Northwest Folklife - Events, Performances, and Participation

Events, Performances, and Participation

Each year, the festival spotlights a particular ethnic community or folk tradition. In recent years, these cultural focuses have included maritime culture, Arab-American life, the Urban Indian, and the passing of cultural traditions from generation to generation. The most recent focus was centered around Bulgarian culture. The festival has several stages, large and small, set up throughout the Seattle Center grounds, which feature mostly local acts organized by the festival. Like the volunteers who run the festival, they perform for free. Many of the venues, notably the Center House and the nearby Roadhouse, are set up for participative dancing.

The festival grounds also include extensive space for music jams and drum circles. Many attendees from across Washington state, Oregon and British Columbia, come to Northwest Folklife annually to play music with friends.

The festival also has buskers (or street performers) who come to the festival from all over and perform along the Seattle Center walkways. The buskers include musicians, jugglers, circus performers, and magicians, and vary in age, style, and professionalism, all playing for donations from the crowds. Festival organizers recently began asking that buskers donate 15% of their earnings (from any album sales) to the festival, which is the same asked of vendors.

The performances featured both on and off stage expand on what the term "folk" means. Traditional folk music from all over the world is performed, along with rockabilly, Balkan brass, folk punk, jug band, and other music that defies categorization. Dance performances include international folk dancing (including Morris dancing) as well as swing and blues.

The festival is also a place where people can simply hang out and enjoy the (usually sunny) Memorial Day Weather. The giant fountain in the center of Seattle Center serves as a water park. Since the festival is free, people often come to picnic, sunbathe, or just enjoy the grounds.