Celebrating 40 Years of The North Carolina International Folk Festival in 2023

2023 marks the 40th Anniversary of The North Carolina International Folk Festival The festival has celebrated many milestones since 1984 when Dr. Clinton Border’s vision for an international dance festival in Western North Carolina first became real. In 2003, The North Carolina General Assembly declared The North Carolina International Folk Festival to be the state’s official international festival. The Southeast Tourism Society has named Folkmoot USA one of its top twenty events for 20 years. Today Folkmoot USA still produces one of the largest and longest running dance festivals in the world. It continues to draw thousands of national and international visitors to Western North Carolina annually during the last week of July. Over four decades the festival has remained a consistent and vital part of Western North Carolina’s cultural identity.