ArtsGreensboro and NCTA Announce
National Folk Festival Dates for 2015 – 2017
The “National” will celebrate its 75th anniversary in
downtown Greensboro September 11 – 13, 2015
"ArtsGreensboro and the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) announced today that the National Folk Festival, which will begin a three-year residency in Greensboro in 2015, will take place September 11 – 13, 2015, in the heart of downtown Greensboro.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in Greensboro in 2015, the “National” is a FREE, three-day outdoor event celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of American culture through music, dance, storytelling, traditional crafts, food, and more. It will feature more than 30 performing groups on seven stages with continuous music and dance performances, along with children’s activities, a North Carolina folklife area, a festival marketplace, and regional and ethnic foods. The festival is expected to draw up to 175,000 visitors—many from across the United States—to Greensboro by its third year in 2017.
ArtsGreensboro and the NCTA will co-produce the free festival in cooperation with the City of Greensboro, the Greensboro Convention & Visitors Bureau, Action Greensboro, DGI, and other local groups.
“Early September is a wonderful time to be outdoors in North Carolina,” said ArtsGreensboro President and CEO Tom Philion. “Not only is school back in session, but also the weather is usually lovely. In fact, before making this decision, we checked weather statistics for the past 30 years.”
“Downtown Greensboro is in the midst of a renaissance, and presenting the National Folk Festival in this location adds to the momentum,” said NCTA Executive Director Julia Olin. “We like to be where the action is.”
Looking ahead, the National Folk Festival will be held Sept. 9 – 11 in 2016, and September 8 – 10 in 2017.
About ArtsGreensboro
With an annual budget of nearly $2.8 million, ArtsGreensboro is a catalyst for innovation to build recognition and support for the arts. Through the 17DAYS Arts & Culture Festival, power2give, and other opportunities like the National Folk Festival, ArtsGreensboro is driving the health and vitality of our community through support for arts education, celebrating the diversity of Greensboro, and supporting economic impact through excellence in arts programming. www.ArtsGreensboro.org.
About the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA)
The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is one of the nation’s premier non-profit cultural organizations dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk, tribal, and ethnic arts in the United States. Founded in 1933, it is the nation’s oldest producing and presenting organization with such a focus. Its programs celebrate and honor deeply rooted cultural expressions—music, crafts, stories, and dance passed on through time by families, communities, tribal, ethnic, and occupational groups. The NCTA stresses excellence and authenticity in presenting artists to the public in festivals, tours, concerts, media programs, exhibitions, recordings, and other activities, and works in partnership with communities across American to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that bring lasting social, cultural, and economic benefits. www.ncta.net
About the National Folk Festival
Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival has celebrated the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to present the arts of many nations, races, and languages on equal footing. It was also the first to present to the public musical forms such as the blues, Cajun music, a polka band, Tex-Mex conjunto, Peking Opera, and many others. An exuberant traveling festival that embraces the diverse cultural expressions that define the American people in the 21st century, the National Folk Festival is produced by the NCTA in partnership with communities around the country."
- A Press Release
No comments:
Post a Comment