Newsroom

National Folk Festival Host City—The Search is On!

National Council for the Traditional Arts Announces Nationwide Search for the Next National Folk Festival Host City RFP review begins on August 1; RSVP for informational webinars to learn more Silver Spring, MD (April 25, 2023) – The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) introduced the National Folk Festival to Lowell, Massachusetts in 1987, for three years for celebrating …

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Join NCTA in Celebrating 90 Years!

Throughout 2023 the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is commemorating its 90th anniversary—and we are thrilled to announce 90 Years, a campaign that celebrates the NCTA and its contributions to the nation for the past nine decades. We ask that you join us in marking this achievement, and supporting our work in future decades, through this special 90 …

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2023 Season Announcements

The NCTA and our various partners are thrilled to share a first glimpse of our 2023 season with you—a look ahead at the year in traditional arts! We are excited to return once again this summer and fall to our thriving legacy festival communities in Montana, Massachusetts, and Virginia. In September, National Endowment for the Arts’ (NEA) National Heritage Fellows …

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National Treasures comes to Massachusetts this April

Announcing a special evening honoring National Heritage Fellow Yary Livan at Lowell National Historical Park MEDIA RELEASE DATE: Feb 16, 2023 CONTACT: nationaltreasures@ncta-usa.org SILVER SPRING, MD – The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is pleased to announce a special evening program honoring 2015 National Heritage Fellow and ceramicist Yary Livan at Lowell National Historical Park (LNHP) on Saturday, …

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NCTA 2022 Annual Report

2022 was a time of celebration and success as the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) marked a return to a full programming schedule since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for another year of supporting the oldest folk arts organization in the nation. This year marks the 90th birthday of NCTA! Our founder Sarah Gertrude Knott …

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National Treasures comes to Louisiana this March

Announcing National Heritage Fellows from Louisiana Across Jean Lafitte National Park & Preserve MEDIA RELEASE DATE: January 12, 2023 CONTACT: nationaltreasures@ncta-usa.org SILVER SPRING, MD – The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is proud to announce National Heritage Fellows from Louisiana Across Jean Lafitte National Park & Preserve, to take place March 7-11, 2023. This series is part of …

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Celebrate the 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellows in a Documentary Film

Washington, DC— The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts, is pleased to present the film Roots of American Culture: A Cross-Country Visit with Living Treasures of the Folk and Traditional Arts, premiering on arts.gov/heritage on Thursday, November 17th at 8:00pm ET.  Hosted by NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, the …

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National Folk Festival Tallies 400,000 Attendees Over 4 Years

Curtains Close on Final National Folk Festival in Salisbury, MD Salisbury, MD–The City of Salisbury and the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) are proud to announce the final attendance estimates for the multi-year residency of the National Folk Festival in Salisbury, MD. Through five years of partnership from 2018 to 2022, including four in-person presentations of the festival, …

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Richmond Folk Festival Full Artistic Program & Schedule

The Richmond Folk Festival has announced the full artistic program and performance schedule for the 2022 festival, marking the 18th anniversary of this joyful event. The festival draws attendees each year to downtown Richmond’s riverfront to celebrate the roots, richness, and variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional crafts, storytelling, and food.   The free, three-day event hosts 200,000 …

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