Volunteering 2025

[bob323]

1 hour ago, Paul ™ said:

I don't know why Glastonbury seem to change the internal traffic team every year now, no consistency and each time the ££ dropped... Now it's volunteers 😀 

Which org is doing the internal traffic? I've always fancied doing that role for some strange reason

 

 

[Skip997]

1 hour ago, Paul ™ said:

I don't know why Glastonbury seem to change the internal traffic team every year now, no consistency and each time the ££ dropped... Now it's volunteers 😀 

I have a reasonable amount of knowledge on this and am party to some information and reasons why. Anyway it’s not all volunteers, plenty of professionals involved. In some areas volunteers aren’t involved at all at certain times of the day

[incident]

10 minutes ago, bob323 said:

Which org is doing the internal traffic? I've always fancied doing that role for some strange reason

 

MyCause, this year.

 

Not sure about previous years though.

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, incident said:

 

MyCause, this year.

 

Not sure about previous years though.

Not entirely true. As for at least the last 15 years, Green Traffic will be doing the Railway track from the Undle Ground crossroads to the Glade Crossroads and the Green Fields inc Dragon Field. 

[Leyrulion]

51 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

I have a reasonable amount of knowledge on this and am party to some information and reasons why. Anyway it’s not all volunteers, plenty of professionals involved. In some areas volunteers aren’t involved at all at certain times of the day

Are my cause extra people or replacing someone from last year? Wondering if it's extra volunteers to help manage crowds. 

[incident]

3 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

Are my cause extra people or replacing someone from last year? Wondering if it's extra volunteers to help manage crowds. 

 

From the description given, I don't think that crowd control is involved, the role profile is primarily focussed on vehicle movements.

 

Quote

Role Profile
 

• Safely directing vehicles along designated vehicle routes on site 
   

• Checking accreditation for vehicles moving in restricted areas on site
   

• Providing clear, confident communication to drivers and festival-goers
   

• Supporting festival logistics to ensure smooth site operations
   

• Adhering to health & safety protocols and maintaining a secure environment
   

• Collaborating closely with other crew members to manage movement effectively
   

• Staying aware of your environment to ensure your own safety is paramount at all times 

 

Edited March 28, 2025 by incident

[Skip997]

8 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

Are my cause extra people or replacing someone from last year? Wondering if it's extra volunteers to help manage crowds. 

Hopefully extra. Their not replacing any of Green Traffic 

 

Having just reread Incident’s post. I’m guessing they will be teamed with experienced old hands 

Edited March 28, 2025 by Skip997

[Skip997]

3 minutes ago, incident said:

 

From the description given, I don't think that crowd control is involved, the role profile is primarily focussed on vehicle movements.

 

 

Interesting. Some of those roles are extremely serious, stressful and quite difficult even with experience 

[MrZigster]

6 hours ago, oakdown said:

...once you're in you get a poly pocket with your shifts, handbook, food and shower tokens, tabard and ID, briefing time, plus a program and a map. You then have to go to the Oxbox next door to get your wristband.

 

 

TIL Oxfam volunteers get a program. No such perk with Avalon and I usually end up having to tatt one on the Monday.

 

So that's along with being able to bring a vehicle, preferential parking (best on site I would argue), a reasonably placed campsite (I hate the noise at Avalons) anda getting to turn up on the Monday. There's a huge inequality in perks between different volunteer groups.

 

I'm a bit concerned that Avalon haven't responded to my last two emails. First one sent 19th March I got a "high level of emails" autoreply. Didn't even get that with the one I sent yesterday, which is worrying.

 

Not on Facebook so can't contact them that way.

 

 

 

[glasto360]

There's also a paid opportunity with Ethical (mycause sister company) 

 

https://ethicalstaff.zohorecruit.eu/jobs/Careers/44278000007782146/Internal-Traffic-Management-Team---Glastonbury-2025-24th---30th-June-?source=CareerSite 

[Leyrulion]

30 minutes ago, MrZigster said:

 

TIL Oxfam volunteers get a program. No such perk with Avalon and I usually end up having to tatt one on the Monday.

 

So that's along with being able to bring a vehicle, preferential parking (best on site I would argue), a reasonably placed campsite (I hate the noise at Avalons) anda getting to turn up on the Monday. There's a huge inequality in perks between different volunteer groups.

 

I'm a bit concerned that Avalon haven't responded to my last two emails. First one sent 19th March I got a "high level of emails" autoreply. Didn't even get that with the one I sent yesterday, which is worrying.

 

Not on Facebook so can't contact them that way.

 

 

 

You should just take a detour by the gates on Wednesday and ask. Just say you didn't get one in the rush if arriving. 

[Leyrulion]

1 hour ago, Skip997 said:

Interesting. Some of those roles are extremely serious, stressful and quite difficult even with experience 

Was going to say I saw some very stressed people with radios nearly running when a poo truck started going down the railway towards SE corner Thursday afternoon. 

Didn't look like the easiest of gigs. 

[Skip997]

11 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

Was going to say I saw some very stressed people with radios nearly running when a poo truck started going down the railway towards SE corner Thursday afternoon. 

Didn't look like the easiest of gigs. 

I’ve told this story before, so excuse me if you’ve already read it. 
 

One Thursday evening in the pre SEC one way system days I was doing traffic control on the Undle Ground crossroads. As you’ll know, that’s a tight turning circle if you needed too. 
 

