The reality of working the festival......

[Bosslar]

Evening Ladies & Gents,

Looking for a bit of a steer here. Complete and utter failure to secure tickets has been mitigated somewhat by getting a place as a 'Love The Farm' steward, seems that we're the new Green Police and will mainly be 'patrolling' known places for al fresco urinating!! Shifts are a bit of a bummer being 8pm - 5am Friday and Sunday but I'm in there at least!! 

Has anyone done anything similar before? Is it recommended and would you do it again? 

[incident]

1 minute ago, Bosslar said:

Shifts are a bit of a bummer being 8pm - 5am Friday and Sunday but I'm in there at least!!

If it helps to look at it this way.. Those places are generally going to be where the crowds are.. so for example if you want to see the Other Stage headliner on Sunday, it may be possible to arrange to patrol the back of the field or the fences at the side of the stage.

[NoBallGames]

I haven't done it but with a good attitude I bet you could have a lot of fun and still see a ton of the festival and such. Just looking for people peeing and wandering around the festival could be a lot worse for sure. 

[Bosslar]

Oh I intend to thoroughly enjoy being there and I'm actually quite looking forward to being part of the 'crew'. The people I've spoken to I'm going to be working with all seem sound - just not sure how being sober at 10pm Friday will sit with me!!!

[Bosslar]

5 minutes ago, incident said:

If it helps to look at it this way.. Those places are generally going to be where the crowds are.. so for example if you want to see the Other Stage headliner on Sunday, it may be possible to arrange to patrol the back of the field or the fences at the side of the stage.

Good point. Hopefully I'll be patrolling West Holts when Earth, Wind and Fire are on!!

[Sawdusty surfer]

14 minutes ago, Bosslar said:

Evening Ladies & Gents,

Looking for a bit of a steer here. Complete and utter failure to secure tickets has been mitigated somewhat by getting a place as a 'Love The Farm' steward, seems that we're the new Green Police and will mainly be 'patrolling' known places for al fresco urinating!! Shifts are a bit of a bummer being 8pm - 5am Friday and Sunday but I'm in there at least!! 

Has anyone done anything similar before? Is it recommended and would you do it again? 

You'll have a whale of a time. You will be a part of the show, working with a friendly posse having a wonderful time while 'working' and will make loads of new really close friends. Afterwards you won't even consider buying a ticket if you can repeat this year's festival experience. Trust me on this. Enjoy.

Oh, and I suspect that total sobriety when working may be a hindrance. In that kind of role, a bevy will make you a more outgoing , vocal and upbeat worker . 

Edited May 18, 2016 by Sawdusty Surfer

[Miesh]

You get Saturday off with no alarm Sunday.  That's a positive.

There are worse jobs I'm sure. As said above you'll be where the action is, not stuck out on the edge. 

I hope it works out for you 

Also being "crew" is cool, not done it at Glastonbury but you get to see a different side to the festival and feel part of the organisation of it all

Edited May 18, 2016 by Miesh

[bennyhana22]

22 minutes ago, Bosslar said:

Evening Ladies & Gents,

Looking for a bit of a steer here. Complete and utter failure to secure tickets has been mitigated somewhat by getting a place as a 'Love The Farm' steward, seems that we're the new Green Police and will mainly be 'patrolling' known places for al fresco urinating!! Shifts are a bit of a bummer being 8pm - 5am Friday and Sunday but I'm in there at least!! 

Has anyone done anything similar before? Is it recommended and would you do it again? 

Does that mean that you can have all day Wednesday and Thursday to have fun and then not start 'til 8pm on Friday?

If yes, I think you've done about as well as you could have hoped for after what must have been a terrible disappointment. Of all the huge crowd on here describing their volunteer shifts, I think that's about the best I've heard about.

3 hours kip on Saturday morning 0500-0800h and then you're off 'til 8pm on the Sunday. You'll have a blast! And as others have said, I bet you have such a lot of fun with your crew mates - probably make some friends for life!

Ben

[Bosslar]

Thanks all!

Actually Ben, I've got all day Monday & Tuesday, a 5 hour shift Wednesday 8-1 and then the shifts mentioned above. Yep, I've got pretty good shifts in fairness, although originally I was working Thursday and Saturday night which seemed better!! Still, I'm there aren't I? If you see a fat bloke in a pink hi vis stopping people releiving themselves then come say hello!!

[bennyhana22]

13 minutes ago, Bosslar said:

Thanks all!

Actually Ben, I've got all day Monday & Tuesday, a 5 hour shift Wednesday 8-1 and then the shifts mentioned above. Yep, I've got pretty good shifts in fairness, although originally I was working Thursday and Saturday night which seemed better!! Still, I'm there aren't I? If you see a fat bloke in a pink hi vis stopping people releiving themselves then come say hello!!

I so will do that!

Ben

[danmarks]

Prepare for several hundred hirsute blokes in pink hi viz jackets pretending to patrol a piss area waiting for a hello. (Well maybe one at least)

[marathonsteve]

You get to go to the crew bars 

[glasto-worker]

5 hours ago, Bosslar said:

Thanks all!

Actually Ben, I've got all day Monday & Tuesday, a 5 hour shift Wednesday 8-1 and then the shifts mentioned above. Yep, I've got pretty good shifts in fairness, although originally I was working Thursday and Saturday night which seemed better!! Still, I'm there aren't I? If you see a fat bloke in a pink hi vis stopping people releiving themselves then come say hello!!

I will not be doing the same type of work but its likely I will be doing { or close to to }

Tuesday and Sunday 9pm to 6am and also doing six hour shifts Wednesday - Thursday - Friday -
Saturday.

I take it you will have a meal break as well.

