The 77-year-old National Folk Festival runs for three days this weekend at Bicentennial Mall in downtown Nashville. First presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival is the oldest, longest-running and most diverse festival of traditional arts in the nation. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to put the arts of many nations, races and languages into the same event on an equal footing.
The festival, hosted by Nashville through 2013, features a broad array of music and dance performances, participatory dancing, workshops, children’s activities, regional and ethnic foods, storytelling, parades, craft exhibits and demonstrations, and more. Two musical acts will be of particular interest:
 |
| Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano |
- Friday, 8:30 p.m. - 9:15 p.m., Jackson Stage
- Saturday, 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m., Bicentennial Ampitheatre
- Saturday, 9:45 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., Capitol Hill Stage
 |
| La Excelencia |
- Friday, 9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., Capitol Hill Stage
- Saturday, 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m., Jefferson Street Dance Pavilion
- Saturday, 9:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., Jefferson Street Dance Pavilion
Other musical styles at the festival will include authentic blues, gospel, jazz, polka, cowboy, bluegrass, klezmer, old-time, Cajun, rhythm and blues, Western swing, zydeco and more. Continuous performances on six stages will celebrate Native American, Celtic, Acadian, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, East Asian, Appalachian, Hispanic, Eastern European, African and Pacific Island cultures. See the full schedule here. A graphic map and schedule (PDF) is here.
As one of many food vendors on-site, Chipotle Creations of Adairville, Kentucky will be serving specialty Mexican fare featuring home-grown beef.
Below are music videos of Los Camperos and La Excelencia.
