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Between March and November, the Smithsonian is taking its oldest and largest public event—the annual Folklife Festival—on the road to communities across the country and three U.S. territories as “Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals.” Through a series of co-curated programs and exchanges, the Smithsonian will collaborate with approximately 40 festivals to amplify how they serve as enduring tools for civic engagement and cultural exchange.

In the late 1880s, as part of the country’s earliest conservation efforts, several American bison were brought to live in a pen behind the Smithsonian Castle. The species will make its return to the National Mall later this month, as two bronze bison sculptures are installed outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

On March 23, join the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum for a Wikipedia edit-a-thon focusing on women connected to We Do Declare: Women’s Voices on Independence, an oral history project exploring when and how women have advanced their economic independence over the last fifty years. 

Last month, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute welcomed Linh Mai, the first Asian elephant calf born to the Zoo in nearly 25 years. Before she makes her public debut later this spring, Linh Mai will spend time bonding with her herd mates and animal care team behind-the-scenes.