Help Bring Something Big to Life for Our Community

Open Committee & Sub- Committe Positions

Join the Cleveland Kurentovanje Planning Committee

Cleveland Kurentovanje is entirely volunteer-organized — and we couldn’t do it without community members like you. If you love culture, creativity, and bringing people together, we’d be thrilled to have you join our team.

Our committees work on all the moving parts that make the festival possible, from programming and logistics to marketing, parade planning, partnerships, and more. Below, you’ll find a list of current roles we’re hoping to fill.

Don’t see a description that matches your skills or interests? No problem — we’re always excited to welcome new talents and ideas. Just send us a note at CLEKurentovanje@gmail.com, and we’ll be in touch.

Thank you for helping bring the spirit of Kurentovanje to life!

Open Committee Chair Positions

  • Do you have a knack for grant management and a passion for supporting community-focused events? Cleveland Kurentovanje, a vibrant week-long festival, is looking for a dedicated Grant Manager to help us sustain and grow our funding. Our festival relies on a variety of funding sources, including vital grants, to offer mostly free programming for the community.

    Responsibilities:

    • Manage and maintain our existing grants through thoughtful reporting and timely re-application.

    • Coordinate update calls with granters, fostering positive relationships and transparent communication.

    • Ensure compliance with grant terms and manage all necessary documentation.

    • Work closely with our Executive Committee, who will provide guidance and support.

    Qualifications:

    • Experience with grant management, reporting, or a related field.

    • Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

    • Strong communication skills for coordinating with granters and the internal team.

    • Ability to work independently and remotely. This role can be done from anywhere outside of Cleveland.

    This role offers a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact by ensuring the financial sustainability of our festival. If you’re detail-oriented, organized, and passionate about bringing accessible cultural events to the community, we’d love to hear from you.

  • Help lead the Children’s Village during the Main Festival and make sure our youngest attendees—and their families—have a fun, welcoming, and well-organized experience.

    The schedule, activities, supplies, and AV support will already be in place. Your role is to help keep everything moving smoothly throughout the day.

    Responsibilities may include:

    • Overseeing activities in the Children’s Village during the festival

    • Helping transition between crafts, story time, performances, and other scheduled activities

    • Introducing activities or performers as needed

    • Serving as the main point of contact for Children’s Village volunteers

    • Helping volunteers get situated, answering questions, and providing direction throughout the day

    • Monitoring the space and helping keep activities running on schedule

    • Welcoming children and families and helping answer attendee questions

    • Helping manage crowd flow and keeping the space clean, organized, and safe

    • Communicating with the Executive Committee by walkie-talkie if issues or concerns need to be escalated

    • Providing general updates on how things are going throughout the day

    This is a great role for someone who is friendly, organized, comfortable leading volunteers, good with families, and able to keep several activities moving at once.

    You do not need to plan the Children’s Village—you simply help bring the plan to life and make sure the day runs smoothly.

Sub-Committee Member Positions 

  • Help us keep one of the busiest parts of Cleveland Kurentovanje running smoothly! We are looking for several Volunteer Bar Managers to serve as day-of leaders for our festival bars.

    Bar Managers will work with the CK organizing team and bar volunteers to help oversee operations during assigned shifts, including:

    • Serving as the primary point person for volunteers working at the bar

    • Monitoring beverage and supply levels and requesting restocks as needed

    • Helping keep the bar organized, clean, and moving efficiently during busy periods

    • Helping ensure responsible alcohol service and that festival procedures are followed

    You do not need professional bartending experience, but you should be comfortable working in a busy environment, communicating clearly, taking initiative, and helping lead a team.

    Because this role involves alcohol service operations, Bar Managers must be 21 or older.

    This is a great role for someone who enjoys hospitality, problem-solving, teamwork, and being right in the middle of the festival action.

  • Help us make sure every CK volunteer starts and ends their shift feeling welcomed, prepared, and appreciated.

    This subcommittee role supports the Volunteer Coordinator on the day of the festival and helps manage the volunteer check-in area.

    Responsibilities may include:

    • Welcoming volunteers as they arrive and confirming their assigned shifts/roles

    • Distributing volunteer gifts such as hats, scarves, or other CK items

    • Answering basic questions and directing volunteers to the correct team or location

    • Supporting the Volunteer Coordinator with any day-of needs that come up

    This is a great role for someone who is friendly, organized, dependable, and enjoys helping people feel comfortable and appreciated.

