Smithsonian Folklife Festival Volunteering

Register to volunteer at festival.si.edu/volunteer. We welcome volunteers of all ages, and you are welcome to walk-up and volunteer day-of. Opportunities include: sustainability, foodways, gardening, pre/post festival setup, skateboarding assistance, program aids, information booth running, and more.

At the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall, Indigenous artists and makers, professional chefs and home cooks, musicians, dancers, athletes, and storytellers will demonstrate the depth of multigenerational traditions as well as new, innovative approaches to cultural expression.

Join a circle of celebration with stories, songs, and dance. Experience ancestral foods like the Three Sisters (beans, corn, and squash) and inventive, sustainable cuisine. Learn stories that underlie Indigenous sports and games. Hear how Indigenous youth are reclaiming their languages through spoken-word and hip-hop. Explore traditional arts that flourish in their connections to place and environmental knowledge.