Folk art festivals can be simple gatherings of people to share their art. However, some festivals include juried contests. Folk art festivals may have a jury scoring each live band, with the winner receiving a prize. Objects with use such as furniture may be graded. Crafts often can be submitted into an art contest. Jurors view each submission before grading them on a predetermined set of characteristics such as traditional authenticity, construction, and appearance.
National folk art festivals are sometimes in areas with large populations, near cities. People that live in cities may be attracted to a folk art festival because they may not encounter folk art in their daily lives. National folk art festivals provide a sampling of folk art from around the country. Southern folk art may be presented alongside art from the north and crafts from the west. National festivals enable visitors to experience a variety of folk art.
Regional folk art festivals are usually the most common. Regional festivals focus on that region's specific folk art traditions. In Pennsylvania, folk art festivals commonly offer corn-husk dolls, traditional dolls made from corn husks. In folk art festivals in the south, you'll find southern food, not the meat and potatoes you'd find at a folk festival in New York. Regional folk art festivals celebrate and display a region's traditions, values, and creativity.
Some folk art festivals are run by religious organizations, and based around a religion or culture. Jewish folk art festivals celebrate the traditional folk art of Jewish culture. Catholic churches sometimes have folk art festivals focused on their faith. Art found at a Christian folk art festival may display the local region's perspective on Jesus, and may be different from art found at similar festivals in other places. Religious festivals allow their followers to celebrate traditional art.