Registration: 

Submit your online registration and your ensemble has a tentative spot in the festival line-up. A  $100 non-refundable registration fee confirms the date for one or two performing groups. Entries are scheduled on a first come basis upon receipt of the registration fee. Additional ensembles over two from the same director are registered on a space-available basis at a $100 registration fee for each additional group. Schools attending on two different dates are required to register for each date and the registration fee is required for both dates. When you register, please note any information that will affect your arrival at the festival.

Performance Schedules: 

Performances are scheduled approximately four to six weeks prior to the festival.  Directors will receive an email with a performance schedule at that time.  Confirm your transportation early to ensure that your group will arrive in a timely manner on the day of the festival.  A $100 cancellation fee will be assessed for any performing ensemble pulled from the festival after the schedule is distributed.  See cancellation policy for details.

The Day of the Performance: 

Check in at the festival front desk at least a half-hour prior to your scheduled warm-up. The Awards Ceremony is designed to motivate and inspire your students. Groups are encouraged to listen to other ensembles and enjoy the Awards Ceremony.  One or two Awards Ceremonies may be scheduled during the morning festival.  If the director prefers, casual attire is permitted and is not a factor in adjudication. Dressing rooms are not available at any festival site. Bring 2 original conductor’s scores to the festival for the adjudicators. For the Judges’ Invitational Event, three scores will be required.  Photocopied scores are not acceptable.  Choral groups are scheduled with a 20-minute warm-up period followed by a 20-minute performance time slot. Instrumental groups are scheduled a 25-minute warm up period followed by a 25-minute performance time slot. Time slots include taking the stage, performing, and exiting the stage. Performances should be limited to two or three pieces of no more than 12 to 15 minutes of music.  Please submit your stage set up form or seating chart  two weeks prior to the festival. Forum Festivals provides the following equipment, as needed—4 Tympani, Xylophone, Bass Drum, Choral Risers, Grand Piano, CD playback system, and P.A. System with up to 6 microphones. Percussion players must supply their own proper mallets. Additional equipment may be available at selected sites—contact Forum Festivals for more information. Drum sets, cymbals, snare drums, and bass amps are not supplied at any festival site.

Payment Information:

All fees must be paid in full prior to participation at the festival. Schools delinquent in payment of festival fees will be removed from performance schedule.

One-Day Packages:

Please make note of the following financial deadlines:

50% of per person festival fees (based on estimated attendance) is due 60 days prior to the festival date. The final payment based on the confirmed attendance is due 30 days prior to the event.

Changes regarding the number of students and chaperones are permitted up to the final payment, but directors are required to confirm their student and chaperone numbers no later than 10 days prior to the festival. 

Forum Music Festivals will reserve a spot in the performance schedule based on receipt of:

• Submission of registration AND $100 non-refundable registration fee (up to two groups).  Additional groups may be added for $100 per each additional group over two.

Overnight Packages:

Please make note of the following financial deadlines.  Payment schedules can be customized to meet the needs of the group’s fundraising activities. Contact Forum Music Festivals for a customized payment schedule.

• 30 Days Following Registration –  Hotel deposit per person which will be applied to final package balance.
• 90 Days Prior to First Date of Travel – One-Third of total estimated package balance which will be applied to final package balance.
• 60 Days Prior to First Date of Travel – One-Third of total estimated package balance.  Rooming List due at this time.
• 30 Days Prior to First Date of Travel – Final balance of total confirmed package based on Rooming List.

Forum Music Festivals will reserve lodging and a spot in the performance schedule based on receipt of…

• Submission of registration AND $100 non-refundable registration fee (up to two groups) AND hotel deposit per person (estimated student and chaperone numbers) based on invoice from Forum Music Festivals.

Schools traveling overnight must submit an accurate rooming list 60 days prior to the festival date so we can prepare a final invoice due 30 days before the trip.  Most hotels require a rooming list at 30 days or the group’s reservation may be dropped. No changes to the rooming list can be made following the 30-day deadline. After the rooming list has been submitted to Forum Festivals, directors will be allowed one change at no charge.  Any changes made to the rooming list after the first change will be assessed a fee for each subsequent change to the rooming list.

Registration after 90 days:

Forum Festivals staff will confer with any director of groups that register after the 90-day deadline to agree on financial deadlines based on amount of time remaining prior to the festival.

Overnight proposals and packages are subject to hotel availability at the time that the group approves the trip which may affect per person pricing from the initial proposal.

Payment Details:

The registration fee does not apply toward any trip balances. Invoices will be available to the director prior to each due date.  Notify Forum Music Festivals immediately of changes in participant numbers, date changes, or rooming list changes. Forum Music Festivals accepts district purchase orders, but all fees must be paid in full prior to the trip.

Students with theme park annual passes will be charged a “festival only” fee for participating in the festival.

Scholarships: 

Forum Music Festivals offers one student scholarship for each consecutive year of participation up to five years or 10% off total student balance, whichever is less. Scholarships are deducted on the final invoice once student numbers are confirmed. Scholarships may apply to one-day and overnight packages (hotel, festival, breakfast, theme park). Student scholarships are available to school groups that book directly with Forum Music Festivals, not through outside tour operators or travel planners.

Lodging Information: 

Hotel accommodations are reserved at nearby safe and secure, quality hotels.

Overnight student pricing is based on occupancy of 4 (in standard hotel room) or 5 (in 2-room suites) based on hotel availability. Pricing is also available for quad, triple, double, and single occupancy. Chaperones are lodged 2 to a room or suite unless otherwise indicated on the rooming list. Roll-a-ways may be reserved at some hotels for an additional charge. A complimentary single room is provided for each director. Please consult with the bus company regarding their requirements for bus driver’s room/s. Most bus companies require a paid day sleeping room for each driver if the group will require transportation at night. Each driver’s room must be indicated on the rooming list. Charges for bus driver’s rooms vary with the hotel selected.

