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Deadline July 17 for Zimfest Housing, Meals and Marketplace

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News — No Comments ↓

Howdy Zimfest-ers,

  • Registration for dorm rooms and pre-purchased meal plans will close midnight (PDT) on Thursday, July 17. There are still double rooms available in the main CWU dorm Alford-Montgomery, but we cannot guarantee that CWU housing will be able to release any for walk-ins at the festival. Participants will not be able to purchase meal plans onsite, but must pay with credit cards in the Homes Dining Hall. 
  • Vendor applications for the African Marketplace will also close on July 17. Those who apply after the deadline will be charged a late fee and may not be able to request any tables and/or chairs.

Zimfest Tips and Requests

  • Registration for Workshops closes July 28. It is too late to request a private group (marimba) workshop, but if you are one or two people unable to get into an mbira workshop that interests you, you may be able to approach the individual teacher and set up a mutually agreeable time for private instruction. If you do not request the use of any of the Zimfest workshop rooms, you will not need to involve Zimfest personnel in setting it up. Do remember that most Zimbabweans are here on B1/2 visitor’s visas, and can only receive donations/tips for teaching.
  • Volunteer Sign-ups also close July 28. We thank all who have signed up after our discovery and announcement that the volunteer system had been hacked with many fake names. We have many set-up needs if you plan to come on Thursday during the day. Please help us out with Signage, Workshop Instrument Set-up or General Festival Set-up if you are available to help.
  • Drums Needed! In addition to the set of Zimfest drums used in group drumming workshops, many teachers request single drums in their marimba or dance workshops. If you can lend Zimfest a hand drum or congas, please let the Workshops Support team know by writing teachers[at]zimfest[dot]org. Bring them to the registration area on Thursday, and you will be able to pick them up after the completion of workshops Sunday afternoon or Monday.

Enjoy the summer weather,

Festival Coordinator Claire and the Zimfest Team

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Zimfest Volunteers Needed

Posted on by Larry Israel Posted in Festival News — 5 Comments ↓

Dear Zimfest community,

We were celebrating the nearly filled volunteer signup sheet. But two days ago we discovered that most of the volunteer sign-ups are fake!

We have removed the fakes from the sign-up page, which leaves only 30% of the shifts filled. We are in desperate need for festival-goers to volunteer. There are lots of open shifts. Please sign up now on the Volunteer Sign-Up.

All the volunteer names looked real enough so we didn’t notice the problem. I should have discovered it sooner as many had questionable phone numbers and email addresses. We decided to manually compare the volunteer names with the names of festival registrants (they are two separate systems).

We have deleted all those who volunteered with names that are not registered as Zimfest 2025 attendees. And we’ve added a captcha to help secure the volunteer signup form.

If you signed up to volunteer, please look for your name on the sign-up page. Your sign-up(s) may have been removed in error. If so, please sign up again; or send an email to volunteers (at) zimfest(dot)org so that we can restore your sign-up. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

Thank you for volunteering! Your help and generosity make Zimfest possible.

Volunteer Now

Larry Israel
Zimfest website maintainer

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Zimfest Odds and Ends

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News — No Comments ↓

Greetings Zimfest community,

Some news flashes and reminders about Zimfest 2025:

  • Off-campus Housing – Although our hoped-for group discount at the Ellensburg Red Lion did not work out, there is a possibility for 10% discounts at the more upscale Hotel Windrow in downtown Ellensburg. See the Off-campus Housing page for details.
  • Performer and teacher contracts and agreements are due to be signed by July 1, and will be subject to termination on July 10. If you are a teacher or evening performer contact person and cannot find your acceptance letter with link to the contract, please write to teachers[at]zimfest[dot]org or performers[at]zimfest[dot]org.
  • All concert performers are eligible to claim free admission to one evening (by donation) concert. Performers accepted for the evening stage may enter that night’s concert for free, and performers on the outdoor stage may choose one evening concert for which they would like to request free admission. Contact people for bands should ensure their band roster is up to date before the festival; please write to performers[at]zimfest[dot]org if you need to add performer names that did not appear in your original application. Zimfest is grateful to all performers who opt to donate for concert tickets rather than claiming free admission!
  • We are grateful to be hosting several Zimbabweans new to Zimfest this year (see Overview page). Assistance for these individuals would be appreciated. Please write to us at zimguests[at]zimfest[dot]org if anything below sounds like you could help: 
    • If you live in Seattle, help may be needed getting to CWU from Seatac airport. Or even hosting someone overnight!
    • If you arrive at Zimfest Thursday Aug 7 (or even Wednesday!) help orient a Zimbabwean teacher to the festival as you find the locations yourself for the SURC Student Union, registration, housing check-in and dorm, workshop rooms. Help them get to teachers’ meeting at 4 PM in SURC 201 (followed by Zimbabweans meeting).

Happy Solstice!
Claire and the OC Team

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Zimfest News and Workshop Changes

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News — 1 Comment ↓

Dear all,

We are happy to announce that all the Zimbabweans traveling to Zimfest from Africa have had their visas approved! Not everyone has gotten their passport back with the visa in it yet, so travel plans are still on hold for some.

