Minutes from the September 14th, October 12th and November 9th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
Zimfest News Blog
September, October and November Board Meeting Minutes
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Support Zimfest Today with a Triple-Matched Donation
Dear Zimfest Friends,
Giving Tuesday is almost here (December 2nd) — and there’s no better time to support Zimfest!
Make a difference with a tax-deductible donation, triple matched up to $3,000! And don’t forget to check if your employer offers matching gifts on top of that!
If you haven’t yet joined or renewed your Zimfest Association membership, this Giving Tuesday is the perfect opportunity. It’s an easy way to give back and help ensure the festival continues to thrive and grow for years to come.
Thank you for being part of the Zimfest family. Your support keeps this community strong, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you again in 2027.
With gratitude,
The Zimfest Association Board
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Your Opportunity to Support Zimfest — Plus, a Matched Donation!
Dear Zimfest Friends, Supporters and Members,
As we approach the end of another year, we want to take a moment to thank you for making the 2025 festival such a joyful celebration of Zimbabwean music. Zimfest would not be possible without the dedication and enthusiasm of our community.
Relive the magic of Zimfest! Check out a highlight from this year’s festival here.
While there won’t be a festival in 2026, we’re already laying the groundwork for an unforgettable 2027 weekend. We also want to share that the festival operated at a loss of just over $4,000 this past year — a reminder of how much we rely on the continued support of our community to keep Zimfest strong and sustainable. Your contributions allow us to invite exceptional Zimbabwean teachers and performers, both new and returning, to share their talents each year.
This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to show your love for Zimfest by making a tax-deductible donation, or by joining or renewing your membership in the Zimfest Association. Every contribution — large or small — helps sustain the festival, support visiting artists, and keep this Zimfest going strong year after year.
We invite you to join or renew your Zimfest Association membership. It’s one of the most meaningful ways to help sustain the festival year-round.
Become a Member or Renew Today
Membership comes with special perks, including:
- Free festival registration
- Early access to workshop sign-ups
- Knowing you’re helping Zimfest thrive for years to come
Already a member? Consider deepening your impact with a tax-deductible donation, or check if your employer offers matching gifts — an easy way to double your contribution. And for this Giving Tuesday, every dollar donated up to $3,000 will be triple matched — your $1 becomes $3!
Thank you again for your continued support, and for being such an important part of the Zimfest community. We wish you a wonderful holiday season!
Warmly,
—The Zimfest Association Board
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Zimfest 2027 and Festival Coordination News
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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Afterglow of Zimfest 2025
Greetings,
Thanks to all the Zimfest organizers, volunteers, Zimbabwean guests, teachers and performers for the wonderful time at Zimfest at CWU in Ellensburg! Before all the memories fade,
- Please complete the Post-festival survey linked to the website. Let us know what was good about this year’s festival and location; how we can improve? We’d like to hear your comments whether you attended or not!
- If the festival inspired you to want to help out, we want to hear from you now! Go to the Why and How to Volunteer page on the website, and you will see an expandable list of ongoing volunteer needs on the right-hand sidebar. Select what you are interested in or proficient at by filling out the Volunteer Contact form at the bottom of the page. Pressing “Send” creates a permanent listing in Cognito Forms. The next Zimfest will not take place until 2027, but there is plenty of work to be done leading up to it!
- If you have the time and depth of interest to commit to meeting monthly to be involved in making Zimfest decisions and determining Zimfest policies, consider joining the Zimfest Association Board of Directors. Check out the Board Recruitment page and write a letter to the board expressing your interest.
We hope to hear from all of you!
Claire and the Zimfest organizers
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Final Pre-ZF Message
Hello all,
The Zimfest excitement (and logistical issues) are building! Latest developments and reminders:
- Those who missed the registration deadline and have inquired about whether dorm rooms will be available to rent on-site, your wish has been granted! There were seven remaining rooms, all doubles, that had not been rented. We are still working out the details with CWU, so check with Zimfest Registration desk starting Thursday at noon – check the Festival Schedule for registration hours. The price for these rooms may turn out to be higher because of the late date.
- The description for the Session 4 workshop Exploring Mbira DzaVadzimu taught by Lino Piloto initially stated that it would be taught in G-tuning mbira-s. This is incorrect, it will be taught in Magaya standard tuning mbira. A number of Magaya tuning mbiras will be provided; you are welcome to bring one if you can.
- The weather report for the first day of Zimfest 2025 shows a moderate temperature of 75 and wind; a reminder to vendors to weigh down your canopies (no staking allowed) and campers to fully secure their tents. Heading into the weekend, more typical hotter temperatures are forecast, peaking on Sunday into the 90s! A reminder to bring your sunscreen and water bottles – stay hydrated!
Here’s a preview of what is in store from the Zimfest Marketplace Booth – custom-designed Zimfest 2025 tunics!
See you soon in Ellensburg!
Festival Coordinator Claire and the OC
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June and July Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the June 8th and July 13th meetings of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
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Zimfest Volunteers and News
We L-O-V-E our volunteers*!
L-ive the life of a helper
O-pen your heart as you share the work
V-olunteer to show you care
E-veryone can do it!
Thanks to all who have signed up to volunteer. For those who haven’t yet, we need your help! We are still looking for folks who can join in with “many hands make light work” during Zimfest 2025.
We are in urgent need of volunteers to sign up for Thursday and Friday morning:
-Thurs: Workshop Instrument and General Festival set-up
-Fri: Workshop Support and Marketplace set-up
* Credit and thank you to former Volunteer Coordinator Ev Keller for the “LOVE-Many Hands” image!
Festival Reminders and Tips
- Registration closes for Workshops and Volunteer Sign-up at 11 PM on July 28: no changes until August 7 onsite
- Take note of Housing Check-in times with CWU Conference Services. If you are not able to be there for the listed check-in times, please arrange for someone to sign in on your behalf. If you cannot find someone to sign for you, write to housing[at]zimfest[dot]org to make arrangements for key and meal pass pickup.
- Note from CWU housing: Sleeping room access is not guaranteed before 3 PM on day of arrival. If rooms are ready before 3, participants will be noticed during check-in.
- If you are signed up for Zimfest camping and are arriving on Wednesday before Zimfest registration opens, please write to housing[at]zimfest[dot]org to make arrangements to pick up your camping pass.
- Remember that the CWU dorms we are in are NOT air-conditioned! Bring your fans! The SURC and academic buildings in which workshops are taking place are air-conditioned, however.
Two weeks until Zimfest 2025! Woo-hoo!
Claire and the OC
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Deadline July 17 for Zimfest Housing, Meals and Marketplace
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
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.
Larry Israel
Zimfest website maintainer
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Zimfest Odds and Ends
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
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
You can view this and other photos in the Zimfest 2023 slideshow from most webpages with a sidebar.
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