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Posts Tagged "Central Washington University"

Zimfest 2027 and Festival Coordination News

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

Greetings Zimfest community,

More than two months have passed since our post-Zimfest de-briefing and financial assessment, and we have mixed news for you. While the ZA Board and Organizing committee share many great memories of a wonderfully vibrant gathering, we unfortunately lost money on the 2025 festival. However, the Zimfest Annual Campaign and Giving Tuesday are coming up soon, and you will be hearing from our fundraisers about donating to the Zimfest Association and/or taking out memberships to support the festival and get us back in the black. We invite you to be creative and think of new ways you might be able to raise money for Zimfest!

  • The general consensus of ZA Board and OC members is that Central Washington University worked well as a Zimfest location. As with any site, there were some less-than-positive-aspects, but also many positive ones, including the welcoming helpfulness of CWU personnel! We have asked Conference Services if they can host us again in 2027, and the answer is yes. Please mark your calendars for August 5-8, 2027 for the next Zimfest at CWU in Ellensburg, WA. (There is a slight possibility of an earlier date in late July, and they will let us know as soon as possible if that can happen.)
  • I regret to inform you all that I am stepping away from the position of Zimfest Coordinator. My current contract expired on October 31, 2025,  thus making the securing of the commitment from CWU to host Zimfest 2027 my last official action. Given our move to a bi-ennial festival, the services of a coordinator will not be needed for another year, giving the board plenty of time to determine the next steps. I will remain on the ZA board to help with that transition and provide some institutional memory – not to worry, I’m not going anywhere! It has been quite a ride since being named Festival Coordinator in late 2013, and I so appreciate all the support, all the volunteer help, all the expert teaching and invigorating performances from all of you across the globe! 

Thank you Zimfest Community,
(Former) Zimfest Coordinator Claire Jones

Music Dancing Across Borders

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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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Announcing Zimfest 2025: August 7-10 at CWU

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest community,

At long last, the ZA board and I are happy to announce the dates and location for Zimfest 2025: August 7-10, 2025, at Central Washington University (CWU) in Ellensburg, WA. Mark your calendars! Be forewarned that Zimfest has been allocated a single dorm with only 80% of the number of beds we usually require on-campus, so you may wish to look into nearby motels, Air BnB’s and campgrounds well in advance. More info on these options coming soon!

The Search

We are so sorry that it took us this long to confirm a date, having begun an exhaustive WA State venue search late last year. After contacting many institutions, we have learned that college conference organizers and the administrations that oversee them have been as disturbed by the COVID epidemic as have many other for-profit and not-for-profit entities.

  • Conference service fees are higher all around; be prepared to pay more when registering for  Zimfest 2025 and future festivals to help us balance the budget.
  • Disturbingly, at least two institutions that hosted Zimfest in the past do not want us back for reasons traceable to participant (mis)behavior. This made our search more difficult, and we remind Zimfest-goers that we owe respect and gratitude to our institutional hosts and their efforts, as well their rules (especially regarding alcohol and marijuana use!).

Volunteers Needed

Finally, we will be re-forming our Organizing Committee (OC) to begin work on Zimfest 2025, starting with teacher and performer applications to open in January. As always, we need volunteer help. Here are some needs we know of right now:

  • Volunteer Coordinator—active member of the OC, with duties leading up to and during the festival
  • Local Arrangements—does not need to meet with the OC, carries out tasks as needed in concert with Festival Coordinator
  • Grant Writing and other Fund-Raising—works independently on behalf of the ZA Board
  • Other Ongoing Volunteer Needs: see How and Why to Volunteer on the website

You can fill out the Volunteer Contact Form on the website or write directly to claire[at]zimfest[dot]org for info or to put your hand up!

Thanks for reading (apologies for the lengthy post)!
Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator

Music Dancing Across Borders

(PS – We limited our site research and evaluation to Washington state this year with the vision of alternating years between Oregon and Washington sites. See here if you are interested in the venues we have researched.

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