Tucson Meet Yourself (TMY), the beloved festival showcasing the expressive cultures of Southern Arizona every year in downtown Tucson, has been selected as one of approximately 40 festivals nationwide to collaborate with the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as part of Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals. 

TMY will represent the Southwest and the state of Arizona in an initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Other collaborating festivals include the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival, Concert of Colors (Detroit), Montclair Jazz Festival, and the National Folk Festival (Jackson, MS).

In the spirit of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Of the People festivals aim to celebrate the nation’s cultural democracy and host spaces for people to contemplate our shared future, said Clifford Murphy, director of the Center. “By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, we recommit to our original purpose to take the Smithsonian beyond objects and buildings; we also carry out our mission to connect communities across cultures—cultivating curiosity, understanding, and belonging for all people,” Murphy said. 

For TMY, now in its 53rd year, the collaboration represents significant national recognition for the festival’s standing as one of the country’s premier community folklife festivals. It will also enable new activities in Tucson reflecting our community’s voices, stories, and aspirations, including:

• Of the People Village at Tucson Meet Yourself in October 2026, featuring Smithsonian programs in three spaces throughout the festival weekend:
• Folklife Here: Narrative & Dialogue Stage, featuring facilitated civic conversations on work, culture, belonging, and public life.
• Occupational Folklife Demonstrations, showcasing workers from uniquely Tucson jobs and occupations sharing how work is learned, practiced, and passed down across generations.
• Citizen Journalism Summit & Community Media Hub, a convening of local journalists, independent mediamakers, community organizations, and students for conversation about the vital role of citizen journalism and community media in a healthy democracy.
• An artist residency hosting a nationally recognized musician in the American roots genre, including community education and performance, in partnership with the historic Fox Tucson Theatre.
• Research on the range and impact of the nearly 100 annual festivals and outdoor events in Tucson on economic prosperity and civic engagement in our community, supported by the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in collaboration with the University of Arizona Southwest Center.
• “We Hold These Truths,” an interactive kiosk space gathering community truths led by local interdisciplinary artist and zine maker Ames Meeks, launching in April at the Tucson Folk Festival and appearing at festivals and events throughout spring/summer 2026.
• Plus, an overall redesign of the festival footprint with more open space and story-based interactions, beyond entertainment and food sales.

The initiative acknowledges the long-time success of TMY, which was inspired by and founded just a few years after the inaugural 1967 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, said TMY Senior Curator Dr. Maribel Alvarez. “It has always been the standard to aspire to for curatorial excellence through a deep ethic of inclusion and human dignity. Partnering with them is a great honor that ups the ante for how all of us will continue to think of public gatherings as a vital source of renewal for the common good,” she said.

Dawn McMillan, program director for the TMY-Smithsonian collaboration, said the project acknowledges the long-time success of TMY and helps carry it forward. “The Of the People collaboration deepens what Tucson Meet Yourself has always done: bring neighbors together to listen, learn, and celebrate the creativity of everyday people.”

This project received funding from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years. ~

The Southwest Folklife Alliance (SFA) is an affiliate non-profit organization of the University of Arizona in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the official state-designated folk arts partner of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the parent-producing agent of the annual Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival. The organization offers yearlong programs that celebrates and preserves the art, culture, heritage, foodways, and folklife of the borderlands region.