Cancellation Policy:

Festival registration fees for both one-day and overnight packages are considered non-refundable and do not apply towards festival balances.  Theatre tickets are non-refundable.  Bus, hotel deposits, and some activities or meal vouchers may not be refundable.  Please contact FMF directly for non-refundable specifics of your package.

Cancellation requests, signed by a school official, must be emailed or mailed to our office.  The postmarked date and time reflected on the notification will be used as the cancellation date.  Please allow a minimum of 30 days after the festival for refunds.

Cancelled overnight packages (including the hotel deposit) are subject to the following refund policy:

• Prior to 60 days before first day of festival package: Full refund minus registration fee(s)
• 46 to 59 days prior to festival date: $10 per person fee will be assessed.  All other payments will be refunded unless designated as non-refundable deposits.
• Packages cancelled 45 days or less prior to festival date: No refunds will be made.

Cancellations will be accepted in writing only. Cancellation requests, signed by a school official, must be emailed or mailed to our office. The postmarked date or the time reflected on the notification will be used as the cancellation date. Please allow a minimum of thirty days for refunds.

Cancelled one-day packages are subject to the following refund policy:

• For packages cancelled 30 days or less  prior to the festival date, a time slot has been reserved for your performing group in the schedule and no refunds will be processed after that time.

Once the performance schedule has been released (approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the festival), a $250 cancellation fee will apply when directors remove an individual performing group from the schedule, but do not cancel the group in its entirety.  We are happy to add your additional performing group as space permits, but groups must inform us when an ensemble will not perform prior to the release of the schedule so other ensembles may participate.

Release/ Responsibility Clause

Forum Festivals of Music, Inc. (dba Forum Music Festivals), its employees, shareholders, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors and assigns (collectively “Forum Music Festivals”) does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip, including, for example, lodging facilities, transportation companies, local ground handlers, food service or entertainment providers, etc.  As a result, Forum Music Festivals is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person, or any other third party not under its control.  Without limiting the foregoing, Forum Music Festivals accepts no responsibility for any risk or injury, delay, inconvenience, damage, or death which results from criminal activity, terrorism or the threat thereof, weather or other acts of God, accidents, disease, epidemics or the threat thereof, illness, the provision of inappropriate or no medical attention, the demands of indoor or outdoor activities, attacks by animals, strikes, political or civil unrest, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, structural or other defective conditions in hotels or other lodging facilities, insurrection or revolt, or any other event beyond its direct control.  Participant hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Forum Music Festivals from any financial liability or obligation incurred by that individual participant and from any injury or damage to the person or property of others which that participant causes, or contributes to while participating in a Forum Music Festivals Program.  Forum Music Festivals retains the right to expel any participant from the Program at the participant’s expense (and with no refund) if it believes that person’s continuation in the Program exposes him or herself or others to a risk of harm.

Forum Music Festivals is not responsible for personal injury and/or physical damage arising from acts of negligence of any member of a group attending a Forum Music Festivals event.  If it becomes necessary or advisable to cancel or alter the schedule of events, Forum Music Festivals may do so in its discretion.  By registering for the festival or program, the School agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Forum Music Festivals from any financial liability or obligation incurred by either the School, or any individual participant, and from any injury or damage to the person or property of others which any participant causes, or contributes to, while participating in a Forum Music Festivals event.  The School, by submitting the application, releases Forum Music Festivals from any and all causes of actions, claims and damages of any kind, or nature, whatsoever, arising from any injury, loss, damage, cost, accident, delay, irregularity, or expense arising out of, or in any way connected with, the performance or operation of a Forum Music Festivals program.  Forum Music Festivals disclaims all liability in actions resulting from the unlawful reproduction of parts and/or entire scores of music.

ARBITRATION

Any dispute concerning this Agreement, the brochure or any other material concerning the trip or the trip itself must be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration in Santa Ana, California pursuant to the current commercial rules of the American Arbitration Association then existent.  In any such arbitration, substantive (but not procedural) California law will apply without regard to the California Arbitration Act.

State of California Registered Seller of Travel:  CST 2098512-40. (Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.)

For California Consumers: Upon cancellation of the transportation or travel services, where the passenger is not at fault and has not cancelled in violation of any terms and conditions previously disclosed and agreed to by the passenger, all sums paid to the seller of travel for services not provided will be promptly paid to the passenger, unless the passenger advises the seller of travel in writing, after cancellation.  This provision does not apply where the seller of travel has remitted the payment to another registered wholesale seller of travel or a carrier, without obtaining a refund, and where the wholesaler or provider defaults in providing the agreed-upon transportation or service.

This transaction is covered by the California Travel Consumer Restitution Fund (TCRF) if the seller of travel was registered and participating in the TCRF at the time of sale and the passenger is located in California at the time of payment.  Eligible passengers may file a claim with TCRF if the passenger is owed a refund of more than $50 for travel services which the seller of travel failed to forward to a proper provider or such money was not refunded to you when required.  A claim must be submitted to the TCRF within 12 mos. after the scheduled completion date of the travel.  A claim must include sufficient documentation to prove your claim and a $35 processing fee.  Claimants must agree to waive their right to other civil remedies against a registered participating seller of travel for matters arising out of a sale for which you file a TCRF claim.  Request a claim form by writing to:  Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation, P.O. Box 6001, Larkspur, CA. 94977-6001.

California law requires certain sellers of travel to have a trust account or bond.  Forum Music Festivals has a trust account.