38th annual Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle (May 22-25, 2009)

May 20, 8:20 AMSeattle Day Trips ExaminerKaia Turner

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The Northwest Folklife Festival is a celebration of folk, ethnic, and traditional arts that takes place every Memorial Day weekend. This year’s Festival is May 22-25, 2009.

Northwest Folklife began in 1972, and is “a small, not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for individuals and communities of the Pacific Northwest to celebrate, share and sustain the vitality of folk, ethnic and traditional arts for present and future generations.” The annual Northwest Folklife Festival is purported to be the largest event of its kind in North America, and this year will feature more than 6,000 participants and attract more than 250,000 visitors.

This community-based event endeavors to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest. The Festival offers hundreds of music and dance performances in over twenty Seattle Center venues, in addition to participatory workshops and dances, and craft and food vendors. This year’s Festival also features the inaugural event for the city-wide centennial commemoration of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (Seattle’s first World’s Fair).

I have attended the Festival countless times and always enjoy the experience. The environment is festive and creative, the air is full of wonderful sounds and smells, and if nothing else, it offers fantastic people-watching and a wonderful view of the colorful and interesting folk that are part of Seattle's overall charm.

Festival entry is free, but donations at the door or other-wise (and volunteers) help it keep it that way for future generations.

Activities begin at 11:00 a.m. and end by 10:00 p.m. For more information, go to www.nwfolklife.org, visit the links listed below, and/or call 206.684.7300.