SmithsonianFolklife

We promote greater understanding and sustainability of cultural heritage through @Folkways, Folklife Festival, research & education |

[Saving Places @SavingPlaces]

In April 2026, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife Live and Heritage launched a new digital exhibition, Built By Hand: Skilled Artisans in the Traditional Trades.

Learn more about the creation of the exhibition: https://t.co/AHhGbkXkbG

[Smithsonian @smithsonian]

Due to inclement weather, today, Monday, Mar. 16, Smithsonian museums in the DC area including our National Zoo will close at 2 p.m. ET. For updates, visit our website. https://t.co/dTRIrmpUDJ

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

Did you know? This Thanksgiving, you can be your own family folklorist with the Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide! It provides instructions for conducting interviews, sample questions, and more. https://t.co/8ZC16Am29K

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

🪄 Horseshoes, knives, and a bit of magic! These may be a few elements that make metalworking in Mukhrani, #RepublicOfGeorgia, timeless. But even more essential are the people who carry this tradition forward. Learn more: https://t.co/Y8htbqX8N9 📸: Studio 64 #LivingHeritage

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

The Smithsonian is in the process of reopening our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo. For the latest updates and opening information, please visit https://t.co/wuZ9XuM11f and check back regularly as information may change.

Photo by Zvonimir Bebek, #RinzlerArchives

[Smithsonian @smithsonian]

Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo are open today and will remain open through our scheduled closing time on Saturday, Oct. 11. If the government shutdown continues past Oct. 11, Smithsonian locations will be closed beginning on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Find visiting information at https://t.co/DUhPwllAU8

Image: Ginkgo biloba trees outside the Smithsonian Castle in fall, Smithsonian Gardens

[Smithsonian @smithsonian]

In the event of a government shutdown, our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will remain open through at least Monday, Oct. 6. The Smithsonian will use prior-year funds still available to us to remain open. Visit https://t.co/dTRIrmpUDJ for updates.

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

Want more folklife in your life? 📝

Sign up to receive news from the Center in your inbox: https://t.co/quQgFCh42t

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

Born to a Krenak and Lebanese family, Antônio Jorge Medeiros Batista Silva is the great-grandson of the Krenak who settled in Governador Valadares. He aspires to reconstruct twentieth-century Krenak ecological knowledge by contextualizing legacy materials: https://t.co/pSh0OHy76U

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

How can action research guide support cultural heritage tourism? Watch a free webinar presented by the Center exploring the role of research in the development of sustainable tourism projects: https://t.co/4mWyG5xZeJ #LivingHeritage #CulturalVitality

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

📣 Want to work behind the scenes at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival? We are now seeking candidates for seasonal positions for the 2026 Festival.

Learn more and apply by October 14: https://t.co/Keq35Ukekd

📸 by Sonya Pencheva, #RinzlerArchives

#FestivalJobs #2026Folklife

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

We are taking a breath this #ThrowbackThursday morning to the delicate tune of "More," a song by Kalyn Fay.

A musician who builds bridges of understanding and finds intersections among people, Fay represented the #OzarksInDC at the #2023Folklife Festival. https://t.co/kcDT0La49T

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

There is power in “Let me show you.”

The #KazakhstanArtisanInitiative learning exchange wrapped with a weeklong visit to Tucson, Arizona, centered on relationship-building and deepening ties between the American Southwest and #Kazakhstan. #FolklifeFieldtrip

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

This week, through the #KazakhstanArtisanInitiative, twelve artisans from Kazakhstan shared techniques with New Mexican silversmiths and ceramicists and consulted with festival leaders about evergreen cultural events—all set against the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains!

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

What ‘wood’ we do without historic preservationists? 🪵

At the #2025Folklife Festival, mentors and apprentices from the @NatlParkService Historic Preservation Training Center demonstrated traditional Appalachian-style log building and historic masonry: https://t.co/40oSDt58hI

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

Hungry for more #2025Folklife content? We've got you covered. 🍽️

Visit our website to access the recipes from this year's Festival Foodways kitchen and get a taste of the Festival at home: https://t.co/cgInJHJ6UJ

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

That's a wrap on the #2025Folklife Festival! 🎬

After six days of language learning, music making, and much more, this year's Festival has come to a close. From all of us on staff, to our volunteers, participants, and visitors: thank you.

Stay in touch: https://t.co/wEMeRHVJfZ

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

“Knowing that our creations will endure beyond our lifetimes fills me with a profound sense of pride.” —Brianna Castelli, journeyman stone carver and mason, @WNCathedral

Experience the final day of the #2025Folklife Festival in Frame on the Festival Blog: https://t.co/0g6snuDJ3p

[SmithsonianFolklife @SmithsonianFolk]

@MedStarHealth Thank you for helping us stay safe out on the National Mall! ☀️

[MedStar Health @MedStarHealth]

Fun in the sun at the Smithsonian #2025Folklife Festival this past weekend! ☀️

We were proud to partner with @SmithsonianFolk and provide free sunscreen to help everyone enjoy the festivities safely at the National Mall.

#UVSafetyMonth #SunSafety #MedStarHealthProud