WASHINGTON -- The tents are up, the music is on and you have four days left.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, now in its 43rd year, draws almost a million visitors to the National Mall.

This year, the festival highlights "Las Americas," celebrating the music of Latin America, "Wales Cymru," a cornucopia of Welch crafts, and "Giving Voice," an exploration of the power of the African American word.

“We hope that the visitors come and strike up a dialogue with our participants and are able to get firsthand knowledge about whatever the participant is here to represent,” said Amy Kehs, a spokeswoman for the festival.

Although admission is free, the festival relies on corporate sponsorship to thrive. “We have a lot of great sponsors,” Kehs said. “In the case of Wales, the Government of Wales does sponsor a large part of the program. We hope that the sponsorships will come in and the fundraising will continue.”

Because the list of countries changes every year, so do the intentions of the festival creators.

“Last year we had a program on Buton … a country that many people do not have access to, they don’t know about, they can’t get to, and it’s their way of being exposed to the culture,” Kehs said. “In terms of Wales, it’s a country that is very accessible, so visitors might come, learn a little about Wales, and be interested in going to visit that country.”

The festival focuses on teaching visitors about a culture and to make those far from home feel as if they never left.

“Our heritage, although it’s way back, is Welch,” said participant Phil Wyman.

“For people who have Welch heritage in the United States,” Wyman said. “This gives you a sense of history, a sense of culture, a sense of the language.”

For anyone who’s interested in spicing up a summer day, the festival will be open until Sunday.