Volunteering at UK Festivals
A few shifts on the gate or in the campsite can earn a festival ticket and a crew pitch, but every scheme sets its own terms.
You can trade work for free entry at many UK festivals: volunteers commit to a set number of shifts and in return get a ticket, usually with camping. The exact deal, including any deposit, age limit and perks, depends on the organiser.
How it works
There are two main routes. The first is through a charity or organisation that supplies volunteers to festivals, of which Oxfam is the best known: it recruits stewards, campaigners and festival shop volunteers for UK festivals. The second is to apply directly to the festival itself. Many folk festivals run their own steward schemes; Whitby Folk Week, for example, offers a ticket, including camping if required, in return for around four to five hours' work a day.
Stewarding is the most common role. Oxfam lists checking tickets and wristbands on the gates, patrolling the arena or campsites, giving directions, supporting accessible viewing areas and staffing information points. Oxfam provides online training and on-site briefings before the first shift.
Deposits, shifts and the ticket trade-off
The trade-off is not entirely free. Oxfam asks stewards to pay a refundable deposit when they sign up, returned no later than six weeks after the final completed festival, and only one deposit is needed however many festivals a volunteer signs up for. Oxfam's festival shop volunteers do not pay a deposit, but the role asks for previous experience in an Oxfam shop. Other schemes set their own terms, so read the deposit rules before applying.
The core of the deal is the shifts. Oxfam stewards at weekend festivals work three shifts of just over eight hours, which can fall in the morning, afternoon or overnight, while its shop volunteers work one six-hour shift a day. Festival-run schemes are often lighter per day but spread across the whole event. Either way, some of the programme will be missed, and a night shift can take a whole day to recover from.
What volunteers get and who can apply
Oxfam stewards at weekend festivals get secure camping in the Oxfam campsite, a free food voucher for every shift completed, free tea and coffee, access to crew-only showers and toilets and free phone charging; shop volunteers get two food vouchers for every trading day. Festival-run schemes typically offer a ticket and camping. The conditions vary by role and by organiser, so check the organiser's own page before applying.
Age limits vary too. Oxfam volunteers must be 18 on the day they arrive on site for their first festival, while Whitby Folk Week accepts volunteers from 16, with parental consent needed for under-18s.
Timing matters most. Oxfam describes festival volunteering as extremely popular, with places snapped up in moments, and festival-run schemes such as Whitby's usually open applications around January. Volunteer only if you can commit to the shifts, sign up for alerts on the volunteer pages of the festivals you want to attend, and read the terms on deposits, hours and age before you apply.
