Washington, D.C., hosted the main 1976 Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife, a cultural program later echoed by America250’s nationwide approach.
The Smithsonian organized the festival on the western part of the National Mall. It ran five days a week for twelve weeks during the summer of 1976 and brought together scholars, folk artisans, performers, and cultural representatives from across the United States and other countries.
The program highlighted living traditions rather than only monumental political history. Demonstrations and performances presented regional crafts, music, foodways, occupational skills, and community customs. Its scale made it one of the most important cultural components of the Bicentennial.
Philadelphia hosted the Declaration’s adoption and many major founding sites, which can make it seem like the festival’s location. However, the Smithsonian’s Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife was staged on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.