San Antonio’s Texas Folklife Festival

Whether you’re a long-time resident of San Antonio, or just passing through on vacation, the city is always alive with exciting things for you and your family to do in your spare time. One event not to miss is the annual Texas Folklife Festival in June. Modeled after Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival the Texas Folklife began in 1972 for the Institute of Texan Cultures, and is a vibrant celebration of more than 40 diverse ethnicities represented throughout the Texas population.

The culture of the Lone Star State is woven into a rich tapestry and for the past 40 years, the festival has been bringing together a unique collection of arts, music costume, crafts and food, not only to entertain but also to educate, and you won’t be bored. This year the festival begins on Friday, June 8^th at 5 p.m. and doesn’t stop swinging until 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 10^th.  It takes place in downtown San Antonio at the 22-acre Institute for Texan Cultures and the surrounding grounds, which is located at the corner of Durango and Bowie.

Sun-drenched visitors can expect to see and hear an eclectic range of live music, dancers and visual performances from the six stages set up throughout the area. You can also catch many musicians and performers wandering through the grounds. From German Folk Dancers to Cajun musicians there’s something for every taste and style.

While you’re wandering through the colorful grounds of the Institute, enjoying the entertainment, you’re bound to work up an appetite. That won’t be a problem. You can also sample a delicious range of authentic cuisines that will dazzle your taste buds. The thirty food tents provide fare from many cultures. Sample delights like huli-huli chicken, honey-soaked Baklava, grilled Bratwurst, gumbo and Native American fried tacos. The profits all go to benefit local ethnic communities.

But that’s not all, why not try your hand at learning how to clog dance, shuck corn or perform a hula dance? If you’re feeling up to it you can take a challenge in the watermelon seed spitting contest. You and your family will appreciate the challenges and hardships of pioneer ranchers through the Fort Concho re-enactment during which costumed interpreters reproduce the historic frontier settlement. Your children will enjoy having a taste of what it was like in an old fashion school room where children of yesteryear learned to read and write.

Many traditional crafting techniques are also on display at the festival. You can watch items being made as well as pick up souvenirs such as hooked rugs, Treenware and scrimshaw. You will feel like you have traveled back in time to experience unique ethnic groups and their traditional cultural practices. Come along and join in the festivities, and celebrate your Texas heritage.

Corinna Underwood - A freelance writer for more than twelve years - I write for many outlets throughout Europe and the United States, covering a range of topics including organic gardening, sustainable living, and kinetico water softener.