The Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington starts - an event dedicated to Catalonia, this year

From today until 8 July (with a pause on 2 and 3 July), Washington DC will host the 51st Smithsonian Folklife Festival, with Catalonia as its guest culture. Considered the most prestigious event in the world devoted to cultural and immaterial heritage, it represents an unbeatable showcase opportunity to publicise not only culture, traditions and cuisine - the main object of festival - but also Catalonia, a modern country which has an economy that is increasingly driven by creativity and knowledge.

Activities with the Catalan seal of approval taking place in this cultural event have been organised by the Regional Government of Catalonia and the region’s four provincial governments (Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona), in collaboration with Adifolk and Fira Mediterrània, among other organisations. In particular, Fira Mediterrània Manresa is represented by its artistic director, David Ibáñez, who is part of the activity programme commission.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival will take place at the National Mall in Washington, an emblematic park in the capital of the United States, flanked by the United States Capitol and the Washington Monument at either end. By day, demonstrations, conferences and craft workshops will be held and, by night, a programme of concerts - the “evening concerts” - will be performed by a series of Catalan bands. Artists set to perform at these concerts include:  Maria Arnal and Marcel Bagés, Les Anxovetes, Cobla dels Sons Essencials, Joan Garriga and Yacine & the Oriental Groove. Aranese, a variant of Occitan and a minority language in Spain, will also be represented at the Festival, by the artist Alidé Sans.