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.
Become the host city for the 82nd, 83rd, and 84th National Folk Festivals! The NCTA is currently conducting a nationally competitive search for the next National Folk Festival host city. Submit a letter of intent to apply by June 30, and an RFP by August 1. To access the RFP, please follow the link below.
Host City Brochure Host City RFP Application
The NCTA is holding information sessions about the festival and the RFP process. Watch a recent webinar below, or for updates on the recruitment process:
Imagine transforming your city into a vibrant celebration of music, dance, and art from across America that can bring 100,000 event goers and generate tens of millions in economic impact.
The nation’s longest running traditional arts event—the National Folk Festival—can take root in the heart of your community. See your city streets flourish with an arts celebration that has been a successful catalyst for urban renewal and revitalization efforts in the communities it has touched across the country.
The National Folk Festival is a free, large-scale three-day outdoor event that celebrates the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. It features over 350 of the nation’s finest traditional musicians, dancers, craftspeople, and other keepers of culture in performances, workshops, and demonstrations, plus children’s activities, savory regional and ethnic cuisines, participatory dancing, storytelling, parades, and more.
Share the richness of your local culture and expose your community to cultural traditions they might never have the opportunity to experience.
Through its partnership with the host city, the National Folk Festival is an economic and cultural powerhouse that unites communities in renewing civic pride, strengthening community collaborations, and spurring investments in community infrastructure. Residents, civic leaders, funders, and festival visitors alike will be enticed to explore other opportunities with the host city by this powerful, transformative and collaborative community celebration.
Please contact us at festivals@ncta-usa.org if you are interested in applying to host the National Folk Festival.
Click through the menu below to learn more about the NCTA’s flagship event.
- The National Folk Festival Home
- A Brief History of the National Folk Festival
- The National Folk Festival Today: Community Collaborations
- The National Folk Festival: Success Stories From Around the Nation
- The National Folk Festival Experience
- Hosting the National Folk Festival
- The National’s Current Host City
- Apply to be the Next Host City
- Next: Past National Folk Festival Locations
- National Folk Festival Press
