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• 1 / 10
  In Armenia, Vardavar is a holiday of renewal and life after Easter, celebrated by splashing each other with water. For our own Vardavar, visitors were invited to partake in the festivities on the National Mall—in a designated splash zone, of course.
  Photo by Aaron Crabtree, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 2 / 10
  This mosaic, created from bottle caps collected at the Festival, allowed visitors to participate in the efforts of Gyumri Is Our Home to revitalize their city and its traditions of both art and humor.
  Photo by Aaron Crabtree, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 3 / 10
  In another play on mosaics, the Catalan Federation of Flower Carpet Organizations completed their final catifa featuring the logos of the Catalonia and Armenia programs, joined through common arts and the Smithsonian sunburst.
  Photo by Deyane Moses, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 4 / 10
  Jordi Traveria, a Catalan glass artist and ceramicist based in Olot, presented finished works molded from visitors’ handprints.
  Photo by Julie Byrne, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 5 / 10
  Roger Solé-Coromina, a dry-stone mason from Catalonia, carefully constructed this igloo-like structure, called a baracca, without any concrete or mortar. The steps along the side are strong enough to hold a grown man.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 6 / 10
  Higher up, Les Joves’ final human tower performance on the National Mall highlighted the major role that women play in these culturally significant organizations and exemplified the teamwork quintessential to Catalan life.
  Photo by Deyane Moses, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 7 / 10
  Throughout the Festival, Tomar & Tomas’ khorovats supplied hungry visitors, participants, and staff with delicious lamb chops and lavash sandwiches.
  Photo by Aaron Crabtree, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 8 / 10
  Soul & Ink, a D.C.-based screen printing company, teamed up with the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage for a second time to customize screen prints and stencil art with symbols from the Festival.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 9 / 10
  The final evening concert was a tribute to Sisterfire, an annual D.C. music festival from the 1980s featuring all women and leaders in feminist and LGBT rights movements.
  Photo by Kerri Redding, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• 10 / 10
  Toshi Reagon (right) curated the concert and headlined with BIG Lovely, performing alongside mother and Smithsonian Folklife alumna Bernice Johnson Reagon (left). Sisterfire brought the Festival to a rousing close and pointed us toward our theme for next year: the social power of music.
  Photo by Kerri Redding, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

Click on the photo above to view full slideshow

Thank you to all the visitors who have joined us on the National Mall over the past two weeks. In the words of Festival director Sabrina Lynn Motley, “The many artisans, musicians, cooks, dancers, and more imbue the Festival with animating energy. Your presence gives it purpose.”

Every closing day of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is bittersweet: participants return home to their families, staff shift back to business as usual, and we say goodbye to new friends and creative collaborators. We’ll pack up our tents and relish in the cultural experiences until we do it all again next year!

In 2019, the theme of the Festival will be the “Social Power of Music”: ways in which song and sound build communities, empower individuals, and strengthen identities. Look forward to musical presentations from Benin, Brazil, and more to come. Follow along through Facebook, Twitter, and our monthly newsletter to keep updated.

Although the Festival only last ten short days, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage does this type of work year-round. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings shares “music of, by, and for the people” with several new albums and vinyl reissues this year. Our online magazine Folklife has new stories each week about music, immigration, material culture, and more. The Smithsonian Artisan Initiative works with culture bearers around the world, helping ensure that their traditions are valued and sustained. This blog will continue to share videos, audio recordings, interviews, and reflections on this year’s Festival.

So stay tuned for more, and we’ll see you next year. In the meantime, we hope you’re left thinking about how you participate in community, how you create “home,” and what cultural traditions make you you.

Elisa Hough is the editor for the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and Rachel Barton is the media intern for the 2018 Folklife Festival. Together they are Team Festival Blog.