The 70th National Folk Festival

Where Music, Dance & Culture from across America meet the Big Sky

Butte, Montana

July 11-13, 2008

One of the country’s largest and most prestigious celebrations of the arts, the National Folk Festival, is coming to Butte for a three-year tenure beginning in July 2008. First presented in 1934, it is the oldest multicultural festival in the nation. The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), the organization that has produced the National Folk Festival since its creation, recognized Butte’s and Montana’s unique natural resources, cultural assets, and strong community spirit.

A large-scale three-day outdoor event presented free to the public, the National Folk Festival celebrates the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. It features a broad array of music and dance performances, participatory dancing, workshops, children’s activities, regional and ethnic foods, storytelling, parades, craft exhibits and demonstrations, and more. A “movable feast of the deeply traditional folk arts,” the National brings a jubilant and dizzying array of offerings that appeal to audiences of all ages.

Historic Uptown Butte will be the site of the 70th, 71st and 72nd National Folk Festivals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. This is the first time the National Folk Festival has been held west of the Mississippi River in over 40 years*, and its first time ever in Montana.

Music, Dance, and Tradition From Across America

Music and dance traditions from every part of the nation are represented, performed by the country’s very finest traditional artists. Audiences are treated to authentic blues, gospel, jazz, polka, cowboy, bluegrass, klezmer, old-time, Cajun, rhythm and blues, mariachi, western swing, zydeco and more. Continuous performances on seven stages celebrate Native American, Celtic, Acadian, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, East Asian, Appalachian, Hispanic, Eastern European, African and Pacific Island cultures.

A Celebration of America’s Cultural Roots

Folk arts are those deeply held grassroots cultural expressions -- music, dance, crafts, stories and foodways -- passed down through time by families, communities, tribal, ethnic and occupational groups. The festival’s programming embraces the heritage and traditions of all Americans – from those whose families have been here for centuries to those of our country’s most recent immigrants. Legendary masters as well as the next generation of dynamic young artists celebrate the musical soul and cultural roots of America.

Montana Traditions

Each National Folk Festival host city celebrates its own regional traditions and heritage. Folklife demonstrations and exhibits feature Montana’s finest craftspeople and other tradition-bearers, and explore subjects ranging from silver working to saddle making, from blacksmithing to basket making, from cowboy poetry to quilting, instrument making, woodcarving, needlework, American Indian beadwork and much more.

Something For Everyone

Chinese dragon and lion dancers, Mardi Gras Indians, New Orleans brass bands and a host of other traditional street and celebratory activities are also part of the National’s mix. Special attention is given to providing engaging and educational performances and hands-on activities for children and youth, sharing the richness and diversity of many cultures with them.

The festival’s artistic diversity is complemented by a delicious variety of ethnic and regional food specialties available for sale throughout the festival site.

3 free days  - 7 stages,  www.nationalfolkfestival.com