Get to know Halle Butvin and Diana N’Diaye from the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Follow along as we recap the festival training sessions that took place in August that talked about finding our purpose, creating a festival concept, festival and event design, community engagement, marketing and promotion, and budgeting and fundraising. Learn what a curatorial concept is and why it is so important to find your purpose when creating a festival. Learn more about their partnership and work with UPLIFT here: https://folklife.si.edu/news-and-events/uplift-north-carolina-tourism and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.