Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Cacao Making Workshop

Viridian Event Center
West Jordan, UT
Tuesday, April 7, 2026

7–8 p.m. MT

This workshop introduces the Zoque-Maya tradition of chocolate making. Participants will explore ancestral food preparation, taste cacao-based drinks, and learn how culinary traditions preserve family heritage and cultural identity. Presented by Esmeralda Torres and the Lopez Aquino Family of Chiapas, Mexico, and Utah, the session highlights tools, ingredients, and techniques passed through generations. Offered in partnership with the County Library and Utah Historical Society, this Hobby 101 class celebrates resilience, cultural memory, and shared traditions.

Categories: Foodways, Workshop
Cost: Free
Event Location: West Jordan, Utah
More info: www.statehumanities.org…

Baltimore Irish Trad Fest

Various venues
Baltimore, MD
Thursday, April 9 – Sunday, April 12, 2026

The Baltimore Irish Trad Fest is a weekend of workshops and performances led by world-renowned traditional Irish musicians, presented by the Baltimore Irish Music School. From evening concerts at the Creative Alliance to a ceili social at Mobtown Ballroom to lectures and recitals up and down the Avenue in Hampden, venues across the city unite to celebrate Baltimore’s rich tradition of Irish music and its context within the global Irish music community.

Categories: Performance, Workshop
Cost: $20-$200, depending on session and day
Get Tickets/Register: www.baltimoreirisharts.com…
Event Location: Baltimore, Maryland
More info: www.baltimoreirisharts.com

The Deer Hide Agreement: Diplomacy, Responsibility, and Renewal

Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center
Liverpool, NY
Friday, April 10, 2026

5:30–8:30 p.m. ET

Join us at the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center for a community conversation grounded in the Deer Hide Agreement—an enduring symbol of Haudenosaunee diplomacy and responsibility. The evening will begin with a brief reflection from Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation, whose leadership and teaching have helped carry Haudenosaunee traditions and principles across generations. From there, participants will be invited into a facilitated conversation, reflecting together on the deer hide and the ideas it holds. There is no panel, no lecture, and no expectation of expertise.

Categories: Narrative Session
Cost: Free, but registration required. Call (315) 453-6767 to register.
Event Location: Liverpool, New York
More info: www.skanonhcenter.org…

Porch Songs & Public Voices Festival

Discover Hartwell
Hartwell, GA
Saturday, April 18, 2026

Noon–10 p.m. ET

This celebration of storytelling, music, and culture features Native American stories and dance, folk performances, and an authentic blues presentation by Mojo on Max: Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones, tracing the birth of the blues. Enjoy local storytelling, bluegrass music, regional food, and end the day with the monthly Blues Jam, highlighting performances by talented local musicians. It’s full day honoring diverse voices and musical traditions from the region!

Categories: Foodways, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free
Event Location: Hartwell, Georgia
More info: www.discoverhartwell.com…

Celebrate Micronesia

Bishop Museum
Honolulu, HI
Saturday, April 25, 2026

Celebrate Micronesia Festival 2026: Ocean of Peace brings together Micronesian voices and communities from across the Pacific for a day of music, dance, art, food, and storytelling. Hosted in partnership with leaders from Micronesian communities across Hawai‘i, the festival honors the rich traditions and contemporary expressions of the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guåhan (Guam), Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kiribati, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Categories: Demonstration, Foodways, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free; registration recommended
Get Tickets/Register: bishopmuseum.ticketspice.com…
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Honolulu, Hawai‘i
More info: www.bishopmuseum.org…

Consider This: Labor, Farmworker, Organizing, and Histories of Indigenous Communities in Oregon

Mt. Angel Theater Studio
Mt. Angel, OR
Thursday, April 30, 2026

7–8:30 p.m. PT

Oregon Humanities will present an onstage conversation with Joaquín Lara Midkiff, Reyna López, and Ramón Ramírez. This program will explore how the mid-Willamette has been home to powerful farmworker and solidarity movements that transformed the lives of migrant laborers and reshaped Oregon’s political and economic landscape.

See the whole Consider This event series.

Categories: Narrative Session
Online Link: www.youtube.com…
Cost: Free, but registration is required
Get Tickets/Register: www.tfaforms.com…
Event Location: West Jordan, Utah
More info: oregonhumanities.org…

Living Traditions Festival

Downtown Salt Lake City, UT
Friday, May 15 – Sunday, May 17, 2026

Celebrating its fortieth year in 2026, the Living Traditions Festival is a three-day multicultural festival produced by the Salt Lake City Arts Council in partnership with the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. Presenting live music, dance, crafts, and foodways, Living Traditions supports the preservation of diverse traditions and perspectives. The festival highlights the artistic and cultural heritage of the Salt Lake City area and global traditions, and aims to cultivate dialogue and greater understanding among communities. Living Traditions also presents a free concert series, Mondays in the Park, throughout the summer.

