The 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will celebrate creativity, identity and community in far southeast Washington, D.C., neighborhoods with the program “Citified: Arts and Creativity East of the Anacostia River.” The program, presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, highlights the connections among residents of urban communities as expressed through arts and creativity. “Citified: Arts and Creativity East of the Anacostia River” is part of a long-term Anacostia Community Museum initiative, “Call and Response,” which explores arts and creativity through exhibitions and installations, museum collections and community-focused programs.
The Festival will be held Wednesday, June 27, through Sunday, July 1, and Wednesday, July 4, through Sunday, July 8, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. All events are free. Festival hours are from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day with special evening events such as concerts and dance parties beginning at 6 p.m. The Festival is co-sponsored by the National Park Service.
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, inaugurated in 1967, honors tradition bearers from across the United States and around the world. With approximately 1 million visitors each year, the Festival unites performers and visitors in the nation’s capital to celebrate the diversity of cultural traditions. It is produced by the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. The Festival’s website is www.festival.si.edu