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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2025 SILVER SPRING, MD – The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is thrilled to announce it is among seven organizations to receive the 2025 National Meredith Willson Award from The Music Man Foundation. The NCTA will receive $330,000 in general operating support over two years to strengthen operational sustainability and further its mission …

Dear Friends, As 2025 comes to an end, we are reflecting on a year that began with uncertainty for many arts organizations but culminated with several major successes, particularly the launch of the National Folk Festival’s three-year residency in Jackson, MS. From November 7-9, the Jackson community came out and enthusiastically embraced the 82nd National Folk Festival. We look ahead …

On Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 5:30 pm ET, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will honor the 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellows, recipients of the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, at an award ceremony in Washington, DC. This event is hosted by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and will be …

Jackson, MS — Organizers are excited to announce the performers featured in the Family Area, and throughout other areas of the festival through pop-up street performances, at the 82nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. This is the first year of the event’s three-year residency in Mississippi’s capital city. “The Family Area Stage is a vital …

Jackson set to host the first year of the festival’s three-year residency in the capital city Jackson, MS — Today the National Folk Festival announced six additional artists appearing at the 82nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. This year’s festival marks the first year of the event’s three-year residency in Jackson. Expected to draw 60-80,000 …

Dear friends, Like many of our colleagues working in the arts, last Friday the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) received notification from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that a grant offer we accepted in December was being withdrawn. We were informed that our project did not align with the NEA’s new grantmaking policy priorities. This grant …

The National begins its residency in Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. Performers represent a wide variety of traditions, from bluegrass to go-go to flamenco, and more.  The National Folk Festival announced today the first group of artists who will be performing at the 82nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson from November 7-9, 2025. This year’s festival marks the first …

The NCTA experienced a banner year across all of our longstanding programs in 2024. Over half a million people attended our festivals, and artists representing nearly 100 cultural traditions appeared at our events. We were proud to create, renew, and maintain relationships with community partners across the country. Browse the 2024 Annual Report to see highlights from our programs, and …

Dear Friends, It has been a year of looking forward to new opportunities and challenges at the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). In May, we announced that the National Folk Festival will travel to Jackson, Mississippi, from 2025-27. For the first time, the nation’s premier celebration of the artistic traditions of all Americans will take place in the …

Get a preview of the nation’s longest-running multicultural traditional arts celebration Jackson, MS — The National Folk Festival is excited to announce a special program, to be held November 16, 2024. The one-day kickoff event will provide a taste of what’s to come at the nation’s premier celebration of the artistic traditions of all Americans. It will feature an eclectic …