Event attendance:  We anticipate between 250 and 300 people.

Event schedule: The main event begins Thursday dinner. Song circles will be offered throughout the weekend by individual song leaders with breakouts Friday and Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. We will also be gathering together as a village to sing and connect in the mornings and at a closing circle Sunday afternoon. The event officially ends Sunday afternoon. There will be a Sunday evening dinner and fire circle for those helping to stay with cleanup and pack out.

Venue: We’ll be camping out so bring your tent or vehicle to sleep in. The land is beautiful, with plenty of flat spots to put your tent. There are also many flat car camping spots (but please let us know on the registration form that you will need one of these spots). Some camping is close and some is further away, depending on your preference (closer spots may be a bit noisier at night due to night time fire song circles). There is limited space for large RV’s or trailers so inquire about your specific situation. The site is generally pretty rustic, and far from towns with provisions. There is electricity, running water and limited cell service.

Community Service: In the spirit of interdependence, we are asking everyone to sign up for about 2 hours of community service during the event. This might be helping clean up the kitchen or helping to prepare a meal. Many hands make light work! Come ready to help out and support the village.

Kids & teens:  We are a family-friendly, multi-generational gathering.  We will be arranging child care and children’s support with fun activity options led by one or more caring adults during the main workshop times.  As this will not be constant coverage throughout the weekend however, we ask that families check in often and continue tending to children’s basic needs for everyone’s safety and wellbeing.  Sobonfu Somé was fond of saying “It takes a village to keep the parents sane!”  In the spirit of interdependence, we encourage asking for help and support from others at any time throughout the gathering.

Group meals will be provided (along with snacks and hot beverages), from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. Group meals will be vegetarian and primarily organic.  You are welcome to bring along some personal snacks, meat or fish to supplement your diet; if personal food needs to be kept cold then bring your own cooler and ice.  Vegan and gluten-free options will be included for all meals.

Collective Guidelines

Substance use:  We are here to be clear and connected with each other and the music, so use of mind altering substances is not encouraged. If they are used, please use with discretion (ie do not light up a joint in a song circle) and in a manner that does not impact other people.

Pets:  Due to site restrictions, dogs are not permitted on the land.

Photography:  In order to prioritize present moment experiences, and minimize intrusions, we ask that participants minimize their use of personal cameras during circles and in group spaces. Explicit permission is required to photograph any person during the event, unless it’s from far enough away that faces cannot be distinguished.  If someone gives consent for a photograph, further explicit permission is needed to post any picture of them online. The exception is that we may have at least one official event photographer on site who will be taking photos for promotion of future Cascadia Song Rise events and to share with participants. Any such person will be clearly identified, and if you prefer not to have your picture taken by them, we’ll ask you as a participant to wear an insignia so that we can ensure your request is honored.

Recordings:  Our present moment experience of singing together takes priority over technological preservation. That said, we know many folks like to record to help remember and learn the songs later, which you are welcome to do unless a leader requests that you do not. Do not share your recordings via social media without explicit consent from the song leader. At open sharing times (such as evening fire circles), the presumption is that it is ok to record (for personal use only) unless the person leading or sharing at that moment requests others not to–and we expect any such request to be honored without hassle. Also, please remember to turn your sound off when recording to avoid the bleeps that come when a recording is ended. Thank you!