Elderflower Policies 2024
Registration Fees, Policies and General Information
This section of policies describes more about how to register and some of our long-established policies regarding payment.
COVID Policy
Getting together in person is important, but not at the risk of our long-term wellbeing. Last year we did not have any reported cases of Covid after the festival so we will keep our primary safety measure in place.
Attendees will not need to provide proof of vaccinations this year. We believe taking a test on site with negative results will be enough precaution.
Each attendee will take a COVID test (provided by EWF) at the Gatehouse before entering the grounds and before greeting or hugging any other Elderflower attendee. If you test positive, sadly you will not be admitted to the festival. Your registration money will be refunded after the festival.
In addition, we suggest that if possible, you take a test at home before you drive for hours to Mendocino. You will still have to take a test at the festival, but it might save you a trip. If you are positive, or feeling sick, please stay home. You can contact us after the festival, and we will refund your registration money.
As was true for the last two years, this year you will be asked acknowledge this policy to proceed with online registration for the festival. For those who send in a printed form, there is a second page with the policy and a place for your signature.
Registration Fees and cut-off dates
Elderflower has always strived to remain an affordable festival. Due to basic cost increases – especially food – we have raised the minimum fee this year. Doing this allows the festival to clear seed money for next year and continue into the future.
To assist women of all economic backgrounds, we have a graduated fee structure based on the date you register and make your first payment. This way attendees can pay the cost of the festival over time. For those who register later, the base fee rises. If you register last minute and pay at the door, the fee is full price and you must bring cash.
A number of discounts (see below) are available to help those who need to reduce the cost. A Workshop form submission is required to receive the discount.
If you make a down payment, you will not be billed. We do not have a billing system. It is your sole responsibility to ensure that FULL payment is received by August 1. The festival accepts checks or payment using PayPal.
Children under age 8 are free.
Adults – a deposit of $175 is required to hold your space at the fee levels listed below.
- $400 – by May 30
- $425 – May 31- July – 15
- $450 – July 15 – Aug. 1
- $450 – At the gate CASH ONLY
- $140 – Ages 8-12
Merchant Fee – to set up a table and sell crafts and goods in the open air market
- $35
Discounts
- $100 – Ages 13-18 and Students
- Workshop Leader ($30 per workshop | Maximum $60) A Workshop form must accompany registration to receive this discount.
- Bodyworkers receive a discount, as they often spend much of the festival working. Bodyworkers may set their own fees. We do ask that they please set a sliding fees scale and offer 30 minute appointments to make their services affordable to more attendees. We have room to accommodate four bodyworker tables at the festival. Please contact us if you are a body worker and interested in attending the festival. Provide your telephone number and a bit about your work, and we will call you.
- Some scholarships are available. See Scholarships below for details.
After Registration
What to expect after you register.
If you register on the website, you will receive an automated email. This means we received your registration information. If you registered by mail, we don’t usually send out an email to acknowledge it. You will know your registration is received when we deposit the check.
If you made a mistake or wish to change something on your online submitted form, please use the Contact Us for to notify us as soon as possible.
We will send out a Pre-Festival Packet at the mailing address you registered in mid-July. Usually at the beginning of the 3rd week. If you register after the packets have been sent out, or if you did not get a packet, we have a solution! We will have the information posted as a printable document on the website. Or we can email it to you.
Be sure to Subscribe to our Newsletter to get information about the upcoming festival. Newsletters are issued less no more than once per month.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
There is $175 non-refundable deposit that is required with registration. If you can not attend the festival for any reason, we will refund any other monies you have paid. Use the Contact Us form to let the Treasurer and Registration team know about your situation.
If your cancellation is last minute – just before the festival – the refund will be processed after the festival within 4 weeks of your request. Credit Card and PayPal payment refunds take much less time to process.
Scholarship applicants are also expected to pay an initial $175 deposit. If an applicant is not approved for Scholarship and then can’t attend the festival you will be reimbursed the entire $175 deposit.
Scholarships
Elderflower Womenspirit is dedicated to making the festival accessible to low-income women, as well as to those experiencing a temporary hardship.
There are a limited number of partial fee scholarships available.
Prior to granting a request for scholarship, a representative of the Core Committee will contact you to discuss possible options for making the festival affordable for you.
A completed festival registration form and minimum deposit of $175 is required for the application to be considered. If you apply for a scholarship and it is not granted and as a result you cannot attend, the full amount of your $175 deposit will be refunded.
Donations
Thanks to our Treasurer, Elderflower Womenspirit Festival is once again eligible to receive tax-deductible donations.
If you wish to make a tax deductible donation, please visit the Donations page.
General Festival Camp Policies
Goddesses at Elderflower
Elderflower Womenspirit Festival is a non-denominational gathering. Women of any spiritual path are welcome to participate.
The festival was founded to celebrate and to honor the Goddess and the sacredness of nature. In whatever guise she chooses to manifest in our lives, we hold Her as a symbol of the Divine Feminine. Our rituals and workshops help us to invoke that energy, and through sisterhood, get closer to the deity within each of us.
Traditionally, we do not invoke male deities at Elderflower. While we respect the beliefs of all attendees, if your spiritual practice includes male deities, we ask that you do not manifest them at the festival.
Appropriate Behavior
We want everyone to feel safe and also to respect everyone’s boundaries. Please be aware there may be young women and children present and behave accordingly.
