The Alliance For California Traditional Arts (ACTA) is hosting a folklife festival from Oct. 2 to Oct. 4 in downtown Fresno with free admission. As a part of the national Smithsonian Folklife Festivals, the Great Valley Gathering will feature art exhibits, cultural workshops and performances.
The event will be at Courthouse Park on 1100 Van Ness Ave. Depending on the day, the festival will run at different times:
Friday Oct. 2: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday Oct. 3: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday Oct. 4: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This is the Smithsonian Festival’s first time expanding beyond their location in Washington, D.C., hosting events across the country to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
Over 40 different artists, musicians, performers and culture bearers will attend the Great Valley Gathering, with a Saturday night show featuring Fresno rapper Fashawn. Alongside showcasing art, the festival will host food vendors from different cultures.
ACTA Executive Director and Festival Curator Amy Kitchener described the event as a chance to bring different communities together to celebrate the Central Valley’s diversity.
Kitchener highlighted the event’s workshops on cultural art, such as lessons on learning new instruments, line dancing, basket weaving and more.
“Each artist carries a remarkable story about the Central Valley, America itself and everyone in our community,” Kitchener said.
According to Kitchener, the festival will also include 25 members of California’s Native cultures and communities, who will share living traditions and languages. Kitchener hopes the festival will open dialogue and encourage members of different cultures to learn about each other.
“We’re often isolated in these different communities and spaces. I don’t think there’s a lot of spaces where we come together in our different communities,” Kitchener said. “The thing that’s most exciting to me is the idea of bringing people together.”
As one of the many artists performing, Fashawn said he’s happy to represent hip-hop and his culture on stage. He sees the event as a gathering instead of a festival.
“This is a gathering in a celebration of our culture, our lifestyles and our love in our expressions,” Fashawn said.
District 3 Supervisor Luis Chavez hopes that the Courthouse Park can become a hub for the community to gather. Chavez explained that the event represents “what America’s about.”
“It’s about immigrants coming here, building this country, building this city,” Chavez said. “The diversity, the mosaic we [make] here in Fresno is going to be showcased during these three days.”
Kitchener recommends attendees check out the event’s website for more information on scheduling and artist line-ups.