Newport News is hosting its 44th Fall Festival of Folklife on Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Newport News Park.  The festival, which attracts 35,000 visitors each year, features over 150 exhibitors showcasing traditional crafts, heritage trade demonstrations, entertainment, children’s activities, and food.

New this year is a Virginia Beer and Cheer area featuring Virginia craft beers and ciders.  The new Virginia Roots area celebrates the crafts and trades “rooted in Virginia’s history” including crab pot and net making, nautical rope making, military history, and pioneer living. Latin Ballet of Virginia (Traditions of Central America), Fado Nosso (Portuguese Urban Folk), The Rhythm of Ireland School of Dance, and Drunken Weasels Border Morris (Traditional English Dance) are also new to this year’s entertainment lineup. 

In the Juried Craft area, highly-skilled craftspeople are competing for $3,100 in cash prizes. The Heritage Area features craft/traditional tradespeople showcasing their skills with awards given for Best Demonstration and Best Display. Visit the Marketplace Crafts area where crafters sell a wide variety of handmade items that are great for holiday gifts, collecting or home decorating. The Country Store Area vendors, who are competing for the “Best Display” award, sell country-inspired merchandise including farm products.

Guests can enjoy three different stages featuring storytelling, dancing, and music. The Folk Foodway boasts 25 booths selling seafood, barbeque, pork rinds, funnel cakes, and other favorite festival foods.  Children can “make and take” free crafts in the Children’s Area and drive peddle cars through a straw maze in the Peddle Car Puzzler. For a fee, families can purchase, decorate, weigh, name, and receive an “adoption certificate” for their pumpkin in the Pumpkin Patch. All ages can enjoy making free DIY Crafts (Dream Catchers, Pine Tree Planting, and Large Origami Flowers) and having a “fun fortune” reading by Lady Beatrice the Gypsy Fortune Teller.  

Festival admission is free, but there is a $10 parking fee per vehicle on-site and at satellite areas: Greenwood Elementary School, Woodside High School, and New Horizons. There is a free shuttle bus service running continuously between the satellite parking areas and the festival.  No pets are permitted in the festival area.  For traffic updates, weather updates, and other event updates, follow  Twitter @nnfestivals on Twitter and like www.facebook.com/NewportNewsFestivals  on Facebook.  For more information or special assistance, call (757) 926-1400.