Welcome to the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival! This year we feature three programs--Alberta at the Smithsonian; Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basket Traditions; Nuestra Música: Latino Chicago--as well as a special concert series, Been in the Storm So Long. The Festival, now celebrating its 40th year on the National Mall of the United States, presents a compelling, research-based sampling of the diverse traditions of America and the world to large public audiences in an educational, respectful, and profoundly democratic way. Employing a format it has both pioneered and mastered, the Festival illustrates the vital, living aspect of cultural heritage and provides a forum for discussion of issues of contemporary concern. And, it's fun: a great place to eat, sing, dance and meet artisans, musicians, and visitors from across the country and around the world.

For the first time, the Festival features a Canadian province--Alberta, which just completed its own celebration of its centennial.