As there’s not much going on anywhere outside the SE corner (pre SH days) there are streams of people going in both directions, the railway track is chocka) Anyway I get a CB message, “blue light approaching” i.e. there’s an ambulance trying to get through. It’s coming down through Undle and wanting to turn left, lights flashing. 
 

Pretty obviously an emergency, but no one is stopping, no one is at all interested in letting it through, it’s like they can’t even see it. I call the Undle Ground manager who runs down, meanwhile I get the attention of all the security guards I can see. We instruct them to surround the now stationary ambulance, we link arms and slowly walk it round. Still the streams of people keep going, walking right into us, as if they could walk through us. 
 

Yeah it can be extremely stressful 

[bob323]

16 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

I’ve told this story before, so excuse me if you’ve already read it. 
 

One Thursday evening in the pre SEC one way system days I was doing traffic control on the Undle Ground crossroads. As you’ll know, that’s a tight turning circle if you needed too. 
 

As there’s not much going on anywhere outside the SE corner (pre SH days) there are streams of people going in both directions, the railway track is chocka) Anyway I get a CB message, “blue light approaching” i.e. there’s an ambulance trying to get through. It’s coming down through Undle and wanting to turn left, lights flashing. 
 

Pretty obviously an emergency, but no one is stopping, no one is at all interested in letting it through, it’s like they can’t even see it. I call the Undle Ground manager who runs down, meanwhile I get the attention of all the security guards I can see. We instruct them to surround the now stationary ambulance, we link arms and slowly walk it round. Still the streams of people keep going, walking right into us, as if they could walk through us. 
 

Yeah it can be extremely stressful 

i guess you did not have loud hailers? they would have deffo helped

Edited March 28, 2025 by bob323

[Skip997]

2 minutes ago, bob323 said:

i guess you did not have loud hailers? they would have deffo helped

Not then, but Green Traffic use them these days. 
 

I’m still Green Traffic, but with a different role. No shifts during the event and no interaction with punters when on duty 

[bob323]

7 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Not then, but Green Traffic use them these days. 
 

I’m still Green Traffic, but with a different role. No shifts during the event and no interaction with punters when on duty 

I'm jealous - thats sounds great, although i do miss the crazy world of dealing with general people/ punters. I need a certain amount of stress to keep me interested

 

but would love to work there on early shifts, only did that once for oxfam in 2005, was brill

Edited March 28, 2025 by bob323

[MrZigster]

54 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

You should just take a detour by the gates on Wednesday and ask. Just say you didn't get one in the rush if arriving. 

Thought of and tried that. Think it's only worked once. They look at wristbands. Daft really as they always seem to have pallets left over on the Monday.

[Skip997]

4 minutes ago, bob323 said:

I'm jealous - thats sounds great, although i do miss the crazy world of dealing with general people/ punters. I need a certain amount of stress to keep me interested

 

but would love to work there on early shifts, only did that once for oxfam in 2005, was brill

Yeah occasionally I miss the 11pm to 3am shift on the Glade crossroads, that was proper crazy. In the end it got so crazy they replaced us with professionals and loads of security. 

[sedra]

2 hours ago, Leyrulion said:

Are my cause extra people or replacing someone from last year? Wondering if it's extra volunteers to help manage crowds. 

Apparently My Cause is replacing some of Festaff roles

[Paul ™]

8 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Interesting. Some of those roles are extremely serious, stressful and quite difficult even with experience 

- Checking accreditation for vehicles moving in restricted areas on site

 

Certainly shouldn't be doing that.

 

Also sounds like a cost cutting measure to me, putting the risk of people and vehicles together with potential vulnerable volunteers isn't a great idea.

 

[CharlotteB]

Every year I discover a.new "Glasto job" lol. There are people who go around taking water samples from all the different points and testing it for bacteria. I've always thought that was the coolest.

[Paul ™]

6 minutes ago, CharlotteB said:

Every year I discover a.new "Glasto job" lol. There are people who go around taking water samples from all the different points and testing it for bacteria. I've always thought that was the coolest.

Pretty standard across all festivals, usually a specific contractor that does it then it gets sent away and results come back within 24 hours, though might even get tested on site at Glastonbury. 

[spirit.sky]

15 hours ago, StoneCircle said:

 

Officially no, unless you have an extra wristband on top of your staff one, I have heard that some people have managed to do so but usually they are very strict. I guess it depends on the experience and thoroughness of security. The cut throughs are usually for people with hospitality wristbands and those who have been granted the use of them due to Accessible needs, which I qualify for. I have attached an Accessible Map from 2024 which shows them, look for the AR symbols, my favourite one being from Theatre and Circus to the Cabaret field. It saves going via the bottleneck of West Holts. Other Access Map Keys shown on the map such as bus stops are only for people with an Access User Wristband.

 

 

Thank you that is super helpful.

[Someoni]

1 hour ago, CharlotteB said:

Every year I discover a.new "Glasto job" lol. There are people who go around taking water samples from all the different points and testing it for bacteria. I've always thought that was the coolest.

My missus does something similar running a lab for the gov. 

 

It's insane when you get more information on this kind of thing 

[Skip997]

4 hours ago, Paul ™ said:

- Checking accreditation for vehicles moving in restricted areas on site

 

Certainly shouldn't be doing that.

 

Also sounds like a cost cutting measure to me, putting the risk of people and vehicles together with potential vulnerable volunteers isn't a great idea.

 

Agree. That’s a really tricky and stressful job, with loads of potential for confrontation and error