orleans, where they preserve the distinctive centuries-old architectural landscape of the city and its West African roots.
Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
Our Gifts from the Land garden highlights traditional foods and Indigenous relationships to the environments. Visitors learned from Kara Strass about Myaamia miincipi, a unique variety of corn that the Myaamia people have preserved for centuries.
Photo by Craig Fergus, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
The Indonesian artisans of SWEDA have spent most of their time at the Festival over in the Streetwise area, demonstrating silver pendant and jewelry making, but today they took to the Foodways kitchen to prepare gule, a rich and aromatic stew made with tender meat simmered and infused with spices like turmeric, coriander, and cinnamon in a fragrant coconut milk broth.
Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
It’s all about the details. Ilan Cuomo-Wilkerson, who just graduated high school in Olathe, Kansas, worked intently on an American flag-themed bike he’s creating with the Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club.
Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
DJ Girlypop Princess was on the 1s and 2s at the Streetwise tent —the perfect soundtrack to get people amped up for our skateboarding trick competition that took place simultaneously.
Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
The Festival hosted Morning on the Mall—designed for individuals with autism, sensory sensitivities, or others who may benefit from a more relaxed and supported environment. We were thrilled to welcome this future brick mason, who took the opportunity to stack some blocks with vernacular phrases from blacksmithing and other building trades.
Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
“Does your guitar have a story?” That’s the slogan of Delgado Guitars, owned and operated by the Delgado family who have been making guitars by hand since 1928, spanning four generations. Judging by Manuel Delgado’s laughter here, during a conversation on “Teaching the Next Generation,” his guitar must have a pretty funny story.
Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
The DC Youth Orchestra were perfectly in tune with this year’s theme. Founded in 1960, they have toured twenty-four countries, played for U.S. presidents and diplomats, and worked with esteemed musicians such as Aaron Copland, Yo-Yo Ma, and more.
Photo by Phillip R. Lee, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
A good old promenade never goes out of style. The Community Contradance, soundtracked by six-piece Vermont-based band Sugar in the Pan and called by Adina Gordon, drew a big crowd as folks danced the night away during sunset.
Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
