Chicago · July 25, 2026 · Founding Partnership Pavilion

Shape A New
Chicago Institution

One Day · First Chapter · Your Name On It

SelassieFest is not simply looking for sponsors.
We are selectively inviting aligned organizations to become founding architects of a cultural movement — to own a chapter of something new, conscious, and rooted deep in Chicago's soul.

🌿 Roots Culture 🎵 Reggae + Sound System 🧠 Cannabis Education 🥗 Ital Living 🏛️ Ethiopian Heritage 🌍 Community Healing
Explore Partnership Anchors Begin A Conversation

A new Chicago cultural institution is emerging — one built on Rastafari livity, Ethiopian heritage, Jamaican sound system culture, cannabis consciousness, and community healing. On July 25th, 2026, SelassieFest opens its gates for the first time. There will be no rewind. No retroactive founding credits. No second first chapter.

The organizations who stand with us now — before the crowds, before the press, before the history is written — will be permanently woven into the fabric of this movement. Not as vendors who wrote a check. As the organizations whose belief helped make it real.

That is not a sponsorship. That is a legacy position.

30+
Artists & Selectors
9
Cultural Districts
16hrs
Gates Open (6a–10p)
20+
Ital Food Vendors
15+
Panels & Workshops
July 25
Chicago · 2026
Founding Partnership Anchors
Four positions. One opportunity. Your organization shapes which anchor you become.
✦ Anchor One
Roots Culture Partner
The organization whose values built the foundation
This is your festival district. The Roots Culture Partner is not a logo on a banner — your organization's name becomes the identity of the cultural heartland of SelassieFest. The Ethiopian Heritage Village, the Nyabinghi Groundation, the Reasoning Circle Pavilion — these carry your presence not because you bought them, but because your values match what lives inside them.
What This Anchor Delivers
Presented-by naming across the Heritage Village & Reasoning Circle Pavilion — "In Partnership With [Your Organization]"
Dedicated speaking moment at the Dawn Nyabinghi Groundation opening ceremony
Co-branded community mural installation with attribution across festival life and digital archive
Dedicated documentary segment in official SelassieFest recap film — your story, your voice
Pre-festival social media content series: "Our Founding Partners" spotlighting your mission
Logo + mission statement in all email communications (est. 5,000+ subscribers)
10 VIP cultural passes + private table at the Festival Elder's Reasoning Session
Permanent "Founding Partner" attribution on selassiefest.com with your logo, link, and partnership statement
Activation Concepts Your Team Can Own
Heritage Village Activation Youth Arts Sponsorship Community Resource Hub Expungement Clinic Storytelling Installation Workforce / Career Booth Community Mural Co-Design
Ideal For: Community orgs · Social equity brands · Cultural institutions
✦ Anchor Two
Sound System Partner
The organization whose energy powers the movement
The Sound System Yard is yours. In Jamaican culture, the sound system is not an amenity — it is the heartbeat, the authority, the stage of the people. As Sound System Partner, your brand doesn't hang above the crowd. It pulses through them. Every selector's shout-out, every bassline, every set break — your presence moves with the music.
What This Anchor Delivers
Presenting sponsorship of the Sound System Yard — "[Your Brand] Sound System Yard" in all event materials
Verbal acknowledgment by selectors and MCs throughout the day from the Sound Yard stage
Branded lounge activation space inside the Sound System Yard — your identity, your furniture, your energy
Branded livestream overlay/sponsorship placement if SelassieFest streams Sound Yard sets
Co-branded limited edition Sound System Yard bandana / merch item available at festival
Featured in all Sound Yard social content — Instagram Reels, TikTok, event recap
12 general admission passes + early access for your team
Permanent "Founding Partner" attribution on selassiefest.com
Activation Concepts Your Team Can Own
Branded Selector Lounge Artist Green Room Support Merch Collaboration Street Team / Brand Ambassadors In-Store Dispensary Cross-Promo Social Content Series Influencer Integration
Ideal For: Cannabis brands · Music-culture companies · Lifestyle brands
✦ Anchor Three
Healing Grove Partner
The organization whose presence restores and renews
