By DCist Contributor Steve Kiviat

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival has a somewhat well-deserved reputation as a highly educational place to dump visiting relatives, but tourists and discerning locals alike can also have some fun at the event’s daytime performances and evening concerts and dance parties (not to mention chowing down on grub that’s better than street-corner hotdogs). This year’s 41st annual version features three themes: “Mekong River: Connecting Cultures,” “Northern Ireland at the Smithsonian,” and “The Roots of Virginia Culture.”

Although the Pogues will not be representing on the Irish stage, and Dengue Fever will not be bringing Cambodian pop to the Mekong River stage, the invited traditional artists should bring some joy — performers are traveling here from their respective homelands and not from local bars and community centers. And if Irish and Mekong River sonics are not your thing, and you don’t feel like checking out demonstrations of Gaelic football, Asian fish trapping, and Virginia oyster catching, remember that the Smithsonian has defined “The Roots of Virginia Culture” to include Latin salsa, brass band gospel, and a whole lot more.

There is another wild card: the annual Ralph Rinzler Memorial Concert will feature a trio of Louisiana’s finest Cajun musicians. The Festival starts today and runs through Sunday, July 1, picking up again on Wednesday, July 4 before finishing on Sunday, July 8. Festival hours are from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, with concerts, special events and dance parties extending into most evenings. In addition, for those tired of the heat, dust, and crowds on the mall, the Kennedy Center will feature Folklife Festival performers at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage on many nights.

Our picks for this year’s highlights are after the jump.

Photo by Kyle Walton.