Texas Folklife Festival
Encyclopedia
The Texas Folklife Festival is an annual event sponsored by the Institute of Texan Cultures
celebrating the many ethnicities represented in the population of Texas. The event will hold its 40th festival in 2011. Many different ethnic groups will be represented at the 2011 Festival, to be held on the grounds of the Institute in HemisFair Park in San Antonio, Texas
from June 10 to June 12.
The Texas Folklife Festival was modeled after the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival, which was held in Washington, D.C. in 1968. On behalf of the Institute of Texan Cultures (which was built as part of the Texan Pavilion for the 1968 World’s Fair), O.T. Baker attended the first Smithsonian Folklife Festival and returned home with big plans—to replicate the event in San Antonio. And the wheels were set in motion.
The concept of creating a festival that brought together different ethnic groups to celebrate and share their traditions was ingenious. Proceeds from the event would be given back to the participating cultures so the customs would continue to stay alive and be passed on through the generations. And, most importantly, the event’s focus directly correlated to the mission of the Institute of Texan Cultures.
The first Texas Folklife Festival was held from September 7-10, 1972, on the grounds of the Institute in HemisFair Park. O.T. Baker (1910-2006), the Festival’s founder and director from 1972-75, was a dedicated and inspirational leader in constructing this phenomenal event that has received countless international, regional and local awards. O.T. died on January 21, 2006.
The festival is held in downtown San Antonio at the Institute of Texan Cultures UTSA HemisFair Park Campus, which located at the corner of Bowie Street and Durango Boulevard, just off Interstate 37 South.
Thousands attend the three-day event each year, which features cultural foods, dances, and in 2010, Grammy-award-winning Los Texmanicas.
In 2011, the festival celebrated its 40th year, and recognized 16 cultural organizations who had participated since the beginning.
Institute of Texan Cultures
UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures is a museum and library located in HemisFair Park in downtown San Antonio, Texas. It serves as the state's primary center for multicultural education, with exhibits, programs, and events like the Texas Folklife Festival, an annual celebration of the many ethnicities...
celebrating the many ethnicities represented in the population of Texas. The event will hold its 40th festival in 2011. Many different ethnic groups will be represented at the 2011 Festival, to be held on the grounds of the Institute in HemisFair Park in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
from June 10 to June 12.
The Texas Folklife Festival was modeled after the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival, which was held in Washington, D.C. in 1968. On behalf of the Institute of Texan Cultures (which was built as part of the Texan Pavilion for the 1968 World’s Fair), O.T. Baker attended the first Smithsonian Folklife Festival and returned home with big plans—to replicate the event in San Antonio. And the wheels were set in motion.
The concept of creating a festival that brought together different ethnic groups to celebrate and share their traditions was ingenious. Proceeds from the event would be given back to the participating cultures so the customs would continue to stay alive and be passed on through the generations. And, most importantly, the event’s focus directly correlated to the mission of the Institute of Texan Cultures.
The first Texas Folklife Festival was held from September 7-10, 1972, on the grounds of the Institute in HemisFair Park. O.T. Baker (1910-2006), the Festival’s founder and director from 1972-75, was a dedicated and inspirational leader in constructing this phenomenal event that has received countless international, regional and local awards. O.T. died on January 21, 2006.
The festival is held in downtown San Antonio at the Institute of Texan Cultures UTSA HemisFair Park Campus, which located at the corner of Bowie Street and Durango Boulevard, just off Interstate 37 South.
Thousands attend the three-day event each year, which features cultural foods, dances, and in 2010, Grammy-award-winning Los Texmanicas.
In 2011, the festival celebrated its 40th year, and recognized 16 cultural organizations who had participated since the beginning.
External links
- Texas Folklife Festival website
- http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=texas+folklife+festival+2010/ Some pictures at Texas Folklife Festival 2010]
- Photo slideshow of the 2010 festival
- Inventory of the University of Texas at San Antonio: Institute of Texan Cultures: Texas Folklife Festival Department Records, 1970-2008
- Opening parade at the 2011 Texas Folklife Festival (video)
- Cloggers perform at the 2011 Texas Folklife Festival (video)