Now what six hours I do each day will be my choice { so it could be 6am to Noon } and in fact I could avoid the long shifts on Tuesday and Sunday but ' that is the two days when they really need me ' so I don't mind just getting stuck in.

I also may not end up working to 6am - its all down to demand - if the demand falls off we will pull the plug as there is no point staying there if there is no need to.

its the nature of being a Volunteer as very few people will get perfect shifts and what is perfect to one person will not be perfect to someone else.

I am just happy there is still a place for my Team and I.

we will work between us to decide who does what shift {Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday}
- it keeps everyone happy when they have a choice but I am only allowed that flexibility due to my long service.

sure for many years I never had any choice and sometimes they suited me better than others.

You will get to see areas that many people will never see - on a whole crew facilities are good

when you weigh it up - for most people it works out a good deal - the ones who complain about their shifts tend not to stick at it - I have met hundreds { not connected to me } who sit there and they just cant accept the way the system works and they will then compare their shift to another Team - missing the whole point that they cant look at one festival in isolation - over five or so years Teams will end up with so many bad shifts and so many good shifts.

Be it a Team or individual - if they stick at it long enough they will see it all ' evens out '

[Earthwindandfire2205]

I'm working 2330-0730 on Saturday and 0730-1630 on the Monday for FMS so I very pleased with my shifts. Not long to go now. Can't wait.

[giantkatestacks]

I much prefer working to not, the feeling of being involved is fantastic. Plus you better campsite, food, early arrival, crew bars, etc etc

i just dont understand why people go through the sale hell when you can have your place confirmed even before the first sale happens.

[jonny2mad]

I work from about 8 till six in the morning about three of the nights, managing stewarding in the north part of the se corner bloc 9 glasto latino and the common , I think if it's something you would do anyway wandering about its not really working . I think what glasto-worker said is important, enjoy what your doing dont worry about what shift your on or what you might be missing, see it as a long term thing .

people who are regular workers never need worry they always have a ticket, they can arrive days earlier and they see the festival differently from people who pay for tickets

[jonny2mad]

8 hours ago, Bosslar said:

Evening Ladies & Gents,

Looking for a bit of a steer here. Complete and utter failure to secure tickets has been mitigated somewhat by getting a place as a 'Love The Farm' steward, seems that we're the new Green Police and will mainly be 'patrolling' known places for al fresco urinating!! Shifts are a bit of a bummer being 8pm - 5am Friday and Sunday but I'm in there at least!! 

Has anyone done anything similar before? Is it recommended and would you do it again? 

is this part of gaia guardians or a separate group, I used to like the old green police

[carlosj]

9 hours ago, incident said:

If it helps to look at it this way.. Those places are generally going to be where the crowds are.. so for example if you want to see the Other Stage headliner on Sunday, it may be possible to arrange to patrol the back of the field or the fences at the side of the stage.

This - there were quite a few peeing against the fence in the wait for Hot Chip to come on, so you can be near the bands whilst doing your job.  I think the worst I saw was on the edge of the field at night where the Spider was, and the urinals were too busy to take everyone, so they peed everywhere.

[505]

11 hours ago, Bosslar said:

Oh I intend to thoroughly enjoy being there and I'm actually quite looking forward to being part of the 'crew'. The people I've spoken to I'm going to be working with all seem sound - just not sure how being sober at 10pm Friday will sit with me!!!

Who says you have to be sober?

[shuttlep]

last year my friend face planted in the SE corner slipping on some gravel

 

 

cut her lip and face right open, we had stewards all around us helping her out and making sure she made it to the medical tent. 

 

those guys do an awesome job 

[RichardWaller]

If I couldn't get a ticket I'd be up for working, preferably on the litter picking/recycling stuff, that'd do me. Think it'd do my head in working on a bar near the Pyramid..

[jonny2mad]

17 minutes ago, shuttlep said:

last year my friend face planted in the SE corner slipping on some gravel

 

 

cut her lip and face right open, we had stewards all around us helping her out and making sure she made it to the medical tent. 

 

those guys do an awesome job 

We try to do a good job, all the SE corner stewarding is made up of local charities like the local boy scouts or hockey clubs or local schools, its an interesting part of the site very busy

[glasto-worker]

31 minutes ago, RichardWaller said:

If I couldn't get a ticket I'd be up for working, preferably on the litter picking/recycling stuff, that'd do me. Think it'd do my head in working on a bar near the Pyramid..

Its not all that bad as its busy - you just have to have the confidence to deal with the crowd all trying to push in - the busier the bar the more runners there will be so you have to get the cash up front - this does catch new staff out who are not used to it - the jokers who run may think they have got away with it but all these bars have HD CCTV and its a simple matter to burn a DVD and that is passed to the Police and Bar Security so many are spotted.

when I first started working in bars shifts used to be 8 hours but these have been reduced to 6 hours and they will end up doing a early - middle - late shift so people do have time off its just the luck of the draw if the shifts suit .

The walk in bars is a bit less hectic and at times there may be time to speak to the Customer.

sure its not for everyone but I would always remain a volunteer as long as they will have me.

[Madyaker]

This'll be my first Glastonbury but I've gone to other festivals with friends who did the volunteering, working in a food stall, checking wristbands etc. The general consensus seemed to be that it's better than not going. If I was going to do it id try and get work setting up the festival in the weeks before hand, that way you get your tickets and are free to enjoy the entire festival without having to work.

[Bosslar]

Thanks for the advice/encouragement everyone!  Just to avoid any doubt - I'm ecstatic to be going and excited to be seeing the Festival from a different perspective.  I'm also really giddy about being able to wander around on the Monday & Tuesday when there's only crew in there. 

Just wasn't sure what to expect or how different my experience may be! 

See you in the fields and don't be peeing anywhere other than a long drop or urinal will you?!