Dear Dragonfest Community:
Imbolc has come and gone and the waxing gibbous moon carries the promise of Spring! Here’s the news we have to share:
Retreat Scholarships Available
Application Deadline April 30th @ 11:59 pm MDT
We have a limited number of scholarships for community members who would like to attend the retreat but are experiencing financial hardship. Scholarships are available to staff and attendees at the associate level. Send email to scolarships@dragonfest.org with the following information:
Name
Age Group – Young adult, adult, elder (not exact age)
Staff or Attendee
Reason for your need (do not send financial information such as income)
T-Shirt Art Contest is Open for Submissions
Deadline for Submissions is Friday, April 15th at 11:59 pm MDT
The theme for this year’s retreat is “Our Fifth Element”
Your design should be inspired by the theme of this year’s retreat.
Designs should be limited to one-color line art. Thin lines, shading, hatching, crosshatching, and greyscale do not translate well for t-shirt printing.
Designs should not include text or logos for Dragonfest, the theme, or the year. These elements, if used, will be added to your design at the time of printing.
Designs should be no wider than 12 inches and no taller than 14 inches.
For more information about the rules and regulations please see the Dragonfest T-shirt Art Contest Rules . Please send submissions to ops@dragonfest.org.
Submissions will be reviewed at the April staff meeting and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter. Winner will receive a free registration for Dragonfest 2026!
Board Member Spotlight
Carroll Fanning, Board Treasurer
I attended my first Dragonfest in 2016 when we were invited by friends. It was an amazing experience. The drum circles, dancing at the fire and learning more about different aspects of the community. We continued to attend until COVID and returned after the pandemic. At that point I wanted to become more involved, get to know more people and selfishly get extra time on the land. I’ve served as on site communications and been part of setup and take down. That led to being asked if I would consider running for the board. Since Dragonfest is my happy place I wanted to see it continue and grow. I served my first year as the Board Secretary and currently serve as the Board Treasurer.
Outside of Dragonfest I’m an avid exerciser and runner, I crochet to keep my hands busy and for the last 15 years we have volunteered with a giant breed dog rescue.
Dragonfest for me is one place I can be 100% authentically myself. I believe I have a Higher Power that loves me and wants good things for me. Dragonfest was one of the things he brought to me.
Have you registered yet?
Registration for the 2026 retreat is open. Beginning this year, registration will be open nearly year-round. It will close about a week before the retreat and re-open a few weeks after the retreat. Dragonfest 2026 will be Wednesday, July 29th to Sunday, August 2nd.
Register Now!
Volunteer Procurement Coordinator Needed
Please contact Challon, Director of Finance if interested
Dragonfest is looking for a dependable volunteer who enjoys organizing, sourcing, and solving practical problems to serve as our Procurement Coordinator for the retreat. This role focuses on helping the retreat run smoothly by finding the goods and services we need, working with vendors, sorting out any issues that arise, and making sure payment details get where they need to go.
Experience with purchasing or vendor coordination is extremely helpful, as this volunteer will often be the person our teams rely on when supplies need to be found, compared, or secured on a deadline.
If you’re someone who enjoys tracking down solutions, communicating with vendors, and being the behind-the-scenes hero who helps everything land in the right place at the right time, Dragonfest would love to welcome you into this role.
Email Challon (aka Aeneas) at aeneas@dragonfest.org
Staff Opportunity: Gate Lieutenants
Gate Coordinator, Arwen of Trek seeks lieutenants to help with gate
If you have been thinking of volunteering for staff this year, but haven’t decided what you would like to do, our gate coordinator for 2026 is looking for 2 lieutenants. If you have already signed up for staff via the google form, but have not been assigned a position, please send email to julia.lavooi@dragonfest.org and copy Ops@dragonfest.org to express interest so that we can get you assigned. If you haven’t signed up yet via the google form, please do so and indicate that you want to help with gate. After signing up, then email Arwen & Ops.
Lavender Pavillion Seeks Community Contributions
Rituals, Workshops, Events
The Lavender Pavilion is a safe space for the Dragonfest LGBTQ+ community. It is intended to enable our community to interact via workshops and rituals, to express ourselves, and share knowledge, experience, and spirituality within our community and the Dragonfest community at large. If you are interested in hosting a ritual or workshop associated with the Lavender Pavilion, please email coordinator Jason at jason_a@dragonfest.org.
Save the Date Postcards are coming
2026 “The Dragons are Coming” Postcards will go out in March
Each year we mail out around 1,000 postcards to past retreat registrants to remind folks that the retreat is coming up. If you would like to Opt out of receiving a printed postcard and receive it via email instead, please click here to fill out paper postcard opt out form. Please complete the opt out form by Friday, March 13th to opt out of this year’s postcard.
Looking Ahead: Rituals and Workshops
If you are interested in putting on a workshop or ritual for Dragonfest 2026, please complete the sign up form here.
Staff Opportunities for 2026
If you would like to be part of the team of volunteers that makes our retreat possible, start thinking about what you would like to do. Here is a list is a list of volunteer opportunities. To sign up for a staff position, please click here to complete the sign up form. Please complete this form only once to make things easier for Ops.
Staff Meetings for 2026:
The 2026 meeting are third Saturdays at 10:00 AM. January through May meetings will be virtual ONLY via Google Meet. The June & July meetings will be in person at the Jefferson Unitarian Church (14350 W. 32nd Avenue, Golden, Colorado 80401) The in person are hybrid we will be using Google Meet.
March 21st 2026 – Virtual
April 18th 2026 – Virtual
May 16th 2026 – Virtual
June 20th 2026 – Hybrid
Work Weekend – TBD (optional)
July 19th 2026 – Hybrid
July 28th (Tuesday ON THE LAND – this is a mandatory meeting discussing safety, radio communications, etc)
Please email ops@dragonfest.org for the Google Meet link – the link will be the same for all staff meetings.
Handy Links for Members
Dragonfest has multiple ways to keep you informed on what’s happening with the upcoming retreat and our organization, including a new Bluesky account. Click here to see them all.