Whether it’s Glastonbury, V, Reading or Womad, a summer of love could set you back a pretty penny - and that’s not even including tents, booze and a pair of the obligatory green wellies.
The anarchic days of going over, through, or even tunnelling under a fence are long gone, but you can still get into a festival for free if you are willing to work for your ticket.
We can’t guarantee that you will get to see your favourite band play a headline set, but you will be able to savour the unique festival atmosphere for free and enjoy an truly unforgettable experience.
What do I have to do?
The type of jobs that will earn you free access to a festival are:
Promotional staff
With festivals growing more corporate, companies are always looking for people to promote their latest products to festival goers.
Catering crews
Everyone needs feeding at festivals. That includes roadies, security, stage crew and other site workers, as well as the festival goers themselves. Catering firms are always looking for extra hands for everything from chefs, to waiting staff and pot scrubbers.
Bar staff
It wouldn’t be a festival without it. Bar work usually works on a volunteer basis where you work one six-hour shift a day and are free to enjoy the festival for the rest of the day.
Charity workers
Leading charities like Oxfam and Samaritans always have a strong presence at summer festivals and are always looking for volunteers.
Festival staff
If you’re prepared to don a fluorescent vest then there’s always a need for litter-pickers, stewards or car park attendants.
Medical staff
Drop-in medical centres are always interested in volunteers if you have the necessary training medical training.
Green messengers
Volunteers who approach festival goers in order to spread the green gospel (like encouraging people to be environmentally aware in how they dispose of their waste).
Where do I sign up?
The Workers Beer Company
They employ up to 2,000 people at big festivals like Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds. If you’re part of a trade union branch, campaigning or community group then simply register at the Workers Beer Company website. You won’t get paid, but you work one shift a day and get free entry to the festival, plus meals and drinks (after your shift ends!).
Oxfam
By far the biggest recruiter for volunteer stewards at all the major summer festivals. Recruitment is done by registering your details online at Oxfam’s website. You have to be over 18 and will work three 8 ¼ hour shifts over the course of a festival. You will also be required to pay a refundable £185 deposit to secure your place. This will then be refunded approximately a month after you have completed all your shifts.
Samaritans
They recruit once a year for their festival branch, but be warned that selection for Samaritans requires serious commitment! Their application process involves selection weekends, training weekends and you have to attend a minimum of 3 festivals. Please don’t consider it if you’re just looking for a free gig!
Network Recycling
These are the people responsible for waste management at festivals like WOMAD, the Shambala Festival and Solfest. Duties include picking up litter, sorting out recyclables, emptying bins and handing out rubbish bags (you will be provided with protective clothing).
In return for working your allocated shifts you will get a full weekend adult pass to the festival in question. Again you have to be over 18 and will be required to pay a deposit of between £100 to £150 which will refunded upon completion of your shifts.
The festivals that they are recruiting for can be found on the Network Recycling website. All you have to do is click on the relative festival for full details.
The Festivals
Certain festivals such as Glastonbury, Leeds, Latitude, Womad and V Festival will handle the recruitment of stewards, litter pickers or green messengers directly. You can find full details of the kind of positions they are recruiting for on their relevant website.
Many of the festivals are no longer recruiting for 2010, but it is worth double checking just in case. If you aren't able to get a job this year, make sure you book mark their websites and start checking back in early January for details of the 2011 season.
Festival Medical Services
They provide doctors, nurses, paramedics, first responders and other trained medical staff for most of the major summer festivals including Glastonbury and Reading. If you have the necessary training then you can register your interest as a volunteer at the Festival Medical Services website.
All play and no work makes Johnny a poor boy …
Remember that if you are attending a festival as a volunteer steward, bar worker or litter-picker - you are there to work and think of seeing your favourite band for free as a bonus. If your volunteer work involves you paying a deposit, failure to complete your shifts could result in you losing it!
If you are paying to attend a festival this year, then why not make a note of the kind of companies who are using staff to promote their products and contact them about festival work opportunities for next year. You can also note down the names of catering companies or even talk to the different people who are working as volunteers at the festival to find out how they got their jobs.
Most importantly, you should always try to get your applications in as early as possible for the coming festival season. As you can imagine, most of these volunteer schemes are very popular and spaces fill up very quickly.
Again, just to emphasise that festival volunteer work is not easy and can involve some early starts and unpleasant working conditions. If you’re planning to enjoy yourself once your shift has ended, please remember that the key to working at a festival is to party hard, but work even harder!
