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Washington Folk Festival Saturday Jun 04, 2011 at 10:00 AM through Jun 05, 2011 at 7:00 PMGlen Echo Park (Glen Echo,MD) The 31st Annual Washington Folk Festival will be held on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5, 2010. The festival runs from Noon to 7:00pm on Saturday and Sunday at Glen Echo Park. Rain or Shine! The festival is FREE to the public. The 31st Annual Washington Folk Festival showcases the diversity of traditional music in the Washington area. All musicians, storytellers, dancers, and craftspeople live in the the greater Washington metropolitan area and volunteer their talents to put on a first class festival of national renown. With performances representing cultures from around the world as well as around the country, it is your chance to find out what is going on in the folk communities of the area. Performers If you are a local musician, dance group, or storyteller interested in being considered as a performer in the Festival, please contact one of the Program Committee Co-Chairs: Mia Gardiner, or Carol Lite. We strive to maintain a variety of traditional genres on our stages, and select performers based on musical quality as well as the tradition represented. Crafts We are looking for a few new crafters. If you are interested you can find more information by clicking here, or by contacting the WFF Crafts Co-Chairs, Rita Ferrara and Bill Day. Volunteers This is an all-volunteer event: everyone, including the performers, planners, technicians, and sound engineers, EVERYONE donates their services. We Need You! Tell us about some of your talents and interests and we will find a place for you to contribute to the Washington Folk Festival's ongoing success. During the festival, we need help with stage crews, information booths, parking, food service, trash patrols, theater ushers, volunteer and performer check-in, chronicling live performances, and facilitating last minute changes. In addition, we also need volunteers every weekend in May to help prepare for the festival. To volunteer click here. The Program For Last Year For a look at the 2010 programclick here. For a look at the craft exhibitors at the 2010 festival click here. Parking and Metro Access Glen Echo Park is located at 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Because of the popularity of the Festival, Glen Echo Park does not have enough parking for everyone. To accommodate our Festival patrons, GEICO is providing satellite parking at the GEICO campus in Friendship Heights, MD. GEICO is located just two blocks west of Wisconsin Avenue on Western Avenue. The Festival provides free continuously running shuttle buses to and from the festival site. You can also ride METRO to the Friendship Heights Station, walk the short distance to GEICO and ride the free shuttle.

Site Information for Glen Echo Park

Driving Directions: Glen Echo is inside the beltway near Bethesda From DC: If you can get to M Street in Georgetown, it is fairly easy to get to Glen Echo. Get on M Street anywhere downtown and take it toward Georgetown. Go through Georgetown on M and pass the Key Bridge on your left. The first intersection is Canal Road on your left. Pass that and go to the second intersection, which will be MacArthur Blvd. Make a left onto MacArthur Blvd. The road forks once or twice. Watch the signs to be sure you're still on MacArthur. You will go approx. 5 to 6 miles. At about 5 miles you will see signs for Clara Barton Parkway, then signs for Glen Echo; go one block past the Exxon Station at the intersection of MacArthur and Goldsboro Rd and turn left into the Glen Echo Park parking lot. From I-495 (coming from Virginia): Cross the American Legion Bridge, staying in the right lane. Take Exit 41 for Clara Barton Parkway. Coming off the exit, bear to the right for Glen Echo/Clara Barton Parkway. Stay in the left lane. Make a sharp, hairpin left turn following the signs to MacArthur Blvd and Glen Echo. Immediately after the sharp left, get in the right lane and bear right at the Y. The road will curve to the right and then end at MacArthur Blvd. at a stop sign. Turn left onto MacArthur Blvd.; go one block past the Exxon Station at the intersection with Goldsboro Rd. and turn left into the Glen Echo Park parking lot. From I-495 (coming from Silver Spring): Take Exit 40 for Cabin John Parkway and Glen Echo. Stay in the left-most lane of the exit ramp and bear left at the Y. Follow the Cabin John Parkway east, where it will merge with the Clara Barton Parkway. Follow directions above beginning with Stay in the left lane. Via public transportation: Take the Red Line to Friendship Heights, and from there the Ride-On Route 29 bus to Glen Echo. (As of this writing, the last bus was at 7:30 pm Sundays, 9:43 pm weeknights, but check with Ride-On [link above] to confirm.) The bus will drop you off next to a gas station at the intersection of Goldsboro Road (the one the bus has taken) and MacArthur Blvd. Cross MacArthur near the strange arrangement of Jersey wall, pipes, and chain-link fencing, and go left (east) along the bike path. You'll see a parking lot on your right; walk along through that (continue east), and turn right after the stone tower under the Glen Echo Park overhang. Follow the paved path toward the carousel (in front of you), and bear left. You'll see both the Bumper Car Pavilion and Spanish Ballroom up ahead. The Arcade is to your left. When you arrive, ask the person at the door to ask the dance chair to announce that you need a ride back to Metro. We've never left anyone at the Park. Click for a Ride-On Bus Schedule Handicapped Access: All buildings at the park are compliant with ADA requirements; wheelchair access using either ramps, elevators, or lifts, depending on the building. All toilets are fully accessible.

The Washington Folk Festival is produced by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington. It is co-sponsored by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, the National Park Service, Montgomery County, MD, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, The Richmond Folk Festival, and WAMU88.5-FM.