National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA)

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National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) The NCTA believes in supporting traditional artists.

We co-produce the National Folk Festival every year, and other partner folk festivals and events around the country.

The 83rd National Folk Festival in Jackson, Mississippi is right around the corner, get to know all the artists performi...
10/21/2026

The 83rd National Folk Festival in Jackson, Mississippi is right around the corner, get to know all the artists performing!

Annie & the Caldwells
soul blues
West Point, Mississippi

A true family affair, Annie & the Caldwells deliver the glorious quartet gospel singing of Annie Caldwell along with her husband and four of their children. Their energetic and moving musical testimonies, blending fiery gospel sounds with the slow-burn groove of soul, have made them longtime favorites of the traditional gospel circuit in Mississippi’s Golden Triangle in the east-central part of the state, as well as wherever the gospel highway takes them. In the last four years, the group has found acclaim through two releases from the David Byrne-founded Luaka Bop label—in 2022, a reissue of the lone album by the Staples Jr. Singers, Annie’s teenage group with her brothers, and in 2025, Annie & the Caldwells’ Can’t Lose My (Soul)—followed by multiple European tours.

There is nothing like Saturday at the Richmond Folk Festival! Between 6 packed stages, great food all over the festival ...
10/11/2026

There is nothing like Saturday at the Richmond Folk Festival! Between 6 packed stages, great food all over the festival site, and so much more to discover—everyone leaves downtown Richmond happy!
📸: Remsberg, Inc.

Friday night at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival was a hit! From school shows all over Richmond to a packed night of bala...
10/10/2026

Friday night at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival was a hit! From school shows all over Richmond to a packed night of balafon, blues, and bluegrass!! There is still plenty of time to get to Downtown Richmond for the rest of the festival, don’t miss out!
📸: Remsberg Inc.

Big news to share! We are excited to announce that we have received a grant from the Mellon Foundation in support of the...
10/09/2026

Big news to share! We are excited to announce that we have received a grant from the Mellon Foundation in support of the 83rd National Folk Festival in Downtown Jackson, MS.

The festival will receive $150,000 in flexible program support to build and strengthen the local arts infrastructure the event is establishing during its three-year residency in Mississippi’s capital city.

Have you had a chance to browse the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival Schedule? From bluegrass and Puerto Rican bomba, to Tibe...
10/07/2026

Have you had a chance to browse the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival Schedule? From bluegrass and Puerto Rican bomba, to Tibetan opera, folk song, and dance—there is something for everyone! Visit RichmondFolkFestival.org/schedule to see the full schedule and make your plans to head to Downtown Richmond this weekend!
📸: Remsberg, Inc

Get to know the performers at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival! El Khat القات Yemeni Jewish junkyard bandBerlin, GermanyB...
10/07/2026

Get to know the performers at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival!

El Khat القات
Yemeni Jewish junkyard band
Berlin, Germany

Berlin-based Yemeni collective El Khat preserves traditional Yemeni melodies, infusing them with touches of swirling psych-rock and gutbucket grooves played on a unique collection of homemade instruments. The trio takes its name from khat (قات), the traditional herbal stimulant chewed in Yemen and throughout the Horn of Africa, crafting a sound that mimics the herb’s dizzying, disorienting effects. Led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Eyal El Wahab, the ensemble puts a contemporary DIY spin on the rich musical heritage of the Yemeni community, paying tribute to Yemen’s golden age of traditional music.

There is still time to meet the performers at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival! Tradition-ILL: The Indigenous Hip Hop Con...
10/07/2026

There is still time to meet the performers at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival!

Tradition-ILL: The Indigenous Hip Hop Connection
hip hop and powwow dance
Washington, D.C., Edmonton, Alberta; and Los Angeles

The trio of Miss Chief Rocka, CreeAsian, and Artson are all leaders in the growing community of Native American artists combining hip hop with traditional art forms to create a vibrant 21st-century indigeneity. While hip hop culture emerged in the early 1970s as a manifestation of African American and Latino cultures in the South Bronx, its proud and resilient voice speaks to communities around the globe, with localized forms appearing every day. In many Indigenous communities, the younger generation of artists find resonance with hip hop on shared experiences and social struggles. Masterfully blending the fancy footwork of powwow dances and acrobatic moves of breakdancing with infectious thumping hip hop beats and resounding Native drumming, Tradition-ILL will treat Richmond audiences to an eye-opening experience of rhythm, movement, and color.

There is still time to get to know the performers at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival! Wyatt Ellis bluegrassMaryville, Te...
10/06/2026

There is still time to get to know the performers at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival!

Wyatt Ellis
bluegrass
Maryville, Tennessee

When a musician makes a guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry at age 13, people take notice. In just a few short years since that 2023 performance, Wyatt Ellis has blazed his own path through the bluegrass world, being widely recognized as one of the most exciting young performers and composers in the genre. While firmly grounded in the traditions of the bluegrass greats, Ellis continues to push the music into the future with original compositions and virtuosic musicianship

Get to know the artists performing at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival! Seth Spell & Cajun StrongCajunEstherwood, Louisia...
10/06/2026

Get to know the artists performing at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival!

Seth Spell & Cajun Strong
Cajun
Estherwood, Louisiana

Referring to themselves as “just a couple of young guys playing Cajun music,” Seth Spell & Cajun Strong are an emerging Cajun music quintet that prides itself on its deep connections to the music’s lineage. “We love to play the music that is older than we are,” says bandleader Spell. The youthful band has attracted an enthusiastic following in the dance halls of south Louisiana, where they’re based, and have been branching out to conquer parts of Texas, particularly Houston. While the members of Cajun Strong are winning over audiences with their fresh-faced energy and forward-facing enthusiasm, they maintain a strong fidelity to Cajun music’s enduring legacy.

There is still time to get to know all the performers at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival!Agalisiga "C**j" MackeycountryS...
10/05/2026

There is still time to get to know all the performers at the 2026 Richmond Folk Festival!

Agalisiga "C**j" Mackey
country
Salina, Oklahoma

Cherokee musician and educator, Agalisiga “C**j” Mackey, has been turning heads with a vibrant and fresh idea: country music sung entirely in Cherokee. With the goal to create projects that speak directly to different times and experiences—inspired by Māori language revivalists’ blueprints—C**j Mackey is composing original music that speaks to his upbringings in the Cherokee Nation, as well as translating iconic country songs into Cherokee. Through his recordings and mesmerizing performances, with a deep and rich voice that draws equally from tones and inflections of Cherokee ceremonial song and the unhurried confidence of traditional country, Mackey says his goal is “to inspire people to create in the language on their own.”

Address

8757 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD
20910

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+13015650654

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