If at any time you (or your daughters) feel unsafe or uncomfortable with someone else’s behavior, please come to a council member right away. We will do our best to find a resolution as soon as possible. The council reserves the right to ask any participant to leave if their behavior is deemed inappropriate or offensive.
Camp Check-in
After you’ve passed the COVID test at the Camp entrance (near the Gate House) and been admitted… Yay! You can pull into the Assembly area near the main lodge (Dining Hall). We will try to have volunteers available to help things go smoothly around the Registration/Check-in tent.
First Community Service job sign up.
First you’ll need to sign up for a Community Service job (near the registration tent). We’ll try to have a volunteer available to answer questions.
Next Enter the registration tent and report in.
Once it’s your turn in the tent, you can report in, find your cabin assignment, get your festival printed program and report to the registration volunteer which job and time slot you signed up to do. You will also be asked to sign two releases, one for insurance and the other regarding your preferences regarding official Elderflower photographs. Additionally you’ll be given a small form to fill out and place in your car’s windshield.
After you’ve determined where your cabin is located, you can re-park your car and get unpacked. We’ll try to have parking fairies and other volunteers to help you get your stuff to your cabin or tent area if you need assistance.
If you arrive after dark ...
… please know that the Registration information is all moved to the first table on the left as you enter the Dining Hall.
Community Service Volunteer
All attendees are responsible for signing up for a 2 hour commitment to volunteer for small jobs around the camp that are needed to make the camp run smoothly during the festival. When you arrive, after you’ve taken a COVID test and been admitted, you can pull into the assembly area near the main main lodge. Sign up for a Community Service job (near the registration tent) and then enter the registration tent to report in, find your cabin assignment, get your program and report which job and time slot you signed up to do. To make it easier for you to decide which time slot and job works best for your community service, we will post a copy of the schedule near the sign up sheets.
Alcohol/Drug Policy
The dining hall and Clean and Sober area are both alcohol free. A portion of the camp is designated as a Clean and Sober, where NO ALCOHOL is allowed. It is clearly marked and is large enough to accommodate all those whose registration forms were submitted requesting Clean and Sober.
Alcohol is not served as part of any festival-organized activity, workshop, or ritual.
Alcohol may be consumed outside of these two areas and may be present at informal gatherings. There is usually a ‘wine’ tent near the creek, all are invited and you’re welcome to bring a bottle of wine to share.
Women in Recovery – Clean and Sober Area
Please be mindful of the Clean and Sober area. The Clean and Sober meeting cabin and the designated camping area and cabins are clean and sober 24 hours a day. Alcohol is not allowed in the area at any time – NO EXCEPTIONS. Please respect this space.
Meals and Food Options
Three gourmet meals per day are included within the registration fee. Meals are served from Wednesday Dinner to Sunday Breakfast. There is no access to kitchen facilities for attendees to cook for themselves.
Meal Options - NEW
In 2024, we are offering three main diet options: Omnivore (includes meat), Vegetarian, or Vegan (no animal protein – excludes meat, fish, poultry or dairy).
We also offer those with Allergies the option to let us know about Dairy or Gluten intolerance.
We are working to refine this information so keep checking back for more information.
Smoking/Vaping
The smoking area on the far end of the parking area next to the Gate House. This is the only place that smoking & vaping is allowed!
If you smoke for medicinal reasons, please be considerate of our Clean and Sober sisters.
Noise Policy – 24-Hour Silent Area
There is a designated 24-Hour Silent area in the camp that is intended for light sleepers, day sleepers, and nap takers. If you are using a tent and want silence, pitch your tent in the 24-Hour Silent area.
The Silent area and those areas nearby need to be quiet at all times: no loud talking, no slamming of doors. Please respect this space. If you are in or near the 24-Hour Silent area, please remove door springs during the festival and replace them before leaving on Sunday.
The dining hall, fire circles, “wild” tent camp and the girls’ cabin have no noise curfew. In other parts of the camp, please be reasonably quiet between 11pm and 7am.
Parking
According to Woodlands’ rules, all cars must back into parking spaces, and be parked facing the entrance to the Woodlands. This is a safety precaution in case there is a need for swift evacuation.
During camp the parking area in front of the Dining Hall is reserved for merchants, bodyworkers and attendees with mobility issues. You may park temporarily in the Assembly area while registering and unloading. We will keep volunteers available to make the temporary parking process go more easily for you.
When you register and find out your cabin assignment, you will also receive a card to put in your car’s front window. This note should be filled in, so that if your car needs to be moved, we know where to find you.
No Food in Cabins Tents or Cars
The Woodlands Policy is that no food is allowed in the Cabins, Tents or in Cars.
Bears are prevalent in Northern California and the Woodlands is no exception. There are also small rodents and Ringtails (North American civit cat) that will invade the area at night looking for snacks if food is left out.
If you have food that you brought with you, you may store that in/around the refrigerator in the Dining Hall. All Food must be enclosed and stored neatly.
Pets
The Mendocino Woodlands is situated on California State Park land and is run by The Mendocino Woodlands Camp Association. It is California Parks policy that pets are not allowed in the Mendocino Woodlands. California State Parks policy is that Service Animals are allowed in parks. Service animals are those who provide a service to assist someone with a disability.
To see the actual policy of the Mendocino Woodlands go to:
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31377