Living Traditions Festival

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Floyd Country Store

Known for its Bluegrass and Old Time music along with a lively arts scene, Floyd, Virginia, will celebrate its rich artistic heritage on one big day, Saturday, August 26, 2023, with the Floyd Living Traditions Festival. The festival, hosted by the Floyd Center for the Arts in partnership with the Floyd Country Store’s Handmade Music School, will feature music on two stages and will demonstrate Floyd traditions such as quilting, spinning, instrument making, weaving, blacksmithing, woodworking, and basketmaking. Festival goers will delight in seeing the campus of the Floyd Center for the Arts located in a big barn at 220 Parkway Lane South (VA-8) on the edge of downtown. Admission will be free.

“The Floyd Center for the Arts wants to recognize the local practitioners, young and old alike, as tradition bearers who continue to tell the story of our shared past through their art,” says Center President, Kerry Ackerson. “We think both residents and visitors will enjoy in taking a step into the past to experience Floyd’s present-day music, artwork, and exciting crafts.” 

Local music and dance exhibitions will be curated by the Floyd Country Store’s Handmade Music School, dedicated to perpetuating Old Time music traditions for generations to come.

"Our Handmade Music School family is excited to partner with The Floyd Center for the Arts to celebrate all of the vibrant living traditions we get to experience here in Floyd County, Virginia! We hope the community comes out to enjoy a wonderful variety of performances, exhibits, and interactive demonstrations that embrace our local creativity. The Handmade Music School strives to cultivate and strengthen community through experiences in music, dance, art, and food rooted in our Appalachian traditions, and this event captures and demonstrates so many of the opportunities Floyd has to offer," says Dylan Locke of the Floyd Country Store’s Handmade Music School.

Highlights will include precious artifacts from the collection of the Old Church Gallery, Floyd’s cultural arts museum; interpretive performances telling the story of how Floyd County, a small rural community, developed such a fascinating heritage; creative hands-on activities for children; vendors offering both traditional and contemporary art for sale; and a Community Art Project inviting everyone to contribute to the creation of a tangible expression of the beauty of Floyd.

Food will be for sale and can be enjoyed along with music near the outdoor stage, demonstrations, and artisan tents. For those who prefer to eat indoors, they may listen to a variety of music and lectures. The Floyd Living Traditions Festival has been made possible by the Mid Atlantic Arts Central Appalachia Living Traditions Program and the generous support of Virginia Humanities.

DETAILS

WHAT:    Floyd Living Traditions Festival presented by the Floyd Center for the Arts and the Handmade Music School 

WHEN:    Saturday, August 26, 2023; 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Rain or Shine!

WHERE:  Floyd Center for the Arts, 220 Parkway Lane South (VA-8), Floyd, Virginia

WHO:      Everyone is invited! Free admission; Food, artwork, and crafts for sale