The National Folk Festival Moves to Virginia

Richmond (Virginia), USA –
The National Folk Festival begins its three-year tenure in downtown Richmond
celebrating the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music,
dance, traditional craft, storytelling and food. The festival will take place
Friday, October 7, 2005 through Sunday, October 9, 2005.

The 67th National Folk Festival will showcase over 25 musical and dance
performers. With the James River as a backdrop, audiences will be treated to
blues, rockabilly, gospel, Klezmer, jazz, bluegrass, cowboy, polka, tamburitza,
old-time, mariachi, western swing, honky-tonk, rhythm and blues and Zydeco music
as well as traditional music and dance from Cajun, Native American, Celtic,
Middle Eastern, Caribbean, East Asian, Appalachian, Hispanic, African and
Pacific Islander cultures. Seven performance stages range in size from a 12,000
seat open air stage to a small, intimate acoustic style stage.The Traditional Craft Demonstration Area will showcase world-class instrument
makers from across Virginia and the Folk Arts Marketplace will offer pottery,
ironwork, quilts, woodcarvings, needlework and woven baskets made by the
region’s finest craftspeople.

Regional and ethnic foods round out the festival. Community groups, vendors,
clubs and area restaurants feature cuisine traditionally found in the region or
foods of specific ethnic groups.

The National Folk Festival takes place on Downtown’s Richmond Virginia’s
Riverfront from 2nd to 7th Street; Byrd Street to the James River. The site
includes Brown’s Island, The American Civil War Center at Tredegar, the
NewMarket (formerly Ethyl) Corporate Headquarters and the parking lots at the
Federal Reserve.

The festival is being produced by the National Council for the Traditional
Arts (NCTA), CITYCELEBRATIONS, Richmond Region 2007, Virginia Foundation for the
Humanities, Richmond Renaissance, the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and
Visitors Bureau and the Children’s Museum of Richmond. Working in close
cooperation with the producing partners are The City of Richmond, Virginia
Performing Arts Foundation, The American Civil War Center at Tredegar, and the
National Park Service.

For more information, visit www.nationalfolkfestival.com or call (804) 788-6466.