Living traditions
Little River Missionary Baptist Church Choir on the Handmade Music School Stage.
Paul Kitchen demonstrates basketry.
Blacksmithing demonstration by the Old Dominion Blacksmithing Association.
Floyd Contra Dance Workshop.
The Floyd County Store’s Handmade Music School .
Now in its fourth year, the award-winning Floyd Living Traditions Festival returns Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Floyd Center for the Arts.
Winner of the 2026 Blue Ridge Country Best of the Mountains Platinum Award for Best Events: Heritage & Culture Festival in the Upper Blue Ridge Region, the festival celebrates the living traditions of Floyd County and the Appalachian region through music, handmade craft, dance, visual arts, and hands-on experiences for all ages. Held rain or shine, the Floyd Living Traditions Festival is a free, family-friendly event sponsored by Skyline National Bank and presented by the Floyd Center for the Arts in partnership with the Floyd Country Store's Handmade Music School.
The festival kicks off Friday evening, Aug. 21, with the Floyd Country Store's Friday Night Jamboree featuring The Farleys at 6:30 p.m. and Twin Creeks Stringband at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are available at the door, with reserved seating available through the Floyd Country Store. For Jamboree information and reserved seating, visithttps://www.floydcountrystore.com/event/friday-night-jamboree-77.
On Saturday, more than 70 artists and tradition bearers will demonstrate heritage crafts including blacksmithing, metalsmithing, woodworking, weaving, spinning, basketry, quilting, pottery, broom making, natural dyeing, and many other traditional skills. Visitors can also participate in stained glass and pottery workshops, explore artisan vendors, and enjoy local food, children's activities, storytelling, and community art. Workshop information and advance registration are available athttps://www.hisawyer.com/floyd-center-for-the-arts/schedules?schedule_id=camps&category_id%5B%5D=13&ageGradeFilterTab=age_ranges%5B%5D.
Outside on the Handmade Music School stage, performances include the Little River Missionary Baptist Church Choir, Elsa Howell and Murphy Campbell, the Handmade Music School Youth String Band, Virginia Hollow, Skinny Creek, and a special Harmonic Heritage Series performance honoring legendary Floyd County musician Marvin Harlow. For the full lineup of these and all festival performances, visithttps://www.floydartcenter.org/floyd-living-traditions-festival.
Inside Fallon Community Hall, visitors can enjoy performances and audience participation with the Floyd Historical Dancers, a Handmade Music School partner dance workshop, and an open community contra dance presented by the Floyd Contra Dancers, with live music by the McKenzies and calling by Thea Nettleton. The Floyd County Historical Society will also present A History of the Extension Homemakers Council.
Festival visitors are invited to explore three exceptional exhibitions throughout the Floyd Center for the Arts galleries. Strings Attached – The Enduring Appeal of Overshot Coverlets, presented by the Old Church Gallery, celebrates the rich tradition of Appalachian weaving through antique coverlets and treasured family heirlooms. Donald Sunshine's Landmarks: The Rock Churches and the White Churches of the Blue Ridge showcases watercolor paintings documenting the region's historic churches, while the 5th Floyd Plein Air Biennial Preview Exhibition introduces the nationally recognized artists who will return to Floyd this September for the Biennial.
