Festival in Frame: Photos from Day Two
No, it’s not square dancing—it’s contradance! Sugar in the Pan took to the Festival Main Stage to share some New England tunes with our visitors, and caller Adina Gordon joined them, leading the crowd in a few dances.
Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
“This is my home. This is my home. This is my home… I’ve got its pulse stuck in my palms. You see, here, we are the monuments, with cherry blossom hearts.”
—Kenny Carroll, 2017 Washington, D.C., Youth Poet Laureate
At the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington, D.C., becomes the temporary home for artists and experts from across the nation: Vermont to Alaska, Southern California to Hawai‘i, and all the way to the territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. The cultural diversity of the United States is on full display here, with the next generation of young culture bearers leading the way. We capped the day with the “Homegrown Futures” concert, featuring young poets and musicians from our hometown.
Scroll through for a few of our favorite photos from the day, and share your own photos on social media, using the hashtag #2025Folklife.
ckground.
and sing along to the sound of a ukelele being played by a woman who sings into a microphone.
the teenagers interview them; a WXOX sign flashes red to signal that the radio station is live; the background features other Festival participants and guests mingling among the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building hallways.
the teenagers interview them; a WXOX sign flashes red to signal that the radio station is live; the background features other Festival participants and guests mingling among the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building hallways.
Tomorrow, celebrate the Fourth of July Folklife style by hearing stories of “50 Stories from 50 States,” speaking a new language with Ionkwahronkha’onhatie as they teach introductory Kanien’kéha, watching a lowrider bike club turn frames into works of art, and so much more. Stay for “Roots and Voices: Americana Reimagined” in the early evening, followed by the fireworks just after 9 p.m.
Elisa Hough is the editor and web content manager at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Media intern Cassie Roshu and social media specialist Grace Bowie contributed.