About the First Americans Festival

Tuesday, September 21–Sunday, September 26, 2004

Immediately following the Grand Opening ceremony, the museum will commence a major six-day festival paying tribute to some of the most beloved and prominent Native American musicians, dancers, and storytellers. More than 300 singers, dancers, and storytellers, representing 30 to 40 Native communities from throughout the hemisphere, will perform traditional and contemporary programs of contemporary Indian blues, rock, reggae, jazz, and more, representing Native communities in North, South, and Central America.

The First Americans Festival commemorates the historic opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This six-day festival will celebrate the Native cultures of North, South, and Central America, and will feature more than 300 singers, dancers, and storytellers representing Native communities from throughout the Western Hemisphere. With an anticipated attendance of more than 600,000 visitors from the around the world, this festival of "living arts" will give participants of all ages the opportunity to experience Native cultures first hand.

Festival Information

• First Americans Festival Flyer (2 MB)
• First Americans Festival Performance Schedule (150 KB)
• First Americans Festival Performer list (94 KB)
• For more information, please email NMAIFestival@si.edu

Location

Festival Hours

• Tuesday, September 21, the festival will begin at 1 p.m., directly following the Opening Ceremony
• Wednesday through Saturday, September 22-25, daily programs from 10 a.m. through 5:30 p.m
• Sunday, September 26, daily programs from 10 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.
• Evening Concerts on Tuesday and Saturday will begin at 5:30 p.m.
• Closing Ceremony, Sunday, September 26, at 5:30 p.m.

Festival Admission

All events are free and open to the public with no reserved seating. However, we are expecting tens of thousands of people per day and recommend that you bring blankets or portable chairs.

Getting to the Festival

Parking is extremely limited in the area around the National Mall. We recommend that you use Metrorail. Convenient stops include Smithsonian (Orange/Blue), Federal Triangle (Orange/Blue), L'Enfant Plaza (Orange/Blue, Yellow/Green), and Archives/Navy Memorial (Yellow/Green). For Metrorail information, call 202-637-7000, or visit www.wmata.com.