    You’ll be one of the first people many volunteers see when they arrive, so this team plays an important part in creating a positive volunteer experience from the very beginning.

  • Help support our Finance Committee with cashier and payment activities during the Main Festival & Parade.

    We are looking for trustworthy, dependable, and detail-oriented volunteers who are comfortable handling money and helping keep day-of financial operations organized.

    Responsibilities may include:

    • Supporting cashier stations during the festival

    • Handling cash and other payments accurately

    • Helping distribute and replenish cash banks as needed

    • Assisting with cash counts and reconciliation

    • Supporting secure collection and transfer of festival funds

    • Helping troubleshoot basic cashier or payment issues

    • Following CK’s established financial procedures and controls

    • Assisting the Finance Committee with other day-of needs as they arise

    This is a great role for someone who is responsible, organized, comfortable with numbers, and able to stay focused in a busy festival environment.

    Because this role involves handling CK funds, reliability and attention to detail are especially important.

  • Help support our Event Chair with the behind-the-scenes logistics that keep Cleveland Kurentovanje running smoothly.

    The Operations Support team helps make sure festival setup goes according to plan, spaces are functioning as intended, and people are able to move safely and efficiently throughout the event.

    Responsibilities may include:

    • Assisting with festival setup and breakdown

    • Helping make sure tables, chairs, signage, barriers, equipment, and activity areas are in the correct locations

    • Supporting vendor, volunteer, and activity-area setup

    • Monitoring entrances, exits, walkways, and high-traffic areas

    • Helping keep attendee movement smooth throughout the festival

    • Identifying and helping resolve operational or facility issues as they arise

    • Assisting with wayfinding and signage

    • Jumping in wherever operational support is needed throughout the day

    This is a great role for someone who is organized, observant, flexible, and comfortable solving problems on the fly.

    Operations Support helps make sure all the pieces of the festival come together and continue running smoothly once the crowds arrive.

  • Are you ready to bring your energy and enthusiasm to help our festival thrive? We’re looking for a Merchandise Sales Table Point-Person to overseeing merchandise purchases at the table on two days during the 2025 Festival:

    1. Kurent Jump - evening of Saturday, February 22, 2025

    2. Main Festival & Parade Day - day of Saturday, March 1, 2025

    Merchandise sales directly support our not-for-profit festival, helping us provide mostly free programming for our community all week long.

    As the Point-Person for our Merchandise Sales Tent, you will:

    • Unbox and display the merchandise prior to the start of the event.

    • Serve as the primary contact for merchandise sales at the tent.

    • Assist festival-goers with purchases, ensuring a friendly and helpful experience.

    • Manage equipment provided to you, including the cashbox, credit card reader, and more.

    • Work with a team of additional volunteers for support throughout the day who will support you at the tent.

    You’ll be working closely with our Merchandise Chairperson, who handles merchandise procurement and online store coordination, so your focus will be on creating a great in-person experience.

  • Help support our Parade Chair with keeping parade morning organized and getting every group where they need to be.

    Responsibilities may include:

    • Checking in parade groups as they arrive

    • Confirming group placement and lineup order

    • Directing participants to their assigned staging areas

    • Helping keep the parade lineup organized and moving

    • Communicating timing and instructions to parade groups

    • Assisting with last-minute questions or changes

    • Helping launch groups onto the parade route in the correct order and at the right time

    • Supporting the Parade Chair with other day-of needs as they arise

    This is a great role for someone who is organized, comfortable giving directions, able to stay calm in a busy environment, and enjoys being part of the energy of parade morning.

    You’ll play an important role in making sure the parade starts smoothly and keeps moving from staging area to parade route.

  • Help us bring the energy, pump up the crowd, and keep everyone informed during some of Cleveland Kurentovanje’s biggest moments!

    We are looking for outgoing, enthusiastic volunteers to help emcee the Kurent Jump, Parade, and Main Festival.

    Responsibilities may include:

    • Welcoming attendees and helping set the tone for the event

    • Introducing performers, parade groups, and special guests

    • Sharing schedule updates and letting the crowd know what is happening next

    • Making important event announcements

    • Helping keep programming moving between performances and activities

    • Engaging the crowd and building excitement throughout the event

    • Working with the Entertainment Chair and event team to communicate any last-minute changes

    This is a great role for someone who is comfortable on a microphone, energetic, personable, and able to think on their feet.

    If you love being in the middle of the action and helping create a fun atmosphere, this is the role for you.