One of the country’s largest and most prestigious celebrations of the arts, the National Folk Festival, is coming to Butte for a three-year tenure beginning in July 2008. First presented in 1934, it is the oldest multicultural festival in the nation. The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), the organization that has produced the National Folk Festival since its creation, recognized Butte’s and Montana’s unique natural resources, cultural assets, and strong community spirit.
A large-scale three-day outdoor event presented free to the public, the National Folk Festival celebrates the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. It features a broad array of music and dance performances, participatory dancing, workshops, children’s activities, regional and ethnic foods, storytelling, parades, craft exhibits and demonstrations, and more. A “movable feast of the deeply traditional folk arts,” the National brings a jubilant and dizzying array of offerings that appeal to audiences of all ages.
Historic Uptown Butte will be the site of the 70th, 71st and 72nd National Folk Festivals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. This is the first time the National Folk Festival has been held west of the Mississippi River in over 40 years*, and its first time ever in Montana.
