Nashville has been selected by the National Council for the Traditional Arts as the host city for the National Folk Festival in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The “National” is the oldest and longest-running multi-ethnic traditional arts festival in the nation. This moveable feast of traditional music and culture will be presented in downtown Nashville for three consecutive years, with the final year in Nashville marking the Festival’s 75th anniversary. Nashville won this honor in a competitive process involving 40 cities across the Nation.
The National Folk Festival effort in Nashville will involve the entire community, and bring together many diverse groups to work toward the common goal of building the festival. An estimated 800 volunteers will work with festival planners, public works employees, police officers and community leaders, creating an event that will bring the region immeasurable rewards. The festival is expected to draw upwards of 80,000 attendees in its first year, increasing to 150,000+ by year three and is expected to have an estimated $10-15M in economic impact per year. The National’s stay is also intended to lay the groundwork for a new annual festival that will continue in Nashville after the National moves on in 2014.
For over 70 years, the National Folk Festival has provided a way for people to embrace the cultural traditions that define us as Americans. This three-day, free-to-the-public outdoor event celebrates the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional craft, storytelling, food and more. With downtown Nashville as the backdrop, audiences can expect a diverse array of continuous music and dance performances by the finest traditional artists from all parts of the nation, a Tennessee Folklife Area with craft demonstrations, exhibits and stage presentations focused on the heritage of the region and state, a Family Area, regional and ethnic food courts, and a festival marketplace offering fine handmade regional crafts.
The festival will shine a light not only on the traditional roots of music that has made Middle Tennessee world famous, but also on the musical and cultural traditions of immigrant groups new to Nashville and the region, with the goal of weaving a multi-cultural tapestry that reflects the evolving character of the City, state and nation.
Nashville’s National Folk Festival will be operating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit and will be produced in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Nashville, and the Compass Records Group. A fundraising effort to support the festival is underway and both corporate and private sponsorship are being sought.
Some of the artists presented at the first festival are now legendary and the recordings and other documentation made possible by the National are precious. W.C. Handy’s first performance on a desegregated stage was at the 1938 National. It was the first national event to present the blues, Cajun music, a polka band, a Tex-Mex conjunto, a Sacred Harp ensemble, Peking opera - the list goes on and on.
Now entering its 72nd year, the National Folk Festival is still produced by the same organization that created it, the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). It is a traveling event produced in partnership with communities around the country, where the “National’s” three-year stay in each host city is intended to lay the groundwork for locally produced festivals and events that continue after the National moves on. To date, the National Folk Festival has been presented in 26 communities around the nation. Musicians and craftspeople from every state in the Union and most U.S. territories have participated in this “moveable feast of deeply traditional folk arts,” which is now attracting the largest audiences in its history.
The National Folk Festival effort in Nashville will involve the entire community, and bring together many diverse groups to work toward the common goal of building the festival. An estimated 800 volunteers will work with festival planners, public works employees, police officers and community leaders, creating an event that will bring the region immeasurable rewards. The festival is expected to draw upwards of 80,000 attendees in its first year, increasing to 150,000+ by year three and is expected to have an estimated $10-15M in economic impact per year. The National’s stay is also intended to lay the groundwork for a new annual festival that will continue in Nashville after the National moves on in 2014.
For over 70 years, the National Folk Festival has provided a way for people to embrace the cultural traditions that define us as Americans. This three-day, free-to-the-public outdoor event celebrates the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional craft, storytelling, food and more. With downtown Nashville as the backdrop, audiences can expect a diverse array of continuous music and dance performances by the finest traditional artists from all parts of the nation, a Tennessee Folklife Area with craft demonstrations, exhibits and stage presentations focused on the heritage of the region and state, a Family Area, regional and ethnic food courts, and a festival marketplace offering fine handmade regional crafts.
The festival will shine a light not only on the traditional roots of music that has made Middle Tennessee world famous, but also on the musical and cultural traditions of immigrant groups new to Nashville and the region, with the goal of weaving a multi-cultural tapestry that reflects the evolving character of the City, state and nation.
Nashville’s National Folk Festival will be operating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit and will be produced in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Nashville, and the Compass Records Group. A fundraising effort to support the festival is underway and both corporate and private sponsorship are being sought.
The History Of The National Folk Festival
First presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival is the oldest, longest-running and most diverse festival of traditional arts in the nation. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to put the arts of many nations, races and languages into the same event on an equal footing.Some of the artists presented at the first festival are now legendary and the recordings and other documentation made possible by the National are precious. W.C. Handy’s first performance on a desegregated stage was at the 1938 National. It was the first national event to present the blues, Cajun music, a polka band, a Tex-Mex conjunto, a Sacred Harp ensemble, Peking opera - the list goes on and on.
Now entering its 72nd year, the National Folk Festival is still produced by the same organization that created it, the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). It is a traveling event produced in partnership with communities around the country, where the “National’s” three-year stay in each host city is intended to lay the groundwork for locally produced festivals and events that continue after the National moves on. To date, the National Folk Festival has been presented in 26 communities around the nation. Musicians and craftspeople from every state in the Union and most U.S. territories have participated in this “moveable feast of deeply traditional folk arts,” which is now attracting the largest audiences in its history.