  • As registration has continued to go well, we have made some adjustments to the workshop schedule. We have increased maximum enrollments for some that were full or nearly so, and added three new workshops, two of which are repeats of popular ones. See the Workshop Changes webpage for specific changes. If you have already registered and want to take advantage of some of the changes, consult Making Changes to your Registration on the How to Register page.
  • We are starting to advertise Zimfest 2025 in the Ellensburg area, and there is interest in this town that is new to Zimbabwean music and dance! We have made sure there are spaces in beginner and introductory workshops for people new to the festival.
  • We are heartened to see that Volunteer signups are ongoing. The Volunteer coordinators wish to remind you to keep track of what you have signed up to do, and during the festival, show up at the designated place on time (no-shows were a problem in 2023)! If you haven’t yet signed up for one or more volunteer shifts, please consider these specific needs: festival set-up and decorations on Thursday; and take down and clean-up Sunday and Monday.
  • Applications for Marketplace Vendors are going slowly. We know there are more of you out there – please do not wait until the last minute (applications will close July 17)!

Enjoy the summer weather!
Zimfest Coordinator Claire Jones

Zimfest 2023 photo by Rob Saecker

You can view this and other photos in the Zimfest 2023 slideshow from most webpages with a sidebar.

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Zimfest Registration Updates

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings all,

The Zimfest organizers have been gratified to see the large numbers of registration and new memberships rolling in – we are looking forward to a large and joyous gathering at CWU this summer! Some updates:

  • We see from a glance at the Workshop grid that many workshops are already full, and a large number of them are marimba workshops! We will be evaluating in the coming days and weeks how we might add workshops, or increase enrollment in some, but in the meanwhile, please explore ALL our workshop offerings. If you have only taken marimba workshops in the past, consider a beginning workshop in hosho, drumming, or different types of mbira. You need NO experience to participate in song, or dance workshops!
  • We encourage everyone, no matter what type of instrument you have been learning, to sign up for a Cultural Presentation in order to deepen your knowledge of Zimbabwean culture and traditions. Zimfest considers these so important that we charge less for them! We have compiled a list of presentations and instruments new to Zimfest 2025 here. 
  • We regret to inform you that one of our long-awaited Zimbabwean guest teachers, Innocent Musafare Mutero, has been denied his visa in South Africa and will be unable to come to Zimfest. We have been working hard to replace his workshops, all intermediate marimba classes. If you were enrolled in one or more of his workshops, you should have received a message informing you of what to do in order to remain in the replacement workshop. Although most of his workshops were full, the replacement teachers have all agreed to allow a higher number of students, so there are currently openings in these workshops. A summary of the workshop changes can be found here. 

Happy hunting!
Festival Coordinator Claire

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Zimfest Registration is Open!

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings all,

We are so pleased to announce that registration for Zimfest 2025 is open as of midnight May 1 for Zimfest Association members, and May 3 for non-members. Non-members will pay a $15 registration fee (which is waived for paying members).

  • Go to the How to Register page on the website for complete instructions and a link to the registration system (RegFox).  There you will be able to take out a new membership or verify your existing membership number in order to register and pay for housing at our host university, tent camping, meal plans, workshops and concert tickets.
  • The Zimfest website gives information about On- and Off-Campus housing as well as Dining, Concerts, Festival events and so forth. Browse the website so that you know what you want to sign up for before registering. 
  • You can view details about workshops and teachers in the Workshops menu on our website. The Workshop Grid is now visible, a convenient look at the workshop schedule throughout the weekend.
  • Housing in the Central Washington University dorms we have been allocated is mostly in double rooms, so you may wish to take advantage of our Roommate Request Board if you have rented a room and need someone to share with. As festival time gets closer, you may wish to use the Ride Board to find someone to share gas costs with. 
  • And last, but certainly not least, be sure to sign up for one or more volunteer shifts on the Volunteer Sign-up page. Zimfest runs on volunteer energy, and we all need to pitch in!

A Big Thank You to the Tech Committee, namely Jake Roberts for setting up our registration system, Nora Holmquist for creating the teachers and workshops portal display, and Larry Israel for building and maintaining the Zimfest website. 

Best regards,
Festival Coordinator Claire

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Zimfest Workshop Schedule Published

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfest-ers,

Announcing the publication of the Zimfest 2025 teachers and workshops schedule!
We have been delayed by technical glitches, and you will see that photos of the teachers are not all accessible yet, nor is there a convenient view of the workshop grid. There is however, a complete list of all workshops sortable by session, teacher, topic and skill level, all thanks to our tech whiz Nora H.! Expect a viewable grid within the next few days, as well as Directions on How to Register, and the proposed Concert Schedule!

Those who want to ensure they get into the workshops of their choosing may wish to check that they have paid for Zimfest memberships in order to waive the registration fee and have registration open to them two days before it opens for non-members. Hint: it will speed things up to have your membership number handy!

We are still aspiring to open registration for Zimfest members on May 1.

