The Living Traditions Festival is excited to announce its participation in Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, a series of programs and exchanges marking the 250th anniversary of the United States showcasing the nation’s remarkable cultural landscape. These programs bring the spirit of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival — the institution's largest and longest-running event — to approximately 40 community festivals across the nation including the Living Traditions Festival.
"Living Traditions is one of our City’s best festivals,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “It reflects who we are—a place of incredibly diverse and beautiful communities—and it preserves cultural traditions through music, dance, food, and crafts. Living Traditions reminds us of what bind us together.”
Celebrating the 40th annual festival in 2026, the Living Traditions Festival is a three-day multicultural festival produced by the Salt Lake City Arts Council in partnership with the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. Presenting live music, dance, crafts, and foodways, Living Traditions supports the preservation of diverse traditions and perspectives. The festival is taking place May 15-17 at Salt Lake City’s Civic Center, 422 S. 200 East, and is free to attend.
“The Salt Lake City Arts Council is honored to collaborate with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Living Traditions Festival and America’s 250th,” said Salt Lake City Arts Council Director Felicia Baca. “As Utah’s first community to receive Welcoming America’s Certified Welcoming designation, Salt Lake City is committed to creating a place where everyone feels they belong. Through art and cultural traditions, we hope the festival fosters connection and a sense of belonging for all who attend.”
The Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, which produces the Folklife Festival, is collaborating with many festivals around the country, including the Living Traditions Festival. The Center is working with the Salt Lake City Arts Council to design activities reflecting the voices, stories, and aspirations of our community.
“The 250th anniversary is a time to celebrate our extraordinary cultural democracy, to visit with the people, places and traditions within it, and to contemplate our shared future,” said Clifford Murphy, director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. “By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, we recommit to our original purpose to take the Smithsonian beyond objects and buildings; we also carry out our mission to connect communities across cultures–cultivating curiosity, understanding, and belonging for all people.”
This project received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years.
