Things you should know about the 78th Festival of Christmas & Midwinter Traditions…
Live & Silent Auction
Both auctions contribute significantly to the festival and general Folklore Village budget. Please bring quality folk, hand-made, or “global” items or services for inclusion in our Live and Silent Auctions (held December 31). Please bring any donations to the office or to a Folklore Village staff person by the morning of December 31. You will need to complete an auction form for each item you donate, listing a description and appropriate starting bid. No items will be accepted without a completed form! Thank you very much for your fun contributions and exuberant bidding!
Dietary Restrictions/Food at the Festival
This festival celebrates cultures and foodways from all over the world, and as such lunches and dinners will each have a cultural theme. Foodways are the cultural and social intersection of food and culture, traditions, and history.
Throughout the festival, meals will feature meat, dairy, gluten, and other ingredients. A gluten free and a vegetarian option will be available at each meal for those who have registered as such. Please do not eat these options if you have not registered for them, as then there may not be enough for our gluten free and vegetarina friends!
If you have noted other dietary requirements on your registration form, these have been passed along to the RedBarn Catering crew, who will be willing to help you identify which items are safe for your consumption and may have special meals or items reserved for you in the kitchen. You are also welcome to bring your own food and snacks as desired, but please note that food storage and prep space will not be available during the festival.
Etiquette of “Dropping In” on a workshop
We encourage you to attend as many workshops as possible during the festival! Please note that if you join a workshop after it was begun, the teacher might not be able to start from scratch on the lesson/skill with you (with the exception of the community project). You most likely will need to jump in where the other class participants already are. If the class is small enough, the instructor may be able to help you catch up.
Please be aware that some workshops (particularly some crafts) may have participation capped at a certain number and/or may have associated materials fees. If you have not registered for a craft workshop, please check with a staff member to see if there is space available.
Pitching In!
Pitching in at Folklore Village festivals is a time-honored tradition. With a small team of only two full-time and three part-time employees, big events like the Festival of Christmas & Midwinter Traditions can stretch our staff thin. We greatly appreciate help from participants, whether it’s taking out a full trash can, replacing the toilet paper, or letting a staff member know if the coffee is getting low. If you’re looking for something to do between workshops, please consider asking a Folklore Village staff person if there is a way you can pitch in–there likely will be!
Snack and Baking Requests
Help provide the snacks needed for teas and evenings! If you like baking or can help purchase some festive items, contact Kelli Emerson at (608)924-4000 or programs@folklorevillage.org with questions and to sign up.
Please make (and freeze if necessary) your snack donations before the festival. The kitchen is not available for food preparation at most times during the festival. We do not provide gluten-free or dairy-free snacks each night, but will gladly take donations of allergy-friendly snacks to put out as well.
Teas
December 30: donations of mangoes, bananas, or other tropical fruits
Evenings
December 28: 75 count of any festive cookie or treat
December 29: 75 count of any Scandinavian, French, or other festive cookie or treat
December 30: 75 count of Hungarian, Eastern European, or other fetive cookie or treat