WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, themed “Youth and the Future of Culture,” will open July 2, 2025, and run through July 7 along the National Mall, from Seventh Street to 12th Street on the Madison Avenue side. Free to the public, the festival will operate daily from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with evening concerts starting at 5:30 p.m. Presented by the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and co-sponsored by the National Park Service, the event will spotlight the creativity of young people, who make up 41% of the global population under age 25.
The festival features youth-led programs exploring diverse cultural expressions, from reviving endangered Native languages to mastering traditional crafts and embracing modern trends like street art and skateboarding. Key attractions include the “Streetwise” tent, showcasing lowrider culture, street art, and skateboarding, and the Museum of the Contemporary Teenager (MoCAT), created by teens to reflect their experiences through interactive exhibits.
“Streetwise,” curated by Sojin Kim, will feature lowrider car restorations, skateboarding demonstrations, and mural painting, with teenage DJs providing music. Visitors can observe artisans from Indonesia crafting lowrider adornments and teens customizing bikes and cars. The lowrider tradition, originating in 1940s Southern California, highlights bold paint, chrome details, and specialized suspensions.
MoCAT, curated by Michelle Banks, began in 2017 by Montgomery County, Maryland, students and will recreate a high school setting with a hallway, classroom, auditorium, bedroom, and bathroom. Teens from Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia will present exhibits on topics like social media, fashion, mental health, and school lockdowns, offering insights into youth culture. The concept of the “teenager,” popularized in the 1940s, will be explored through performances and discussions.
Music performances, curated by Cristina Diaz-Carrera, Pablo Molinero-Martinez, and Eloy Neira de la Cadena, will span mariachi, orchestral, and folk genres, with a “Made in D.C.” showcase on opening day. Evening concerts will feature Fourth of July-inspired sets, prom music, and a closing talent show. Workshops will allow visitors to engage with young musicians’ creative processes.
The Arts and Industries Building will host film screenings and talks with young filmmakers from organizations like Ghetto Film School and Wide Angle Youth Media, curated by Michelle Banks. A screening of “The Ride Ahead,” a documentary by 21-year-old disability activist Samuel Habib, will take place at the National Museum of American History’s Warner Bros. Theater. Art FM will stream festival sounds live to WXOX 97.1 FM in Louisville, Kentucky.
The “Building Trades: Next-Generation Artisans” program, curated by Marjorie Hunt, will feature young craftspeople from the American College of the Building Arts, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and the Washington National Cathedral, demonstrating skills like stone carving and blacksmithing. The program emphasizes preserving historic trades through mentorship, with contributions from the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild and the Campaign for Historic Trades.
The “Native Language Reclamation” program, curated by Mary Linn, will highlight efforts to revive Native languages from regions like Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Kodiak, Alaska. The Akwesasne Freedom School of the Six Nations will offer Mohawk basket-making and cooking demonstrations in the Language Lodge, alongside lacrosse and Alutiiq dance sessions.
Accessibility is a priority, with shaded venues, wheelchair loans, assistive listening devices, and American Sign Language interpreters available. A “Morning on the Mall” event on July 6 will cater to individuals with autism or sensory sensitivities. Sustainability efforts aim for over 90% waste diversion, building on a 97% success in 2017, with volunteer-led sorting stations and staff training.
The festival, launched in 1967, has featured participants from all 50 states and over 100 countries. Sabrina Motley directs the event, with Cliff Murphy leading the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. More details are available at festival.si.edu.
