Festival Blog

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is turning 49 this year, and we think our Perú: Pachamama program deserves a welcome as vibrant and dynamic as the performers, artisans, cooks, and musicians representing their country on the National Mall.

If you plan to bring your whole family to the Folklife Festival, look for the big circular tent called the Wawawasi Kids Corner.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is ten days of music, dance, storytelling, processions, ceremonies, and more. The sights, sounds, and smells can be quite a sensory overload.

An event as large as the Folklife Festival relies on many moving parts behind the scenes, and the technical team has one of the most important roles in ensuring that the National Mall is ready for thousands of visitors

Long regarded as the national spirit of Peru, pisco is a grape brandy whose unique flavor and fragrance unites the European vine, the sunshine of Peru’s southern coast, and the wisdom of potters who create the jars in which the drink is stored.

This year’s Marketplace isn’t just a place to buy. It’s a place to meet some of Peru’s most talented artists and craftspeople and learn about the traditions behind the objects available for sale.

Whether it’s to decorate a Christmas tree, adorn a window, or add whimsy to a bookshelf, ornaments are a fun and inexpensive item to collect—especially at the Folklife Festival Marketplace.

Did you know that the Folklife Festival is the largest composting and recycling effort on the National Mall?

Rufino Turpo shares the life-sustaining role of Pachamama: mother of all living beings, the core of existence, the symbol of fertility.