The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington, DC, the organization that puts on the National Folklife Festival each year, has announced that ROMP 2026 is one of 40 festivals with whom they will collaborate during the 250th anniversary of the US founding this year.
Short for “River of Music Party,” ROMP is the annual festival put on by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, KY, along the banks of the Ohio River. In addition to bringing top bluegrass, new grass, and Americana artists to western Kentucky, it is also a major fundraiser for the Hall of Fame.
Adam Engelhardt, Executive Director of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum and the ROMP Festival, says this arrangement will help them offer a more representative sampling of roots music during the America’s 250th celebration.
“It’s an honor to team up with the Smithsonian and bring Of the People to ROMP. Bluegrass represents the community and creativity this national celebration is all about. This collaboration will enhance our festival and connect our audience to a bigger conversation about our shared traditions and heritage.”
Director of Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage at thee Smithsonian, Clifford Murphy, says that this sort of collaboration allows the Center to reach out to communities far from our nation’s capitol.
“The 250th anniversary is a time to celebrate our extraordinary cultural democracy, to visit with the people, places, and traditions within it, and to contemplate our shared future. 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.”
Find out more about the performers, interactive workshops, family-friendly activities, and immersive experiences that honor the legacy and evolution of bluegrass and roots music at ROMP online.
