The Washington Folk Festival, one of the area’s most beloved musical traditions, will not be held this summer due to a shortage of funding and volunteers, according to the event’s organizers.
“This decision was not made lightly,” the board of the Folklore Society of Greater Washington wrote in a message posted on Facebook last week. The board “spent several months trying to establish a leadership team to organize and manage the Washington Folk Festival, but was unable to recruit individuals with the willingness, skills and time necessary to produce a festival of the quality of previous years.”
Funding and a lack of time to pull together the event, held for 41 years, also contributed to the decision, the board wrote.
On Facebook, those who enjoyed the festival in the past shared their sadness with the suspension of the festival.
“A tremendous loss for those us who’ve been going for decades,” one commenter wrote.
“So very sad,” another comment stated. “This has been an incredible event every year and helps expand attendance for other year round activities offered by [Glen Echo] producing much need revenue. Here’s hoping for 2025.”
Some commenters also offered to help the organization produce the event while others stressed that the festival may need to turn to younger generations to “keep the festival alive.”
The Washington Folk Festival is an annual festival held in June by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington in Glen Echo. It brought together a variety of cultural traditions from across the greater Washington, D.C., region through dance and music performances. In addition, vendors selling handmade jewelry, soap, pottery, tie dye and paintings lined the festival grounds.
In its post, the board said it would “like to thank the many performers, volunteers, attendees, and staff at the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture who have supported the Folk Festival in the past. We look forward to finding new ways to celebrate the folk arts together in the future.”
It is unclear whether FSGW is planning to organize a festival for 2025. Society President Charlie Pilzer did not immediately respond to a Tuesday email seeking more information.