Welcome to the 58th Florida Folk Festival, a three-day celebration of the music, dance, stories, 
crafts and food that make Florida unique. From Irish fiddle tunes and kumquat pie, to the wide varieties of music brought by immigrants, the state’s cultural heritage reflects the lives of generations of Florida families and communities. Throughout the Memorial Day weekend more than 300 performances give voice and meaning to Florida’s heritage.Folk artists and tradition-bearers presented each year in the Folklife Area reflect research and field documentation conducted by the Florida Department of State’s Folklife Program. The 2010 Folklife Area celebrates the diverse cultures of Alachua County, located in the heart of north central Florida.
Learn how for decades families have earned a living catching catfish in local lakes using trotlines more than 2,000 feet long, watch master fishing fly and artificial bait makers, and learn how to call a gobbler using several types of turkey calls. Sample tasty Asian Indian and Latin American foods and witness breathtaking demonstrations of the ancient Thai art of carving fruits and vegetables into delicate flowers and other forms. An African American gospel group will rock your soul, you’ll hear the high and lonesome sounds of bluegrass music, and traditional Irish music old-time fiddling will have your toes tapping. Fusion music and traditional dance will introduce you to the performing arts of Gainesville’s vibrant Indian community. You will delight in colorful tales of Cracker life at Cross Creek and enjoy woodcarving, instrument making, and stories in the ancient Yoruba tradition of West 
Africa.
Africa.On Saturday evening the Folklife Area stage will host a honky-tonk dance as the New Florida Favorites play a country music tribute to the original Florida Favorites band that played throughout the region more than half a century ago.
In addition to the Alachua County folks, master artist-apprentice teams from Okeechobee and Orlando will present traditional Cracker cowboy buckskin whip making, African American hymn lining, and Indian bharatanatyam dance. The cowboys will also demonstrate roping and conduct a public roping contest each day for cowboys and cowgirls of all ages.
Be sure to visit the Folklife Area to experience the compelling traditions and savor the flavors, sights, and sounds, of some of Florida’s oldest and newest cultural communities.
At the Florida Folk Festival you can sit with the masters who keep cultural traditions alive. In jam sessions, demonstrations and workshops, try your own hand at playing mandolin, telling stories, or making a pine needle basket. Learn how to collect your family’s history, call a square dance, or the importance of native plant and animal species. Take a shopping excursion and visit with Florida’s traditional and contemporary craftsmen. Then dine on collard greens and cornbread, chicken pilau and hoppin’ john, shrimp gumbo, barbecue, curries, gyros and lime fizzes. As the sun sets, settle in for concerts by moonlight or dance the night away at the Heritage Stage. At the end of the day you’ll have discovered new corners of the state from the people who call Florida home.
Join us along the Suwannee River at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, home of the Florida Folk Festival for 58 years. The Festival is presented under the auspices of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Recreation and Parks.
