Northwest Folklife
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The Northwest Folklife Festival is an annual festival of ethnic, folk, and traditional art, crafts, and music that takes place over the Memorial Day weekend in Seattle, Washington at Seattle Center, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair. It brings together an estimated 250,000 visitors, 1,800 volunteers, and more than 6,000 musicians, dancers, and other performers. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged.
Northwest Folklife was founded in 1971 by the Seattle Folklore Society, the National Park Service, the National Folk Festival Association (now the National Council for the Traditional Arts), and the City of Seattle, as part of the Park Service's urban outreach program to allow the people of its Northwest Region (including Alaska) to publicly present what they "make for their own use and do for their own entertainment." The first festival was first held in 1972 and has since grown to become the largest free festival of its kind in North America.
[edit] Social Gathering
The Northwest Folklife has several "main stages" set up throughout the area, but many people simply set up shop on the side of the road and begin playing, often times garnering a fair amount of money from people passing by. Food vendors and novelty shops also line the main paths. The fountain in the center of the area is the largest gathering of people, especially on warmer summer days.
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