Categories: Demonstration, Foodways, Performance
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
More info: saltlakearts.org…

Music, Memory, and Seminole Life in Florida

Gulf Gate Library
Sarasota, FL
Monday, May 18, 2026

6–7:30 p.m. ET

Through song and storytelling, Seminole singer-songwriter Rita Youngman shares music rooted in Seminole history, place, and lived experience. Her work draws on stories passed down through generations while also engaging with contemporary Native American life in Florida. Performed in community and cultural settings, Youngman’s songwriting reflects deep connections to Florida’s landscapes and the enduring presence of Seminole voices within them.

See more in the Florida Reflections event series.

Categories: Narrative Session, Performance
Cost: Free
Event Location: Sarasota, Florida
More info: floridahumanities.org…

Northwest Folklife Festival

Seattle Center
Seattle, WA
Friday, May 22 – Monday, May 25, 2026

For over fifty years, Northwest Folklife Festival has served the Pacific Northwest as a beacon of its regional arts and culture in Seattle during Memorial Day weekend. Now in its fifty-fifth year, the annual festival celebrates Ubuntu, I am because we are, emphasizing our belonging to each other and to our shared humanity. As one of the largest and most cherished cultural celebrations in the Pacific Northwest, the festival attracts more than 200,000 attendees each year. This family-friendly, free event provides a creative outlet for local artists and communities and invites visitors to connect in-depth with these communities and cultural practices.

Categories: Demonstration, Foodways, Narrative Session, Performance
Cost: Free
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program, Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Seattle, Washington
More info: nwfolklife.org…

Vermont Reads 2026 Kick-Off

Center for Cartoon Studies
White River Junction, VT
Saturday, May 30, 2026

2–3:30 p.m. ET

Join Vermont Humanities for this kick-off celebration with the Center for Cartoon Studies for “Vermont Reads 2026: Charity and Sylvia.” Created by Tillie Walden from archival materials at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury, Charity and Sylvia is a groundbreaking biography that is also the story of nineteenth-century United States. This panel discussion will focus on non-fiction comics and how to approach using historical materials and references when creating art.

Categories: Narrative Session
Cost: Free, but registration encouraged
Get Tickets/Register: www.eventbrite.com…
Event Location: White River Junction, Vermont
More info: www.vermonthumanities.org…

Sealaska Heritage Institute Celebration

Centennial Hall
Juneau, AK
Wednesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 6, 2026

The largest gathering of Southeast Alaska Native people, Celebration was held in 1982 as an opportunity for Alaska Native people to engage with their ancestral songs, dances, customs, and regalia. That first Celebration helped spark the renaissance of Native culture, language, and art that continues to flower today. With Native dance and song at the center, Celebration has grown to draw thousands and to include an art market, art exhibitions, fashion, food, and more. Celebration is organized biennially in Juneau by the Sealaska Heritage Institute, and everyone is invited to join.

Categories: Foodways, Performance
Cost: Tickets may be purchased at Centennial Hall during the event., Four Day-Pass, General: $35, Youth (ages 7-12): $20, Elder (ages 65+): $20, Children 6 and under: Free, Daily Admission, General: $20, Youth (ages 7-12): $10, Elder (ages 65+): $10, Children 6 and under: Free
Event Location: Juneau, Alaska
More info: sealaskaheritage.org…

DC STEAM Expo

Coulter Plaza, National Museum of American History
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 6, 2026

Throughout this semester, fourth-grade students across DC Public Schools are challenged to identify issues affecting their neighborhoods, apply STEAM concepts in developing creative solutions, and build upon their personal experiences within their communities. The project culminates in the first-ever DC STEAM Expo, a poster-based science fair organized by the National Children’s Museum and hosted in the National Museum of American History’s Coulter Plaza.

Categories: Demonstration
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Washington, D.C.

Fiddle & Fork Festival

The Bluffs
Sparta, NC

Blue Ridge Music Center
Galax, VA
Friday, June 12 – Sunday, June 14, 2026

Presented by the Blue Ridge Music Center and The Bluffs Restaurant, Fiddle & Fork Festival celebrates the music and foodways of the Blue Ridge Mountain region that stretches from Alabama to Pennsylvania. In its inaugural year, the festival includes an immersive dinner of locally sourced ingredients, music performances, food and craft demonstrations, and interviews with local musicians.

