Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is held during the last week in June and the first week in July, coinciding with America’s Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations. It takes place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. - the symbolic heart of the United States between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. The quality of the festival, its central location and free admission combine to attract more than a million visitors each summer, making it the largest annual cultural event in Washington, D.C.

In the summer of 2007, the Smithsonian Institution will present the cultural wealth and diversity of Northern Ireland. This Festival program, Northern Ireland at the Smithsonian, will reach beyond outdated stereotypes and celebrate the creativity, diversity, and learning that typify contemporary Northern Ireland.

Few regions of the world have contributed more to the formation of modern America than Northern Ireland. Since the 17th century, a succession of immigrants have had a profound impact on the development of America, influencing culture, music, politics, education, science, religion, agriculture, and industry. As many as 17 of the 43 American Presidents are generally accepted as having ancestry from this region. Read more at www.ulstervirginia.com Proud of its past and increasingly confident of its future, Northern Ireland has only recently begun to attract the international attention it deserves.