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Monday 10am - 6pm Tuesday 10am - 6pm Wednesday 10am - 6pm Thursday 10am - 6pm Friday 10am - 6pm

Northwest Folklife

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Northwest Folklife

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For the time being, any that activities within our office will be by appointment only.*
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Northwest Folklife is an independent, non-profit arts organization [501(c)(3)] that celebrates the multigenerational arts, cultures, and traditions of a global Pacific Northwest, 365 days a year. Northwest Folklife is an independent arts organization that celebrates the intergenerational arts, cultures, and traditions of a global Pacific Northwest, 365 days a year.

*Due to the concerns of COVID-19, the Northwest Folklife office will not be open for walk-in meetings or visitors for the foreseeable future.

10/16/2026

In two weeks will be our 7th Folklife Friday at Open Space for Arts & Community!

Foleada, a group of seasoned Seattle musicians dedicated to the vibrant tradition of forró, makes its debut at Open Space with an evening of irresistible rhythm and joyful energy.

Led by charismatic Brazilian vocalist and percussionist Adriana Giordano, the band features accordionists Jamie Maschler and Gabe Hall‑Rodrigues, Michael Catts on bass, and percussionist Jeff Busch.

Their repertoire blends original compositions with contemporary forró hits from artists like Mestrinho, Trio Macaíba, and Dois Dobrado, alongside beloved classics from Luiz Gonzaga, Ary Lobo, Anastácia, Dominguinhos, Gilberto Gil, and more. Dancers will find plenty to move to, with a range of rhythms including baião, xote, arrasta‑pé, xaxado, forró sambado, maracatu, and others.

Foleada’s first album, “EU VOU PRA LUA,” released July 16, 2024 and available on all platforms, brings a contemporary Northwest spin to forró’s soulful rhythmic tradition. With four originals and four standards, the album sits at the crossroads of musicality, artistic curiosity, and vibrant Brazilian heritage.

Get ready to dance. Foleada Sem Parar! Vamos Forrózear!

10/09/2026

Catch one of our vendors, BZ's Mini Donuts, at Bailey's Pumpkin Patch in Snohomish every Saturday and Sunday until October 25!

One of their favorite memories from vending at NWFL is watching someone taking their first bite of a hot, fresh mini donut and immediately turning around to bring their friends back to our booth!

During those crazy, busy days where they barely have a second to look up, they found it incredibly heartwarming whenever people kept bringing back their families, friends and kids because they just had to share donuts with them.

To BZ Mini Donuts, “Folklife has such a fun, welcoming energy, and getting to be a tiny part of that weekend is something we'll always remember.”

10/08/2026

On Friday, September 18, we hosted our first social with Seattle Center’s Festál!

The live music of the night was performed by Creosote, a virtuosic accordion duo delivering globally inspired performances rooted in Brazilian music and infused with jazz, classical, tango, and European folk styles.

Led by Jamie Maschler and Gabe Hall-Rodrigues, the duo creates original music and bold arrangements that showcase the accordion’s full expressive range.

Winners of a 2025 Artist Trust GAP grant, Creosote recently recorded their second album Lua de Bebê in Brazil, collaborating with musicians from multiple regions of the country.

Their performances are joyful and dynamic, offering audiences a fresh and compelling take on a timeless instrument.

10/07/2026

Our Archivist, , has been hard at work for the past year with digitizing our archives and using its digital media to reconnect communities with their own history!

Over 1,200+ records and 1039 photoslides were digitized with the help of 20+ volunteers, including our archiving intern, Juan Posado.

8 archival viewing sessions were held and 16 participants provided missing cultural and contextual information and guided access and stewardship decisions.

Most importantly, they have continued to prioritize festival access through digital programming through 24+ hours of festival live streams & archive radio.

All of which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/!

We will continue to announce big news about our archives like the launch of its new website, so stay tuned!

10/06/2026

Applications for the 2027 NW Folklife Festival are now live! We are looking for musicians, dancers, workshop leaders, spoken word artists, makers, fashion designers and so much more.

The 2027 Northwest Folklife Festival takes place on the Seattle Center grounds on May 28th - 31st, 2027. Preference is given to performers from the region - Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, British Columbia, Northern California, Hawaii, and Western Montana.

The 2027 NW Folklife Festival’s theme is Uywanakuy. This is a Quechua word that means “mutual upraising”. We hope that this theme will help people focus on our responsibility to lift each other up and to build our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the land that we live on.

Applications are open at the link below until December 15th, 2026. Preference is given to performers who get their applications in on time.

LINK: https://nwfolklife.org/festival/apply-to-the-festival.html

Please share, repost, or forward this post to anyone who you think should perform at our 2027 festival!

10/02/2026

This clip features Klaus Lendzian playing at the 1989 Northwest Folklife Festival. He discovered the guitar in university and from there made a life of performing.

He unfortunately passed away in 2009, but his memory goes in part thanks to the Klaus Lendzian Archives, who hold many recordings and compositions by him, including a complete version of the video above.

10/01/2026

On Friday, September 18, we hosted the first of a series of gatherings, “Mutual Upraising: Strengthening Seattle’s Cultural Ecosystem”, bringing together local cultural organizers from across Seattle’s vast creative ecosystem.

Inspired by our conversations taking place at the Ubuntu Summit at our 55th festival in May, this first gathering created an opportunity for continued dialogue in an intentional, locally rooted setting, designed to provide the foundation for meaningful connection, skill building, and further knowledge sharing.

During the gathering, we asked every attendee, “What in your mind is a healthy cultural ecosystem?”

From sustainability to accessible spaces to knowledge sharing, each answer fed into this idea that a healthy creative ecosystem is at its strongest when communities are continuously sustaining each other’s work whether it be in big or small ways.

As this series continues, we will further discuss and interrogate what it means to have a healthy cultural ecosystem in Seattle.

09/30/2026

In a month from now will be our 7th Folklife Friday at Open Space for Arts & Community!

Foleada, a group of seasoned Seattle musicians dedicated to the vibrant tradition of forró, makes its debut at Open Space with an evening of irresistible rhythm and joyful energy.

Led by charismatic Brazilian vocalist and percussionist Adriana Giordano, the band features accordionists Jamie Maschler and Gabe Hall‑Rodrigues, Michael Catts on bass, and percussionist Jeff Busch.

Get ready to dance. Foleada Sem Parar! Vamos Forrózear!

09/29/2026

Our archivist, Emily, attended the King County Cultural Advocacy Summit hosted by Pacific Science Center last Tuesday!

This Summit was a unique chance for staff and advocates for King County arts, heritage, science, and cultural organizations to gather together and develop strategy to support our entire sector.

After attending, Emily left feeling more confident about reaching out to their city and county officials. They also feel confident about more intersections of cultural arts with health, safety, and wellbeing, and Emily hopes this Summit can become an annual event moving forward!

09/24/2026

At Saanj Winery, their motto and mission is to provide w**e that fits your vibe.

They want to break down barriers, build community, and pour w**es that bring people together — no matter your background, palate, or playlist.

Special thank you’s again to Saanj Winery for providing the w**e for our 1st Festàl social on Friday, September 18!

**e **etasting

Address

305 Harrison Street
Seattle, WA
98109

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 6pm
Tuesday	10am - 6pm
Wednesday	10am - 6pm
Thursday	10am - 6pm
Friday	10am - 6pm

Telephone

(206) 684-7300

Website

http://www.nwfolklife.org/

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