Happy spring,
Claire (Zimfest Coordinator)

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Zimfest Updates

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings all,

  • The Zimfest Concert Programming team has built a tentative concert schedule and sent out initial emails with proposed performance times to the contact people for all the US-based bands and ensembles. Please check your spam folders and write to performers[at]zimfest[dot]org if you have not received your notification. We know that many of the band members also take workshops and want to know their performance time before registration opens. If we do not hear from you within a week we will assume your assigned performance time works for your band.
  • Publication of the workshop schedule is targeted for April 22. Around that date we will be sending more formal performance notifications, with a link to sign your contract/agreement online.
  • Reminder to accepted teachers who have been sent acceptance letters with links to contracts – please sign by July 1! If you have not received the email with your letter, please check your spam folders before writing to teachers[at]zimfest[dot]org. 
  • And last but not least, we introduce our accepted Zimbabwean cultural educators for Zimfest 2025 on the Festival Overview page! As always, actual attendance at Zimfest is dependent on visas being approved. Wait times for visa interview appointments in the US Embassy in Harare are longer than ever, so we are doing our best to expedite the interviews of those applying in Zimbabwe. We ask you to send us and them some help from the ancestors!

Until next time,
Zimfest Coordinator Claire and the Organizing Committee

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Marketplace Vendors and Teachers Info

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfesters and Friends,
Letting you know that:

  • Vendor booth applications are now open for the Zimfest 2025 African Marketplace at CWU. Please read the Vendor Information page for info on rates charged for booths, tables and chairs; the link to the application is on the same page. The deadline is July 17. Applications received after that date will be charged a late fee and may not be able to rent tables and chairs.
  • The Teachers and Workshops team has completed the monumental task of generating a workshop schedule featuring 26 teachers presenting almost 80 cultural and musical workshops! Teachers have been sent acceptance letters listing their scheduled workshops and times as well as a link to the Contract Website to sign their agreement and read the Leadership document. We ask that you let us know if you find any inaccurate information or time conflicts, and request (insist!) that you sign your contract or agreement by July 1.
  • Target dates as shown here are: April 22 for publishing the workshop schedule; May 1 registration opens for Zimfest members and; May 3 registration opens for all.

Back to work (no April Fool’s joke!),
Claire and the OC

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Zimfest Updates & COVID Policy

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfest community,

  • The ZA Board, aware that COVID-19 infections could surge at any time, has come up with a policy for Zimfest 2025 based on personal responsibility and the creation of a safe environment for all. The policy has been posted here on the Zimfest website.
    • A core feature of the policy is that workshop teachers may either require masking or encourage the voluntary use of masks in their classes. In order for masking requirements to be known ahead of time, the organizing committee will be writing to all accepted teachers to indicate their preferences as soon as possible. Teachers, you can assist in this process by writing teachers[at]zimfest[dot]org with your stated preference. If we do not hear from you, we will assume you do not want to require masking in your class(es).
  • On another topic, we have been informed that there is a wheelchair lift and small number of ADA rooms in the dorms we have been allotted. See Disabled Access for further information. If any wheelchair-bound Zimfest participant wishes to rent one of these rooms, please write to registration[at]zimfest[dot]org before June 15, 2025. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Festival Coordinator Claire

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Zimfest and Accommodation Updates

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfest community,

  • We are happy to announce that we have located a reasonably-priced hotel in Ellensburg that promises a group discount if enough Zimfest attendees stay there. The Red Lion Hotel Ellensburg is at 1700 S. Canyon Road off I-90 about 2.7 miles from the CWU Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC). If ten rooms are rented by Zimfest participants, each will receive a 10-15% discount (current undiscounted price for a room with queen bed is $105). Please call 509-925-9800 and let them know you are with Zimfest 2025. Zimfest cannot offer any troubleshooting help should you encounter any problems, but please post a comment on this blog post if you make a reservation with them. Thanks to John Hatten for the many phone calls he made to bring this opportunity to you!
  • Zimfest 2025 teacher and performer applications closed as of February 28 and the Organizing Committee is hard at work sorting through applications, making determinations about acceptances and setting up the workshop schedule. Accepted teachers can expect to hear from us in late March, and accepted performers shortly thereafter.
  • We plan to open applications for Zimfest vendors and non-profit stands by April 1, and have published the African Marketplace and Information for Vendors pages on the website. The Marketplace and outdoor stage will be located in a grassy, shaded area outside the northeast corner of the SURC.

More news coming soon!
Claire Jones, Festival Coordinator

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Zimfest News

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings all,

  • Introducing the Zimfest 2025 artwork below and in the form of a Save the Date card/flyer that you can download from the Overview page (scroll down) and share. Thanks to Karin Rau for the original artwork she sent us in 2023!
  • We have been slowly but steadily receiving applications to perform and/or teach at Zimfest 2025 but we know there are still folks out there who are procrastinating! There is less than one week to go until the February 28 deadline!
  • Webmaster Larry Israel and myself, with the help of volunteers, have been busy populating the zimfest.org website with informational pages to help you plan your Zimfest 2025 visit. Need information on Off-campus Housing and Dining? Want ideas on things to do Around Ellensburg?

Music Dancing Across Borders

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