Playing peekaboo at the Northwest Folklife Festival

Originally published May 24, 2019 at 6:25 pmUpdated May 25, 2019 at 12:27 pm

The top of the Space Needle peeks through the opening of Gary LaPointe’s tipi as the structure is set up for the Circle of Indigenous Peoples Celebration, on the Broad Street Lawn at the Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center on Friday. LaPointe is Rosebud Sioux (Sicangu Lakota, a branch of the Lakota people). The Duwamish Tribe opened the annual festival with a ceremony Friday. Folklife continues through Memorial Day. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Curious youngsters peer into Gary LaPointe’s tipi as it’s set up at the Northwest Folklife Festival on Friday. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Gary LaPointe, Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) adjusts the poles on his tipi at Folklife on Friday. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Nelson Beavington’s jacket is covered in Northwest Folklife buttons he’s collected over the years as a festival volunteer. Beavington is from Vancouver, British Columbia. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Folk dancers move to the music in the Fisher Pavilion at the 48th annual Northwest Folklife Festival on Friday. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Accordion Cat busks near the fountain at the 48th annual Northwest Folklife Festival on Friday. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Tyler Kwak plays his electric violin near one of the entrances to the Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center on Friday. The festival continues through Memorial Day. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Sax player John Guyer with Swingshift performs on the Fountain Lawn Stage at the 48th Northwest Folklife Festival. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Tophatted Tom Whitmore keeps things running on time at the Fountain Lawn State at the Northwest Folklife Festival. He says he wears the hat to give the audience something to focus on when he introduces music groups. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Guitarist Rik Wright leads his group, Rik Wright’s Fundamental Forces, playing modern jazz and rock at the Fountain Lawn Stage. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

It’s best to have umbrellas when wandering into the International Fountain at the Northwest Folklife Festival. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Dylan Mines plays the erhu, a two-string Chinese instrument, at the Northwest Folklife Festival.
He’s with Jim Marcotte & The Breakthrough, an eclectic acoustic folksoul group. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Northwest Folklife Festival fans can still find plenty of tie-dye at the annual event as Seattle Center this weekend. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Jim Graham, playing bass guitar, and his wife, Jillian, are part of Swingshift, a jazz group performing on the Fountain Lawn Stage at the Northwest Folklife Festival. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Kevin Cummings of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina hangs cedar boughs at the Circle of Indigenous Peoples Celebration at the annual Northwest Folklife Festival. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Gary LaPointe, Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) emerges from his tipi as it’s set up at the Circle of Indigenous Peoples Celebration at Folklife on Friday. He says the design is thousands of years old and handles intense winds and rains well. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

Playing peekaboo at the Northwest Folklife FestivalBack to story Restart gallery

The Northwest Folklife Festival fills Seattle Center with music and dance of world cultures by thousands of performers on 20 stages Friday through Monday, May 24-27

By

Alan Berner

Seattle Times staff photographer

The Northwest Folklife Festival continues through Monday, Memorial Day. Looking for fun activities to check out while you’re there? Our Weekend Highlight feature can help.

Alan Berner