Smithsonian festival to remain on National Mall

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Park Service says it has reached an agreement with the Smithsonian Institution to keep the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall.

The agency announced a new five-year agreement Wednesday that will be signed during the festival’s opening ceremony. Some festival supporters have worried new turf regulations on the National Mall would force the festival to relocate elsewhere.

The agreement calls for the festival to be held on the National Mall between 7th and 14th streets for the next five years whenever possible.

Next year the festival will be held between 3rd and 7th streets on the mall during the second phase of a turf restoration project. The park service says it will work with the Smithsonian to find a suitable location during the turf overhaul.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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