 |
| Smithsonian FolkLife Festival 2023 |
I think I have attended every single year of the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival on the Mall since the very first one in the summer of 1967. And every year at this fabulous festival I learn some new things about another culture, a craft, a a region -- whatever's on offer.
This year I want to impart a few things I've learned from these years of festival-going. Nothing of cultural or educational significance, but just a few practical tips to make your experience more comfortable. I offer the following suggestions:
1. Dress for the weather -- but figure the weather there will be significantly hotter than it is in other parts of DC. If you go into the Metro in shady, breezy Cleveland Park, you may step out into the sweltering heat, rising in waves from the bare gravel around Smithsonian station. You'll be glad you have a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses. Once you start to walk around, you'll be even gladder for wearing your most comfortable walking shoes.
2. Bring a big water bottle -- but wait till you're there to fill it. Why lug a big, heavy thermos bottle on the way? Once you're there, you'll see plenty of giant barrels of very cold water set up as water fountains, so you can fill up your water bottle for free. No need to spend $3 a bottle to buy water!
3. Avoid the smelly port-a-potties at all costs! The Folk Life Festival area is bounded on both sides by so many beautiful, free museums, all fully air-conditioned, all with clean, well-maintained bathrooms. It's not a far walk!
4. Leave your bags at home. Access to those museum bathrooms will be so much quicker if you are not carrying a bag that needs to be searched. Without a bag, you can breeze through the metal detectors with barely a pause. Just take the barest necessities with you (ID, a credit card, a little cash, keys) that will fit into roomy pants pockets (best if they're zippered pockets so that nothing can fall out). Parents of small children, you know I'm not talking to you! You'll want to do just the opposite: Load down your stroller with everything you might possibly need for an outing with the kiddoes, considering whatever emergencies might plausibly arise. One day you will travel lightly again....but not today!
5. Stay cool! Pick up one of those paper fans they give out at the information table, along with the site map. Or you could bring a small battery operated fan with you, like this one (less than $4 at Wal-Mart) that clips to your belt: https://www.walmart.com/ip/O2COOL-2-inch-Pocket-Carabiner-Personal-Fan-with-Batteries-Purple/533239204?wl13=5968&selectedSellerId=0 . Another cool idea is a neckerchief that you soak in cold water; it's specially designed to retain moisture, creating a slow, evaporative cooling action that lasts for hours: https://bit.ly/3Nyuzus . Here's an even higher-tech personal cooler: a hands-free, light portable fan that you wear around your neck: https://bit.ly/3CS1fu9
6. Avoid the outdoor food lines. The museums that line the Mall all have nice, comfortable, reasonably priced, indoor, air-conditioned cafeterias. And those lines move fast! Not so with the food offerings that are part of the Folk Life Festival itself. Unless you are absolutely set on having the ethnic or regional cuisine on offer, you'll save time and money -- and can eat in sit-down comfort -- if you'll go indoors for a meal. Another strategy is to avoid being on the Mall at mealtimes; just plan to eat before or after your Festival visiting time. When you see all those other people waiting in long, snaking lines under a baking hot sun, you'll be glad you followed this advice.
7. Plan your day before you head out. Check the schedule of performances here: https://festival.si.edu/schedule. See what appeals to you and decide which shows or activities you will attend. Check the site map -https://festival.si.edu/map - to plan where you will need to be and when, and you will avoid those mad dashes from one end of the Mall to the other, trying to make it to the start of a performance or exhibit talk. Now here's the flip side of that advice: If you like serendipity, don't plan too much! Go with idea that you will do some wandering, make some discoveries, and let yourself be guided by the sights and sounds you see around you. Don't worry about missing the exact start of a show. Just consider what type of festival-goer you are and do as much advance planning as suits your own visiting style.
8. Now here's one bit of advance planning I recommend for everyone: Check the air quality at Airnow before you go. If it's in the red or orange zone, consider delaying until it's in the green, or at least the yellow. Don't have the flexibility to change the day? Then a good mask can save your lungs!
For more information on the 2023 Smithsonian Folk Life Festival: visit the main website: https://festival.si.edu/
Dates: June 29th - July 4th and July 6th - 9th.
Times: Festival opens at 11am and goes until 5:30pm, followed by evening concerts on select nights, starting at 6pm.
Daily Schedule: https://festival.si.edu/schedule
Festival Blog with photos, descriptions, and commentary on past events: https://festival.si.edu/blog/2023-folklife-festival
--------------
Still Life with Robin is published on The Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.
No comments:
Post a Comment