83rd National Folk Festival Joins Smithsonian's Festival of Festivals for the Nation's 250th Anniversary in 2026

The 83rd National Folk Festival is excited to announce its collaboration with the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in 2026. The festival will participate in Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, a series of programs and exchanges marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and showcasing the country’s remarkable cultural landscape. The National Folk Festival and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival share a common mission to shine a light on the richness and variety of America’s cultural communities and promote awareness and appreciation across cultures.

Jackson Hosts the 83rd National Folk Festival This November

Produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) and the City of Jackson, the 83rd National Folk Festival will take place in Jackson, Mississippi, from November 13-15, 2026. This is the festival’s second year of a three-year residency in Mississippi’s capital city. With support from the Smithsonian, programming at this year’s festival will honor some of the country’s most acclaimed traditional artists; those with ties to Mississippi will be especially highlighted, as a tribute to the state’s immense contributions to American culture during this year’s semiquincentennial celebrations. The program will feature numerous National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows, the nation’s highest honor for folk and traditional artists.

“For nearly a century, the National Folk Festival has honored the artistic and cultural traditions of all the American people, together at one event, exemplifying our nation at its best,” said Blaine Waide, executive director of the NCTA. “Mississippi is a vital piece of that rich cultural fabric, and this year’s festival, coinciding with our nation’s 250th anniversary, represents a tremendous privilege and responsibility to celebrate that legacy of artistic excellence, and in so doing, bring people together to connect and to find common ground.”

“Jackson is honored to help contribute a new chapter to the legacy of the National Folk Festival through this partnership with the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage,” said Mayor John Horhn. “As we enter our second year as host city, we’re proud to lift up the Mississippi artists and traditions that have shaped American culture and to connect them with artists and audiences across the country during this milestone 250th anniversary. Through Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, we’re excited to stand alongside communities nationwide that are celebrating the many voices and histories that define America. This partnership underscores Jackson’s role as a cultural capital of the South and a place where history and creativity come together.”

A Nationwide Celebration of American Folk Traditions

Between March and November, the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, which produces the Folklife Festival, will collaborate with approximately 40 festivals around the country, ranging from one-day events to weeklong gatherings. The Center selected festivals based on regional representation and a diversity of presentation styles—from jazz and bluegrass concerts to marketplaces and traditional artisan folklife festivals. Curators also looked for brand-new festivals and ones with ongoing relationships with the Smithsonian. After nearly 60 years of presenting the Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., this is an opportunity for the Smithsonian to join millions more Americans in their home communities.

“The 250th anniversary is a time to celebrate our extraordinary cultural democracy, to visit with the people, places, and traditions within it, and to contemplate our shared future,” said Clifford Murphy, director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. “By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, we recommit to our original purpose to take the Smithsonian beyond objects and buildings; we also carry out our mission to connect communities across cultures—cultivating curiosity, understanding and belonging for all people.”

Jackson's Role as a Cultural Capital of the South

The Festival of Festivals is part of a larger initiative at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to commemorate this national milestone, Culture of, by, and for the People. The project received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years.

The National Folk Festival is a partnership of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Jackson, Jackson Redevelopment Authority, Visit Jackson, Downtown Jackson Partners, the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, the Community Foundation for Mississippi, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Mississippi Humanities Council, Visit Mississippi, and the National Park Service. The festival is FREE to the public.

More information about performers and other festival details will be announced throughout the spring and summer.