The Healing Grove is the soul of the festival. While the drums pound and the bass rolls, this is where people breathe — where healers gather, where the nervous system resets. As Healing Grove Partner, your organization is not seen as a corporation investing in wellness. You are seen as a practitioner of care that SelassieFest trusted with its most sacred space.
What This Anchor Delivers
Presenting naming of the Healing & Wellness Grove — "[Your Organization] Healing Grove" in all signage and programs
Dedicated tent / footprint inside the Grove — your brand, your practitioners, your activations
Access to curate one wellness workshop or healing session under your organization's name
Inclusion in the "Wellness & Healing" digital guide distributed to all attendees
Photography and video content rights for your activation — usable in your own marketing materials
Facilitated introduction to 8 independent healing practitioners in the SelassieFest network
10 general admission passes for your team, clients, or community members
Permanent "Founding Partner" attribution on selassiefest.com
Activation Concepts Your Team Can Own
Breathwork Session Sound Bath Herbal Medicine Pop-Up Mental Health Awareness Booth Hydration Station Meditation Area Restorative Justice Dialogue Yoga Programming
Ideal For: Health orgs · Wellness brands · Nonprofits · Plant medicine advocates
✦ Anchor Four
Higher Learning Partner
The organization whose knowledge elevates the community
Higher Learning Roots is where cannabis meets consciousness. This is not a product showcase — it is an educational district: Terpene Discovery, COA Reading Workshops, Farm-to-Dispensary Series, Smart Buds Bio Lab. As Higher Learning Partner, your brand is not selling. Your brand is teaching. That is a fundamentally different — and far more powerful — position to occupy in the cannabis space.
What This Anchor Delivers
Presenting naming of Higher Learning Roots — "[Your Brand] Higher Learning Roots" across all programming and signage
Co-presentation of one educational session (Terpene Bar, COA Workshops, Farm-to-Dispensary, or Cannabis Academy)
Branded knowledge competition sponsorship — your name on every quiz, prize, and participant moment
Branded Smart Buds Bio Lab activation — your science, your credibility, your community trust
Flyer and promotional placement across Chicago-area dispensaries in the SelassieFest partner network
Co-branded digital content: "Cannabis Education Series" across SelassieFest social platforms
12 general admission passes + early Higher Learning Roots district access
Permanent "Founding Partner" attribution on selassiefest.com
Activation Concepts Your Team Can Own
Terpene Discovery Bar COA Reading Workshop Farm-to-Dispensary Panel Brand Ambassador Presence Product Sampling (where legal) Sustainability Talk Social Equity Conversation Knowledge Competitions
Ideal For: Cannabis operators · Cultivators · Dispensary brands · Social equity orgs
Why Now Matters
First-year founding positions carry what no amount of money can buy later.

Founding Credit — Forever

Year one partners carry permanent founding attribution. No future partner will ever share that designation.

Shape It, Don't Join It

Year two partners join a festival. Year one partners help decide what the festival becomes.

Community Trust at Ground Zero

Conscious audiences remember who showed up early — and who waited to see if it was worth it.

Documented for History

The SelassieFest 2026 documentary record begins now. Founding partners are embedded in that record permanently.

Who Attends
A culturally engaged, conscious, multi-generational Chicago community.

Reggae Culture

Roots reggae heads, sound system devotees, and Nyabinghi practitioners from across the Midwest.

Cannabis Conscious

Educated consumers, social equity advocates, and cannabis professionals aligned with plant literacy.

Diaspora Community

Ethiopian, Jamaican, Caribbean, and African American community members connected through shared heritage.

Wellness Seekers

Holistic health advocates, Ital practitioners, and individuals seeking embodied healing experiences.

Families

Multi-generational families — the Youth & Family Village creates a safe, conscious environment for all ages.

Justice Advocates

Social justice-oriented Chicagoans who show up for culture-led community transformation.

Begin The Conversation

We review every inquiry personally. Tell us about your organization and which anchor resonates — we'll respond within 48 hours to begin a real dialogue.