Press Room

The National Bell Festival has tapped Ukrainian papercutting artist Natalia Didenko to serve as the 2025 Official Festival Artist for the sixth annual festival on New Year’s Day.

Vytynanky, the art of papercutting, took hold in Ukraine around the turn of the 17th century, first as pads for seals on clerical documents, like letters and certificates, of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. By the mid-19th century, vytynanky had become widespread in the everyday life of villages and cities, and it continues to form an integral part of Ukrainian decorative arts. 

With the sixth annual National Bell Festival just around the corner, bell foundries and bell ringers are awash in preparations. From coast to coast, ropes are being tested and refitted, louvers are being oiled and cranked, and bells are getting those final attentions before resounding in a jubilant clamor on New Year’s Day.

Reaffirming a commitment to the Washington, D.C. community, Metro Motor has announced it is returning as a presenting sponsor of the National Bell Festival, making possible a day-long festival of free community events and experiences on New Year’s Day.

The sponsorship enables the festival to invest in programming, performances, and installations that champion the mighty bell. During the 2025 National Bell Festival, festivalgoers will be able to:

In March 2024, the National Bell Festival rolled up our sleeves and got our hands dirty. While we’re no strangers to dusty, pigeon-laden bell towers, mucking through slippery riverbank marshes and roadside drainage ditches is something else entirely. For five months, we embarked on a mission to help clean our nation’s capital of unsightly litter and debris, and to amass materials for one very special project.

As the thundering of bells rings in the New Year, the 2025 National Bell Festival will highlight the rich bell ringing traditions and bell making heritage of Ukraine. From grand cathedrals and monasteries to the center of rural villages, bells have been a part of the soundscape of Ukraine since the earliest days of Kievan Rus'.

The National Bell Festival is pleased to announce the accession of Carl Scott Zimmerman to the Order of St. Dunstan. The Order of St. Dunstan is an honor presented annually to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the field of campanology, the study of bells.
 

On the cold afternoon of Dec. 6, 1917, the Tucker-class destroyer USS Jacob Jones (DD-61) made headway past the southwestern tip of England near the Isles of Scilly. World War I was raging across Europe and German U-boats menaced the seas. To help keep the transatlantic lifeline open, the U.S. Navy established a substantial presence in UK waters – guarding the Western Approaches from Central Powers aggression and ensuring food, weapons, and troops reached allies on the continent.