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This article is from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina edited by William S. Powell. Copyright © 2006 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

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Folkmoot USA

by Patricia L. Pertalion, 2006; Revised December 2021

See also: Folk Festivals (multi-part article)
Dancers from Greece performing on stage, Folkmoot, 2009. Image courtesy of Flickr user anoldent.

Folkmoot USA, headquartered in Waynesville, is a folk music and dance festival celebrating a diversity of cultures from around the world. Started in 1983, Folkmoot-also known as the North Carolina International Folk Festival-features performance activities in Asheville, Maggie Valley, Mars Hill, Banner Elk, Clyde, and other towns in the western North Carolina mountains. Highlights of the mid-July celebration include an opening parade of nations and an International Festival Day that includes dancers, musicians, and crafters on the last Saturday of the event. Audience participation is invited at some events. An impressive number of countries from all over the world have been represented since Folkmoot began, including China, Cyprus, Latvia, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Egypt, Germany, and others. Organizers also coordinate cultural visits of international youth groups who live with local students and their families in the community, visit schools, and perform during the school year.

In 2003, the General Assembly designated Folkmoot USA as the official State International Festival of North Carolina.

References:

North Carolina General Assembly Designates Folkmoot USA as the official State International Festival of North Carolina [General Statute: §145-19,  (2003-315, s. 1.)] :  https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter...

Additional Resources:

Folkmoot USA: http://www.folkmootusa.org/

Image Credit:

Dancers from Greece performing on stage, Folkmoot, 2009. Image courtesy of Flickr user anoldent. Available from https://www.flickr.com/photos/anoldent/3745960396/ (accessed June 12, 2012).

Subjects: 
Art
Events
Performing arts
Authors: 
Pertalion, Patricia L.
Origin - location: 
Haywood County
From: 
Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.

1 January 2006 | Pertalion, Patricia L.