The Festival takes place for two weeks every summer overlapping the Fourth of July holiday. It is an educational presentation that features community-based cultural exemplars. Free to the public, like other Smithsonian museums, each Festival typically draws more than one million visitors.

Initiated in 1967, the Festival has become a national and international model of a research-based presentation of contemporary living cultural traditions. Over the years, it has brought more than 23,000 musicians, artists, performers, craftspeople, workers, cooks, storytellers, and others to the National Mall to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and aesthetics that embody the creative vitality of community-based traditions. Read More

This year there is a Asian Pacific American focus and a spotlight on Mexico.

June 27 - July 1 and July 4 - 8. Open daily 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Evening events begin at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. During the Festival, you may call (202) 633-7484 to hear a recorded description of daily events.