The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) The NCTA is the nation’s oldest multicultural arts presenting organization. For over eight decades, through festivals, tours, symposia, exhibits, and media productions, the NCTA has showcased the very best of the myriad grassroots folk, tribal and ethnic cultures that comprise our diverse nation.
Seven stages, Family Area, N.C. Folklife Area, and N.C. Arts Marketplace will be located at sites across downtown Greensboro
Greensboro, N.C., June 17, 2015 — The National Folk Festival today unveiled the site map for the 2015 Festival, which will feature 300 artists on seven stages over three days in downtown Greensboro from September 11 – 13, 2015. The Festival is FREE; no tickets are necessary.
ArtsGreensboro President and CEO Tom Philion and Local Festival Director Amy Grossmann outlined the Festival footprint, starting with the Wrangler Stage, the Festival’s “northern star,” which will be located on Elm Street at Lindsay Street, in front of Wrangler headquarters.
Other 2015 National Folk Festival venues include:
- The Family Area & Stage, located between Lindsay and Summit at Church Street;
- A stage located on Church Street between the Central Library and the Greensboro Children’s Museum;
- A stage located at Market Street between Church and Davie Streets;
- The N.C Arts Marketplace, which will feature the juried work of dozens of regional artists, located around Center City Park on Davie, Friendly, and Elm Streets;
- The N.C. Folklife Area & Stage, located on Greene Street and in Government Plaza;
- The Dance Pavilion, located across from the baseball stadium at Eugene and Bellemeade Streets; and
- A stage located on Commerce Place at Bellemeade.
“We are delighted to unveil the 2015 National Folk Festival site map,” said Philion. “Downtown Greensboro offers a wealth of possibilities for performance venues, and we are excited to be presenting 300+ Festival artists across such such a broad swath of our center city.”
About the 2015 National Folk Festival: Co-produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) and ArtsGreensboro, the National Folk Festival begins its three-year residency in downtown Greensboro this year, when it will celebrate its 75th anniversary from September 11 – 13, 2015. The FREE, three-day event is America’s longest-running festival of traditional arts; it will highlight Americans’ long-standing cultural traditions as well as the heritage and culture of North Carolina’s newest immigrant groups, and set the stage for a continuing and permanent North Carolina Folk Festival, beginning in 2018, after the “National” moves on.
With downtown Greensboro as the backdrop, audiences will enjoy seven stages featuring continuous musical entertainment by over 300 performers—from rockabilly to old-time to mariachi, and from funk to Cajun to jazz. Attendees will also be able to dance non-stop to a variety of musical genres at the dance pavilion; dine on regional and ethnic foods; experience folk art demonstrations and performances by N.C. artists; and share the fun of the Family Activities Area with their children. nationalfolkfestival.com
About the National Folk Festival: Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival has celebrated the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to present the arts of many nations, races, and languages on equal footing. It was also the first to present to the public musical forms such as the blues, Cajun music, polka bands, Tex-Mex conjunto, Peking Opera, and many others. An exuberant traveling festival that embraces the diverse cultural expressions of the American people in the 21st century, the National Folk Festival is FREE to the public, and is produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) in partnership with communities around the country.
About the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA): The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is one of the nation’s premier non-profit cultural organizations dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk, tribal, and ethnic arts in the United States. Founded in 1933, it is the nation’s oldest producing and presenting organization with such a focus. Its programs celebrate and honor deeply rooted cultural expressions—music, crafts, stories, and dance passed on through time by families, communities, tribal, ethnic, and occupational groups. The NCTA stresses excellence and authenticity in presenting artists to the public in festivals, tours, concerts, media programs, exhibitions, recordings, and other activities, and works in partnership with communities across American to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that bring lasting social, cultural, and economic benefits. ncta-usa.org
About ArtsGreensboro: With an annual budget of over $2.9 million, ArtsGreensboro is a catalyst for innovation to build recognition and support for the arts. Through the 17DAYS Arts & Culture Festival, power2give, and other initiatives such as the National Folk Festival, ArtsGreensboro is driving the health and vitality of our community by supporting arts education, celebrating the diversity of Greensboro, and driving economic impact through excellence in arts programming. www.artsgreensboro.org
