Bermuda will take centre stage in the US capital next year in a two week festival on the Washington DC Mall.

Culture Minister Terry Lister said Bermudian culture will be the foreign component in the 35th Smithsonian Folklife Festival which averages about 1 million visitors over ten days.

And education in Bermuda is certain to get an injection of innovative resources for its classrooms with both the Education Ministry and the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs collaborating on the production of multicultural educational materials and curriculum guides.

The Folklife Festival will run from June 27 to July 8 on the Mall which runs from the Washington Monument -- which is directly in front of the White House -- and the Capitol, the seat of Congress.

Mr. Lister also announced plans to develop local participation in the Festival into a Bermuda Living Traditions Initiative and also to help preserve traditional skills through awards, artist residencies, and apprenticeship programmes.

Mr. Lister said: "This is a wonderful project and it will give Bermuda the opportunity to show off to the world. This will be a tremendous spin-off for tourism.

Another spinoff of the Festival is the behind the scenes involvement of Bermudians in organising the big event.

Bermudian concessionaires will see how to organise their stalls to produce enough food for 10,000 people a day for two days.

"Just imagine, that's one stall serving more people in one day than all of the people at Cup Match,'' Mr. Lister said. "This Festival also ties into Carifesta which will work into the way to do such big events.'' A "museum without walls'', the Folklife Festival is a model for similar festivals using research based living exhibitions and celebrates diverse cultural traditions around the world.

New York City folklife and a Masters of the Building Arts exhibit will complete next year's Festival.

Around 120 Bermudian "tradition bearers'' will be in Washington for the event including Cup Match cricketers, cooks, gardeners, house builders, Gombeys, and maritime artisans.

Mr. Lister was joined by Cultural Affairs Officer Heather Whalen and programme coordinator Jackie Aubrey.

Also in attendance were Diana Parker, Director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and Diana N'Diaye the Curator of the Bermuda Programme.

Ms Parker said: "Ms Aubrey saw a presentation some years ago and told the Minister about it. We were invited down last September to meet with the Minister.'' She added: "It is something which will be mutually beneficial for both Bermuda and the Smithsonian.''