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As in the past, the event takes place at the Netherlands Carillon, with the monuments of the Mall serving as an inspiring backdrop and a lineup of acclaimed international musicians serving up a tasty sampler of global sound. This year's festival offers Celtic, Lebanese, Chinese and Congolese-Angolan musicians as well as a number of activities designed for children.

Since the U.S.-based Celtic band Solas first appeared in 1996, the quintet has become known for its contemporary take on traditional inspirations. Multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan (flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, whistle, guitar and bodhran) and fiddler Winifred Horan have remained constants through a decade that has seen changing lineups, the release of seven albums, worldwide tours and a growing throng of fans and critical raves. The group has performed at major Celtic and folk festivals but also stretches its wings at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Steamboat Springs, Colo., chamber music summer series and in classical venues. The band is celebrating the release of a CD, "For Love and Laughter" (on Compass Records), and the arrival of a vocalist, Mairead Phelan, from County Kilkenny, Ireland.

(On a side note, the evening before the free festival -- Friday -- Solas will perform at a ticketed concert in the Rosslyn Spectrum that will serve as a CD release party. Admission includes a post-concert catered reception with the band.)

The other world music acts to be featured at the festival are Lebanese vocalist Tania Saleh, a young composer-interpreter and graduate of the Sorbonne, whose sophisticated songs broach subjects rarely found in Arabic material; China's Yang Ying, whom the New York Times called "the Jimmy Hendrix of the erhu" (a Chinese fiddle/violin with two strings); and Congolese-Angolan icon Ricardo Lemvo, whose band, Makina Loca, is considered one of today's hottest salsa acts.

With such engaging music onstage, you might find it hard to pull away, but the temptation exists with a separate zone devoted to family-friendly activities and performances. Dubbed the World Playground, this section (open 4-7 p.m.) offers craftmaking led by professional artists and a second stage of family shows.

Performers include Farafina Kan-West African Dance; David London's "Adventure to Imagi-Nation" storytelling & magic show; the Tai Yim Lion Dancers; and the New York-based Bash the Trash, an "interactive environmental performance ensemble" that uses the arts to teach environmental awareness. The group will lead a workshop in which kids help build instruments from recycled/reusable materials, after which families and performers can play the "trashy" instruments in a parade that leads back to the main stage.

In addition to face painting and an instrument "petting zoo," activities include a Global Closet, where kids can try on garb from around the world; making bike decorations, puppets and stuffed animals with recycled material; and a Wardrobe Refashioning area, where old clothes are transformed into new ones with silk-screened designs. And, like the main stage performances, all of these activities are free.

-- MARIANNE MEYER

The Netherlands Carillon is at Route 110 and Marshall Drive, beside the Iwo Jima Memorial, in Arlington. There is no onsite parking, but shuttles will run to the site and back from the Rosslyn Metro station throughout the day. For the Solas Rosslyn Spectrum show, general admission tickets are $40 and are available through Ticketmaster (202-397-SEAT) and online athttp://www.ticketmaster.com. For general information about either show, call 703-228-1850 or visithttp://www.planetarlington.com.

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