Northwest Folklife Festival 2007

This being Memorial Day weekend, it is time for the annual Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle. The festival runs from Friday afternoon, 25 May 07 to mid-day Monday, 28 May 07--come rain or come shine.

Although admission to the festival is free, the NW Folklife Foundation suggests a donation of $10.00 per person/day, to assist in offsetting the costs of producing the event. They are also encouraging "green" transportation (which is to say bicycling, bus, monorail or walking) to get to the festival, due to decreased parking at Seattle Center due to parking garage construction/maintenance currently going on. Metro Transit will be offering a shuttle from the Northgate Park and Ride to Seattle Center every 20 minutes from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and which will cost $2.00 per person each way.

The list of performers is quite extensive, and may be seen in this searchable directory, and will consist of both traditional audience viewed performances and participatory experiences, the schedules of which are below:

• Friday performance
• Friday participatory
• Saturday performance
• Saturday participatory
• Sunday performance
• Sunday participatory
• Monday performance
• Monday participatory

As I live directly across the street from Seattle Center, I have been watching them get set up for the festival for the past week. There are a proliferation of tents, awnings and semi trailers on the lawns and sidewalks of the Center, as well as miles of cables strung all about--so those with disabilities/difficulties with walking or in perception should be very careful when attending.

No matter your taste in music, dance or other folk arts, you are certain to find at least something to enjoy about the festival, so I highly recommend that you stop on by this weekend if you are in town.