jobs at festivals
The Indispensible Festivals Guide
published: Thu 4th Apr 2013
No major festival could function without the stewards, security, catering and other staff that help events run smoothly. If you are looking for a temporary job over the summer, like working at large outdoor events and enjoy working around large numbers of people then working at a festival could be for you.
There are many different ways you can work at a festival. A lot of the work is voluntary, and often stewards will work for their tickets instead of getting a wage - often to the benefit of a charity such as Oxfam.
For more information about working at festivals, check out our guide to working at festivals.
Currently recruiting for their 2013 dates...
Complete Wasters provide litter picking and recycling services at Festivals and Events such as No Direction Home and Summer Sundae and rely on volunteers to help maintain their high standards. This active and satisfying role, not only gets you entry into the event and usually a meal or two, but a real sense of achievement in keeping the site clean, tidy and limiting the environmental impact as much as possible. With a big part of the work usually being focused on the end of the festival, there can also be the opportunity to enjoy more of the event than perhaps with other voluntary roles. Deposits to ensure shifts are completed are required. Check out the Summer Events Diary on the volunteer section of their website www.completewasters.co.uk.
Festaff offers volunteer opportunities at some of the UKs leading music festivals and allows you to attend events on a budget. In return for a set number of hours Festaff provide a ticket for the festival, a place to camp, and food and water while on duty. Workers are engaged in stewarding and general festival/campsite duties roles are light and enjoyable. Shifts are scheduled to allow ample free time to enjoy the festival with your friends.
Current clients include Glastonbury, T in the Park, Bestival, Wickerman, Isle of Wight Festival, Rockness, Creamfields, Wakestock, 80s Rewind and Camp Bestival.
See http://www.festaff.co.uk for more details.
Oxfam provide stewards for a number of events.
In 2013 the Oxfam Stewarding Team is celebrating its 20th year at UK festivals. They are recruiting stewards for 20 fantastic events, including Glastonbury, Download, Latitude, WOMAD, Bestival, Camp Bestival, Boomtown Fair, Shambala, Beautiful Days, Reading, Leeds, Tramlines, Carfest, Boardmasters, NASS, Freeze, Nozstock and Symmetry.
Oxfam stewards must be over 18 and be willing to volunteer for 3 x 8 1/4 hour shifts usually over 5 days of the festival, with the rest of your time free to enjoy yourself. Roles vary from ticket checking, and campsite patrols to arena venues and disabled access platforms. You are also asked to pay a fully refundable deposit which is returned to you after the festival. See the Oxfam website for more details.
VSC/Workers Beer Company Would you like to get free entry to festivals such as Glastonbury, Latitude, Tolpuddle, Reading and Leeds - and at the same time help raise crucial funds for social causes?
VSC will again be joining with the important labour movement organisation Worker's Beer Company (www.workersbeer.co.uk) and will be organising volunteers at a range of festivals. As a volunteer, you get free entry, and at those where you need to camp, you stay in a reserved 'village' with toilets and hot showers plus soem free food and drink. (You need to bring a tent and a sleeping bag). There is also free transport to some festivals from London and sometimes elsewhere. In exchange you will work a bar shift (6-8 hours) for which VSC will receive £6.50 per hour - funds which are crucial to enabling our solidarity campaigning throughout the year. To register as a potential volunteer please contact vscassistant@yahoo.co.uk with the names of the festivals you would like to volunteer at, including an indication on whether you are prepared to do waiter/ess service at the festivals if necessary. For queries contact VSC on 0207 420 8963 or vscassistant@yahoo.co.uk.
festival information by: Scott Williams
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