2005 Accommodations & Meals

Zimfest will be centered in Fairhaven College, a cluster of twelve dormitory towers around a central courtyard with an administration building at one end. Here you’ll find the registration area, the cafeteria, and the auditorium for the late-night mbira party. Many of the workshops will be held in the ground floor lounges of each dorm. One of the dorms will be designated as the “quiet” dorm so please let us know if you prefer that.

Dorm Housing & Meal Packages

Housing at WWU is by package only and meals are included in each package. There are two-night and three-night packages only — no single-night stays are allowed. Nights may be added on before or after any package (but meals are not included in the addon nights).

For a complete description of the packages offered and the costs, please refer to the Housing and Meals Reservation Form in the Registration Forms (PDF).

HOUSING REGISTRATION DEADLINE: JULY 21

Each dorm tower has the following types of room configurations (all bedrooms have two twin beds):

  • One-room suites (2 beds) with private entrance,
    shares a double bathroom in the hall (5 in each dorm)
  • Two bedroom suites with private entrances (4 beds total),
    share a bathroom between rooms (12 in each dorm)
  • Two bedroom apartments (4 beds total)
    with living room and shared bath (2 in each dorm)
  • Three bedroom suites (6 beds total) with shared bath (2 in each dorm)

You may request single occupancy of a dorm room but single availability is limited. Children ages 3 to 9 are half price and children under 3 are no charge. The dorms do not provide cribs or rollaway beds. The university will be assigning rooms as registration proceeds so make sure that you request your roommate on the Housing and Meals Reservation Form. Families and groups who wish to stay together may request the apartments or suites and they will be assigned on a first-come basis.

Accessibility

WWU meets all ADA requirements for wheelchair and other disability access. However, a few of the workshop locations are not wheelchair accessible. If you have accessibility needs, please be sure to indicate them on your application, so that we can schedule the workshop spaces accordingly. (We confess that we have not yet had to tackle the issue of a wheelchair-accessible bass marimba, but we’ll take it on if there is a call for it.)

Parking

Parking in any University lot, including the Fairhaven College lot, is $10 per day on weekdays. From 5PM on Friday to 7AM on Monday, parking in the Fairhaven lot is FREE. You may purchase parking passes for Thursday, Friday and Monday as a part of preregistration or you may purchase passes at the Festival Registration Table. Free parking during weekdays may be available on the side streets around the university or in nearby public school parking lots. We cannot guarantee the availability or safety of off-campus parking during the festival. You may contact us if you have parking questions. Sleeping in parked vehicles in any university parking lot is strictly prohibited.

Food

Fairhaven College has an outstanding cafeteria that includes a great variety of foods including many excellent vegetarian dishes. We encourage you to eat with us on campus. The cafeteria is located in the Fairhaven Administration building, part of the courtyard complex that contains the dorms. People staying in the dorms will have most of their meals included in their housing package. Individual meals may also be purchased on the Housing & Meals Registration Form.

PLEASE NOTE: The cafeteria cannot accommodate many walk-in diners so please purchase individual meals as part of your pre-registration packet. Also, the cafeteria in Fairhaven will only be open during the three main days of Zimfest — Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Thursday and Monday, meals may be purchased from the Viking Union cafeteria on campus, a 10 minute walk from Fairhaven. Off campus, there is a large grocery store with a deli and many restaurants and fast-food places about a 15-20 minute walk from the Fairhaven campus.

Alternative Housing

While staying in the dorms at Fairhaven is the most convenient and comfortable option for attending Zimfest, we realize that housing costs could deter some people from being able to come this year. We believe that this year’s Zimfest will be extra-special and we want to encourage as many people as possible to attend. Therefore, we are coordinating a few alternative housing options for those people who need it. Bellingham community members are making room in their homes and on their property for sleeping and camping out. There will be a limited number of these housing options available and we will assign them on a first-come basis. Please contact us at (housing@zimfest.org) or call the Zimfest phone (360-738-4336) to inquire about housing options.

For those who do not wish to stay in the dorms, please note: There is another major event in the area during the weekend of August 12-14. Therefore, we recommend that you make any alternative housing reservations as far in advance as possible.

Motels

For those who wish to stay off-campus, there are several motels near the Western campus:

More information about these and other accommodations, including Bed and Breakfast sites, are listed at www.bellingham.org.

Camping

Camping is one of the pleasures of living in the Pacific Northwest and there are several campgrounds in the area. However, reservations need to be made at these well in advance so we recommend that you book as soon as possible.

Larrabee State Park is located on Bellingham Bay, on the famous Chuckanut Drive approximately 9 miles south of WWU. The campsites are in a beautiful, wooded and well-maintained area a short walk from beaches and coves along the bay. Numerous hiking and biking trails are accessed from the park. To make a reservation, visit the Washington State Parks Online Reservation System or call 888-CAMPOUT or 888-226-7688.
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