The artists that are coming to this festival are some of the finest that you will ever see or hear, and yet they are not stars. This is not a festival about stars, but it's a festival about great music, great dance and great art.

We present artists that are a part of something larger than themselves. They come representing a community or a heritage. And they see themselves that way. It's not about a bunch of people with big egos. It's about people who are passionate about being keepers of culture and keepers of tradition. And that gives them a special magic because when they're on stage there just aren't barriers between them and the audience. It's a sharing. It's their mission.

The National Folk Festival is a brand-new festival every year.

Joe's the man you call.

They value what has come to them from prior generations. They value the handiwork, making things themselves whether they're making music or making guitars… We celebrate these things that Americans keep, not the things that have been manufactured in Hollywood or in a Nashville studio, but the things that Americans keep for themselves.

The festival is going to be happening this weekend. Everyone who decides to come down is going to have a lot of fun even if it is a little drizzly.