Categories: Demonstration, Foodways, Performance
Cost: Kick-Off Dinner: Tickets on sale soon, An Evening with Steep Canyon Rangers: $20-45, All other events are free and open to the public
Get Tickets/Register: www.blueridgemusiccenter.org…
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Galax, Virginia
More info: www.blueridgemusiccenter.org…

Sing Democracy 250

DAR Constitution Hall
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 13, 2026

Sing Democracy 250 is a stirring musical odyssey commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, with performances by choirs across the United States in 2026. Through exciting new music, the performance brings people together to reflect on American history and our responsibilities to each other and our country. Sing Democracy 250 believes that music holds the power to transcend divisions, affirm diversity, and inspire hope and harmony for our nation, so that our democracy is not just remembered but renewed for the next 250 years. The power of democracy is in the voice of its people, and every voice matters.

Categories: Performance
Cost: TBA
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Washington, D.C.
More info: www.singdemocracy250.org…

Folklife Marketplace

Arts and Industries Building
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, June 16 – Sunday, June 21, 2026

Shop, make, and connect at the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building this summer. The Smithsonian Folklife Marketplace is bringing together artists and makers from across the United States in a place where culture is not just displayed but actively exchanged—a living expression of craft, creativity, and community. Visitors can shop, attend hands-on workshops with local and visiting artists, enjoy music and interviews, as well as explore Folklife Festival history in the Storied Objects exhibition.

Categories: Demonstration, Workshop
Cost: Free to enter
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Washington, D.C.
More info: festival.si.edu…

Juneteenth at Anacostia Community Museum

Anacostia Community Museum
Washington, D.C.
Friday, June 19, 2026

From engaging workshops to powerful performances, Juneteenth at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum is a tribute to resilience, creativity, and heritage. Join us for a neighborhood block party-style celebration of freedom, heritage, and community. While the museum stays open late, enjoy a full day of free activities outdoors featuring live music performances, powerful spoken word, cooking demonstrations, front-porch foodways conversations, youth activities, and gardening. The evening culminates with a high-energy outdoor late skate to close out the celebration.

Categories: Demonstration, Foodways, Narrative Session, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Washington, D.C.
More info: anacostia.si.edu…

The Taste of Freedom: A Juneteenth Foodways Journey

Newton Public Library
Newton, KS
Friday, June 19, 2026

6:30–7:30 p.m. CT

Donna Rae Pearson’s presentation explores the history of Kansas’s African American history of celebrating freedom, which began with “Emancipation Day” celebrations in communities across the state long before Juneteenth became a national holiday. Audience members will explore the holiday’s key symbols and discuss its modern expression in large community events and communal meals that echo the spirit of Black family reunions.

Categories: Foodways, Narrative Session
Cost: Free
Event Location: Newton, Kansas
More info: www.statehumanities.org…

Folklife Marketplace

Arts and Industries Building
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, June 23 – Sunday, June 28, 2026

Shop, make, and connect at the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building this summer. The Smithsonian Folklife Marketplace is bringing together artists and makers from across the United States in a place where culture is not just displayed but actively exchanged—a living expression of craft, creativity, and community. Visitors can shop, attend hands-on workshops with local and visiting artists, enjoy music and interviews, as well as explore Folklife Festival history in the Storied Objects exhibition.

Categories: Demonstration, Workshop
Cost: Free to enter
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Washington, D.C.
More info: festival.si.edu…

ROMP Bluegrass Festival

Yellow Creek Park
Owensboro, KY
Wednesday, June 24 – Saturday, June 27, 2026

Produced by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky, ROMP Bluegrass Festival integrates the traditional sound and soul of the genre with emerging voices from across the country. ROMP’s full weekend of programming includes onsite camping, food and craft markets, jam sessions, workshops for all ages, and music stages throughout Yellow Creek Park.

Categories: Performance, Workshop
Cost: Adults – $37–87/day or $172/full pass (early bird prices), Kids 12 and under – Free
Get Tickets/Register: events.ticketleap.com…
Event Location: Owensboro, KY
More info: www.rompfest.com

Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo & Indian Relay Races

Eastern Idaho State Fair Grounds
Blackfoot, ID
Thursday, June 25 – Saturday, June 27, 2026

Rain or shine, the Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo is an annual gathering with activities for the whole family that celebrates the rich folk cultures of Idaho’s ranching communities. From four-man trailer-loading teams to mutton-busting kids, the cowboys and cowgirls of Blackfoot compete in events modeled after the skills and routines of working ranchers. The weekend also features Indian Relay Races, a centuries-old tradition of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, as well as music, food, and displays showcasing leather workers and gear artisans.

