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Smithsonian Folklife Festival Gives Way to Trump's Patriotic Fair
Smithsonian Folklife Festival Gives Way to Trump’s Patriotic Fair
The summer festival, held annually since 1967, will not take place as usual on the National Mall, which will instead host the president’s Great American State Fair.
A traditional Inuit blanket toss at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1974. Ralph Rinzler Archives/Smithsonian
By Jennifer Schuessler
Published Feb. 5, 2026
Updated Feb. 6, 2026, 10:50 a.m. ET
The Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival, held in Washington every summer since 1967, will not take place this summer in its usual spot on the National Mall, which instead will be used for President Trump’s Great American State Fair. ... The Smithsonian announced on Thursday that this summer, for the 250th anniversary of American independence, it will take its festival “on the road” to communities across the country and in three U.S. territories.
“By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian will join millions of people in their own communities to commemorate, celebrate and contemplate this national milestone,” a news release said. ... The release made no direct reference to the National Mall. But a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian, Linda St. Thomas, confirmed that no part of the festival would take place there.
The Folklife Festival, the Smithsonian’s oldest and largest public event, “honors contemporary living cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them,” according to the institution’s website. Typically, the festival brings artisans, performers and speakers from all around the country to the Mall for several weeks around July 4.
This year, as part of an event called “Of The People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals,” the institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage will collaborate on events with approximately 40 festivals around the country between March and November. Among the partners are the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival in March in Texas, the Concert of Colors in July in Detroit, and the National Folk Festival in November in Jackson, Miss.
{snip}
Jennifer Schuessler is a reporter for the Culture section of The Times who covers intellectual life and the world of ideas.
The summer festival, held annually since 1967, will not take place as usual on the National Mall, which will instead host the president’s Great American State Fair.
A traditional Inuit blanket toss at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1974. Ralph Rinzler Archives/Smithsonian
By Jennifer Schuessler
Published Feb. 5, 2026
Updated Feb. 6, 2026, 10:50 a.m. ET
The Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival, held in Washington every summer since 1967, will not take place this summer in its usual spot on the National Mall, which instead will be used for President Trump’s Great American State Fair. ... The Smithsonian announced on Thursday that this summer, for the 250th anniversary of American independence, it will take its festival “on the road” to communities across the country and in three U.S. territories.
“By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian will join millions of people in their own communities to commemorate, celebrate and contemplate this national milestone,” a news release said. ... The release made no direct reference to the National Mall. But a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian, Linda St. Thomas, confirmed that no part of the festival would take place there.
The Folklife Festival, the Smithsonian’s oldest and largest public event, “honors contemporary living cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them,” according to the institution’s website. Typically, the festival brings artisans, performers and speakers from all around the country to the Mall for several weeks around July 4.
This year, as part of an event called “Of The People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals,” the institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage will collaborate on events with approximately 40 festivals around the country between March and November. Among the partners are the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival in March in Texas, the Concert of Colors in July in Detroit, and the National Folk Festival in November in Jackson, Miss.
{snip}
Jennifer Schuessler is a reporter for the Culture section of The Times who covers intellectual life and the world of ideas.
