Greetings Zimfest community,
Happy New year!
Zimfest 2022 is scheduled to take place June 24-26, 2022 at the Skagit County Fairgrounds (daytime events) and Lincoln Theatre (ticketed evening concerts) both in Mount Vernon, WA. We are painfully aware that the omicron variant of COVID-19 is raging and could threaten to derail our plans, but if we don’t prepare now for the in-person festival that so many people want, we may all be sorry. The Organizing Committee (OC) wants to let you know some of the details as they currently exist to help you make your plans.
- Workshops, concerts and an expansive marketplace will take place Friday to Sunday June 24-26. We will need assistance setting up on Thursday afternoon June 23, and final clean-up on Monday June 27 – you can sign up as a volunteer for those tasks when registration opens.
- ZF 2022 will be primarily a camping festival! The Fairgrounds has ample space for camping and up to 40 RVs; you will be able to register for spots with us any number of nights between June 23 and 26. For those not interested in roughing it, we hope to arrange for a limited number of dorm room-style accommodations within easy driving distance, and will be publishing the availability of nearby motel lodging on the website. A quick search of Air BnB and VRBO shows many possibilities to book for yourself in Skagit County, which is a wonderful vacation area.
- Since Zimfest is not being hosted by a college this year, there will be no dining service and you will be on your own for meals. However, there are no rules against food sales onsite, so we look forward to lining up a number of food vendors. Downtown Mount Vernon with many restaurants to explore is also within walking distance.
- Due to the uncertainties of the COVID epidemic, travel restrictions, visa delays and the lack of an institutional sponsor, Zimfest regrettably will not be sponsoring guest visas this year. We would be happy to accept touring Zimbabweans on P or Q visas, but sponsors applying for those probably need to have their applications already in process at this date.
- We are pleased to announce that the ticketed evening concerts at the Lincoln Theatre will feature both live bands and pre-recorded performances in streaming format. In this way we will be able to feature Zimbabweans who we are unable to bring here this year because of the pandemic.
- As always, those wishing to help Zimfest 2022 happen by volunteering their time, please write to volunteers{at}zimfest{dot}org.
- Look for applications to open very soon for: teachers and workshop proposals; live performances; and pre-recorded performances and presentations.
Stay safe and well!
Claire Jones and Zimfest 2022 OC
