In the meantime, get your practice at the following establishments...

Champps Fairfax and Reston, VA
Fast Eddies, Fairfax & Centreville, VA
Los Tolectos Fairfax, VA
Ned Devine's Irish Pub, Herndon, VA
Old Fire Station #3, Fairfax City, VA
Patriots Pub & Grill, Fairfax, VA
Red Rocks Cafe, Centreville,VA
Shade Tree, Centreville, Va
Sully's Chantilly, VA
General Information

•  Individuals only; no duets or groups will be permitted to enter into the competition. 
•  Members of Celebrate Fairfax, Inc., its Board of Directors, staff, Volunteer Leadership Team, or individuals serving in a sponsor relationship capacity with the Celebrate Fairfax!
• Festival are strictly prohibited from entering into the competition. 
• The karaoke championship will consist of three rounds: preliminary, semi-final, and final. 
• Preliminary competitions will be held between April and May, 2011 at multiple hosting venues. Details to be announced on www.CelebrateFairfax.com.
• The semi-final competition will be held at the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival on Saturday, June 11th, 2011 at the Fairfax Corner Music Café in the Coca-Cola Food Court. This round will be broken into three heats, beginning at 5:00pm, 6:00pm and 7:00pm. Two people from each heat will move on to the final competition. Each of the three First Place winners of the semi-final round will win $100 and each of the three Second Place winners will win $50. 
• The final competition will be held at the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival on Saturday, June 11th, 2011 at 10:00pm at the Fairfax Corner Music Café in the Coca-Cola Food Court.
• The Grand Prize winner will receive $1500, the Runner-Up will receive $750 (these winnings are in lieu of the semi-final prize money).  
• Contestant winners are responsible for paying any federal or state income taxes on any monies won while participating in the Fairfax County Karaoke Championship. A 1099- MISC will be issued to any contestant who wins $600 or more per federal law. 

Hosting Venue Guidelines

• All venues hosting a preliminary competition must use Karaoke/DJ services provided by Associated Consultants, Inc. during the preliminary round of the Fairfax County Karaoke Championship. 
• Each hosting venue must hold the preliminary competition no earlier than
• April 1st, 2011 and no later May 31st, 2011 unless otherwise approved by CFI staff. The date of the competition is to be reported to Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. staff at least two weeks in advance.
• Each hosting venue must select judges as they will not be supplied by Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. 
• Five (5) adult general admission tickets for the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival will be given to each hosting venue to be distributed at the discretion of the venue management.
• One (1) on-site surface parking pass for the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival will be given to each hosting venue’s general manager or other management position. 
• Hosting venues are responsible for having the appropriate equipment for the karaoke competition. 
• Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. will publicize each venue’s preliminary competition through e- blasts, press releases, and the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival website. 
• Each hosting venue must provide Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. with the name, telephone number, and email address of the first place winner of their preliminary competition at least two weeks prior to the Festival. 
• Contest organizers have the right to exclude any preliminary competition winner if such individual was selected in a non-prescribed manner. 

Preliminary Competition Rules 

• Preliminary competitions will begin no earlier than April 1st, 2011 and will conclude no later May 31st, 2011 unless otherwise approved by CFI staff. 
• Contestants must be of legal age to enter a venue hosting the competition. 
• Contestants must compete at a venue on the night of a qualifying contest.
• The amount of contestants at a qualifying round will be determined by the hosting venue.
• The host, agents and judges reserve the right to declare the maximum amount of
• contestants and close registration at any reasonable point in the night.
• Only one entry per person, per location. Contestants may compete at more than one location.
• You can only represent one location at the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival semi-finals and finals. 
• Only one representative from each venue will be selected to compete in the semi-finals. Should the first place winner not be available to compete at the Celebrate Fairfax!
• Festival, the runner-up from that venue will be selected by default.
• Winners of the preliminary competitions will receive a four (4) adult general admission tickets and one (1) on-site surface parking pass for the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival valid on the day of the semi-final and final rounds, Saturday June 11th, 2011. 
• Contestants must comply with any other rules or stipulations provided and/or enforced by the hosting venue. 
• In no case will more than 20 contestants advance to the semi-finals. 

Semi-Final and Final Competitions Rules
 

• The semi-final and final rounds are family friendly competitions. Absolutely NO foul language or questionable lyrics during contestants’ performances or otherwise while participating in the contest. If you are not sure if your song choice is appropriate, please email Lilian at lilian.larkin@fairfaxcounty.gov with “Karaoke Competition” in the subject line and include the following information: your name, phone number, email address, the name of the song, artist, and version (if other then the original).
  