Categories: Demonstration, Performance
Cost: $8-15/day
Get Tickets/Register: blackfootranchrodeo.com…
Event Location: Blackfoot, Idaho
More info: blackfootranchrodeo.com

Arkansas Folklife Festival

Riverfront Park
North Little Rock, AR
Friday, June 26 – Sunday, June 28, 2026

The Arkansas Folklife Festival celebrates the traditions, stories, and creativity that make Arkansas home. Drawing from the living cultures of the state’s six “culturesheds,” the festival honors both longstanding traditions and the new expressions that continue to grow from them. Rooted in joy and neighborly connection, the Arkansas Folklife Festival brings people together through music, craft, foodways, storytelling, and shared experience. Here, Arkansans gather to celebrate the traditions that shape everyday life, learn from one another, and take pride in the vibrant cultural landscape that connects communities across the state.

Categories: Demonstration, Foodways, Narrative Session, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free
Event Location: North Little Rock, Arkansas
More info: www.arkansasfolklifefestival.org

Weaving a Nation

Hastings College
Hastings, NE
Friday, June 26 – Saturday, June 27, 2026

In commemoration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, Humanities Nebraska invites visitors to explore a selection of lesser-known stories from our country’s rich tapestry of backgrounds and perspectives. This festival will include family-friendly events, engaging workshops, and Chautauqua-style presentations that allow audience members to interact with historic figures.

Categories: Workshop
Cost: Free
Event Location: Hastings, Nebraska
More info: humanitiesnebraska.org…

Folklife Marketplace

Arts and Industries Building
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, June 30 – Sunday, July 5, 2026

Shop, make, and connect at the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building this summer. The Smithsonian Folklife Marketplace is bringing together artists and makers from across the United States in a place where culture is not just displayed but actively exchanged—a living expression of craft, creativity, and community. Visitors can shop, attend hands-on workshops with local and visiting artists, enjoy music and interviews, as well as explore Folklife Festival history in the Storied Objects exhibition.

Categories: Demonstration, Workshop
Cost: Free to enter
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Washington, D.C.
More info: festival.si.edu…

July 4th Celebration with Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band

Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience
Meridian, MS
Saturday, July 4, 2026

11 a.m.–1 p.m. CT

Celebrate the Fourth of July at The MAX with a free performance by Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band. Led by “Fife Master” Shardé Thomas, granddaughter of the legendary Othar Turner, and percussionist Chris Mallory, their performance will honor freedom in all its forms: our nation’s independence, the emancipation of a people, and the creative spirit that defines Mississippi’s global artistic impact.

Come early and shop fresh produce at Earth’s Bounty, plus enjoy free admission to The MAX (special hours: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.). Stop by the Alexander Family Church Gallery to view an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood featuring Othar Turner, Jessie Mae Hemphill, and Abe Young, legends of Mississippi Hill Country fife and drum music, on loop through August 1 (courtesy of Fred Rogers Productions).

Categories: Foodways, Performance
Cost: Free
Event Location: Meridian, Mississippi
More info: www.msarts.org…

Folklife Marketplace

Arts and Industries Building
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, July 7 – Sunday, July 12, 2026

Shop, make, and connect at the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building this summer. The Smithsonian Folklife Marketplace is bringing together artists and makers from across the United States in a place where culture is not just displayed but actively exchanged—a living expression of craft, creativity, and community. Visitors can shop, attend hands-on workshops with local and visiting artists, enjoy music and interviews, as well as explore Folklife Festival history in the Storied Objects exhibition.

Categories: Demonstration, Workshop
Cost: Free to enter
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Washington, D.C.
More info: festival.si.edu…

Montana Folk Festival

Butte, MT
Friday, July 10 – Sunday, July 12, 2026

Humanities Montana will be supporting programming at the 2026 Montana Folk Festival as part of the By the People initiative. The festival’s programming centers on community interaction and the dynamic celebration of diverse Montanans throughout the state. Planned programming includes creating space for oral histories/storytelling, workshops, and panel discussions.

Categories: Narrative Session, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free
Event Location: Butte, Montana
More info: montanafolkfestival.com

Dawnland Festival of Arts and Ideas by Abbe Museum

College of the Atlantic
Bar Harbor, ME
Saturday, July 11 – Sunday, July 12, 2026

Organized by the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine, the Dawnland Festival of Arts and Ideas highlights the arts, stories, homelands, and ways of knowing of Wabanaki people. The Dawnland Festival convenes panel discussions on critical issues facing Native communities in Maine and the Northeast, alongside live performances and an artist market. Rooted in principles of decolonization, collaboration, and dialogue, the Dawnland Festival of Arts & Ideas debuted in 2024 with the aims of supporting the Native creative economy and promoting Indigenous thought leadership.

Categories: Narrative Session, Performance
Cost: TBA
Event Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
More info: www.abbemuseum.org…

Obon Festival at New York Buddhist Church

New York Buddhist Church
New York, NY
Sunday, July 12, 2026

In Japanese Buddhist tradition, Obon is an annual festival that honors the ancestors, typically celebrated with services, visits to the cemetery, lanterns, and folk dancing. This year, the New York Buddhist Church, established in 1938, brings its Obon back to 106th Street for a day of taiko drumming, origami crafting, and community remembrance.

Categories: Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free
Event Location: New York, New York
More info: www.newyorkbuddhistchurch.org

Concert of Colors

Detroit, MI
Wednesday, July 15 – Sunday, July 19, 2026

Each summer, the Concert of Colors transforms cultural institutions across metropolitan Detroit into vibrant epicenters of free music, dance, foodways, and community dialogue—and now, through strategic partnerships with community-based organizations, it extends that energy from February through November with neighborhood cultural music programs throughout the city. Founded in 1993 by Ismael Ahmed and the New Detroit coalition, the festival has grown into one of the nation’s largest and longest-running free global music festivals and proudly anchors the annual Forum on Community, Culture & Race.

Categories: Film, Performance
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Detroit, Michigan
More info: www.concertofcolors.com

Agua, Sol y Sereno

TBA
Puerto Rico
Monday, July 20 – Monday, July 27, 2026

Agua, Sol y Sereno is an organization with more than thirty years of experience in theater, working at the intersection of the performing arts—music, dance, and visual arts—and social, community, political, and cultural responsibility. They conceive of their work as a form of artivism that bridges the contemporary and the traditional, connecting audiences with long-standing cultural memories. Their activities take place in a wide range of contexts, from performance halls to popular festive settings such as the Fiesta de San Sebastián, among others, in Puerto Rico.

Agua, Sol y Sereno es una organización con más de 30 años de trayectoria que trabaja el teatro desde la intersección de las artes performáticas—música, danza y plástica—y la responsabilidad social, comunitaria, política y cultural. Conciben su labor como un artivismo que articula lo contemporáneo con lo tradicional, conectando así al público con memorias culturales duraderas. Sus actividades se desarrollan en diversidad de escenarios y contextos desde salas de teatro hasta festividades populares como las Fiestas de la calle San Sebastián entre otras alrededor de Puerto Rico.

Categories: Performance, Workshop
Cost: TBA
Event Location: Loíza, Puerto Rico
More info: www.aguasolysereno.org

Menominee Pageant

Woodland Bowl
Keshena, WI
Wednesday, July 29, 2026

A revived tradition of the Menominee Nation, the annual Menominee Pageant is a show of pantomime, live music, and Native dance that marks the beginning of Menominee Powwow week each summer. Since the pageant’s renaissance in 2016, the College of Menominee Nation has imagined the event as an opportunity to engage performers and storytellers across generations, bridging heritage with contemporary theater practices and highlighting culture bearers of all ages.

Categories: Performance
Cost: Free
Event Location: Keshena, Wisconsin

All My Relations Celebration

Levitt Pavilion Denver
Denver, CO
Sunday, August 9, 2026

All My Relations Celebration is an annual music, dance, and art festival presented by the Levitt Pavilion Denver, in collaboration with Quiet Star Collective. Nominated for Indigenous TV’s “Outstanding Concert” award in 2024, the gathering stands at the heart of the movement to highlight Indigenous creatives, with programming that includes vendors, resource booths, performances from both upcoming and world-renowned Native artists, and a newly launched youth music camp in partnership with Rock the Rez.