• Songs containing vulgar or explicit sex lyrics will not be allowed. Contestants who, during their performance, use vulgar lyrics or perform in an obscene manner will be disqualified from competition. (Please refer to Semi-Final and Final Competitions Rule #1)
• Performances will be limited to five minutes. Choose your song wisely. If it is longer than five, be prepared to give a big finish at the five-minute mark.
• Contestants must choose their song(s) from a list provided by Associated Consultants, Inc.. This list can be downloaded from their website www.associatedconsultants.net. 
• When checking in, inform the hosting DJ of your song choice. 
• The order of performance shall be decided by luck of the draw. Each contestant shall put their name in a hat or a pitcher and each name shall be drawn out by the DJ and/or host.
• We don’t mind if someone else is doing your song. But if we see a duplicate we will give you the option to change before the show. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE!
• Each contestant shall use only the equipment provided by the DJ running the show. NO outside equipment by contestant or anyone other than the DJ shall be used.
• Contestants MAY NOT utilize live props. This will include back-up singers, dancers or animals. Non-human props such as costumes and other accessories are permitted.
• Musical instruments may be used as props, but are not allowed as an accompaniment to the contestant's performance. Such musical instruments must be hand carried. Larger instruments that utilize the aid of others to bring them on stage, or are difficult to handle are NOT be permitted (i.e. a piano, harp, etc...)
• Any prop used by a contestant must be carried on stage by the contestant and must be completed in one trip onto the stage area. The contestant must remove any and all props used immediately following his/her own performance. 
• Any contestant that allows others to sing along with him/her by surrendering the
• microphone shall be disqualified. (This does NOT include holding the microphone in the air for the audience or a group in the audience to sing along with the back ground vocals.)
• Any contestant guilty of distracting any of the other contestants while they are performing shall be disqualified.
• Any contestant guilty of insulting or starting any confrontation with any of the audience or other contestants shall be disqualified
• Any contestant found damaging equipment shall be disqualified.
• Any contestant that faces the dreaded malfunction of the equipment has the option of starting over. Examples: feedback, skipping of disk, and loss of microphone.  (This DOES NOT include the contestant bumping into the equipment causing a skip or turning off
• microphone while singing.)

Semi-Final and Final Competitions Rules 

• Championship Judging (Semi-Final and Final Competitions)
• NOTE: Rules and guidelines for judging in the preliminary competitions will be set by each hosting venue. 
•  Contestants will be judged in the following five categories: 
• a.Physical Presentation
• b.Crowd Reaction and Participation
• c.Choreography/Entertainment Ability 
• d.Vocal Presentation
• e.Overall Performance
• Each contestant shall be judged on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest score for each category (i.e. the lowest score possible is a 5 and the highest is a 50 from each judge).
•  In the case of a tie in any round of the Fairfax County Karaoke Championship, a tie breaking sing-off will take place in which each of the tying contestants will sing an additional song to be judged. The song sung in the sing-off must not be the same song used in either the semi-final or final rounds of the competition. 
• Contestants advancing from semi-finals to finals may NOT sing the same song in both rounds. 
•  Contestants will sing one judged song. In each round, if at the end of the first judged song there is a tie, the contestants, who are tied for first place only, will sing another judged song. Contestants are not allowed to repeat the song used for the first judged song. Should this method not break the tie, the judges will collaborate between each other and decide a winner.
• Contestants, their family or associates are not allowed to have contact with a competition judge before or during any competition connected with Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. Contact includes verbal conversations and handshakes. 
• Decisions of the judges are final. No arguing with judges is allowed. Any contestant, their family or associates who argue with a judge may be deemed to be using offensive behavior and the contestant may be disqualified from the competition.

Tips for song choice and performance:

• Avoid songs with big instrumental breaks. 
• Keep it short and up-tempo so you can get the audience involved. 
•  Leaving the stage area during a performance is not prohibited but contestants should be aware it does make it difficult for the judges and audience to follow.
  

 Questions?  Call Glenn at 703-323-7972 or email glenn@associatedconsultants.net  

                                                                 (In subject line "Celebrate Fairfax Question")

Or check out Celebrate Fairfax website at CelebrateFairfax.com

Congratulations to all the fabulous 2011 Karaoke singers from the DMV!

We are proud of all of the 2011 participants!

On June 11, 2011 at the Celebrate Fairfax Fair the following Karaoke singers won cash prizes!

1st place winner!   Reggie Colbert from Ned Devine'sin Herndon, VA

2nd place winner! Kevin Witcher from Chic N Wings, Herndon, VA

3rd place winner! Larry Schaffer from Daves Automotivein Centreville, Va