Categories: Performance, Workshop
Cost: TBA
Get Tickets/Register: tickets.venuepilot.com…
Event Location: Denver, Colorado
More info: www.facebook.com…

Montclair Jazz Fest

Lackawanna Plaza
Montclair, NJ
Saturday, August 15, 2026

The Montclair Jazz Festival was created by Jazz House Kids to reflect its mission of using jazz as a tool for education, mentorship, and community connection. As a nonprofit dedicated to teaching young people through the traditions and culture of jazz, the organization launched the festival in 2010 to share that spirit with a wider audience. Today, it has grown into the largest outdoor summer jazz festival in the New York metropolitan area—celebrating the living legacy of jazz while inspiring and uplifting the next generation of artists.

Categories: Performance
Cost: Free
Event Location: Montclair, New Jersey
More info: www.montclairjazzfestival.org

Chautauqua Lecture Series: The Importance of Gathering

Chautauqua Amphitheater
Chautauqua, NY
Saturday, August 22 – Sunday, August 30, 2026

Chautauqua Institution is a nonprofit destination where ideas, creativity and lifelong learning come together during a nine-week summer season. For more than 150 years, it has brought people together on the shores of Chautauqua Lake to explore the best in human values through the arts, education, religion, and recreation. Described by Theodore Roosevelt as “America at its best,” Chautauqua continues to reflect and renew the nation’s cultural and civic life through dialogue, artistic expression and community.During this week, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Chautauqua investigates and celebrates togetherness as a critical component of what it means to be human.

Categories: Foodways, Narrative Session, Performance
Cost: $0-$140, depending on event
Get Tickets/Register: www.chq.org…
Accessibility: Assisted listening devices, Captioning, Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Chautauqua, New York
More info: www.chq.org…

August Quarterly Festival

Mother African Union Church
Wilmington, DE
Sunday, August 23 – Sunday, August 30, 2026

First celebrated over two centuries ago, the August Quarterly Festival—also known as the “Big Quarterly,” or the “Independence Day” of Delaware—commemorates the founding of the first African American Union Methodist Church by Peter Spencer in 1813. Today, the annual festivities continue to be hosted by Mother African Union Church in Wilmington, Delaware, and include music, dance, food, health awareness initiatives, and educational programming. The celebration honors religious freedom for all people, recognizing in particular the enduring struggle for freedom and dignity among African Americans across the United States.

Categories: Performance
Cost: TBA
Event Location: Wilmington, Delaware
More info: augustquarterly.org…

G.O.A.T. Picnic

Coldwater, MS
Friday, August 28 – Saturday, August 29, 2026

Derived from a 1950s Labor Day picnic tradition and fife player Othar Turner’s 1998 album, Everybody Hollerin’ Goat, G.O.A.T. Picnic today is a free, annual music festival that takes place in Coldwater, Mississippi. Fresh from its seventy-fifth anniversary, the gathering continues to honor its mission to foster good neighborhood, highlight the best of Hill Country blues, and pay homage over Mississippi-style goat cuisine.

Categories: Foodways, Performance
Cost: Free
Event Location: Coldwater, Mississippi
More info: goatpicnic.com

All My Relatives Festival

Levitt at the Falls
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Saturday, August 29, 2026

Mitakuye Owas’iƞ * All My Relatives * Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ Festival is a free, multigenerational celebration of Indigenous performance, design, and community that takes place every summer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Presented by Levitt at the Falls and the Wokini Initiative at South Dakota State University, All My Relatives explores the ancestral and innovative cultures of the region’s Native diaspora, rooting its programming in family-friendly, interactive activities.

Categories: Narrative Session, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Event Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
More info: www.levittsiouxfalls.org

Mid-Autumn Festival

Chinatown
Philadelphia, PA
Saturday, September 26, 2026

The Mid-Autumn Festival dates back thousands of years as a seasonal celebration in several Asian cultures, focused on families and communities gathering to celebrate abundance under the Harvest Moon. In the Chinatown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Asian Americans United hosts an annual street festival with programming that includes lion dances, Korean drumming, folktale-based games, arts activities, and much more.

Categories: Foodways, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free
Event Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
More info: www.aaunited.org…

The Great Valley Gathering

Fresno, CA
Friday, October 2 – Sunday, October 4, 2026

The Great Valley Gathering is a free, three-day public event celebrating the living traditions, music, dance, storytelling, craft, and foodways that shape California’s Central Valley. Produced by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts and rooted in the region’s rich agricultural history, the festival highlights a broad range of cherished expressions from diverse communities—Indigenous, immigrant, occupational, sacred, and more.

Categories: Demonstration, Foodways, Performance, Workshop
Cost: Free
Event Location: Fresno, California