Volunteer for Oxfam and Go to the UK’s Biggest Music Festivals

If you want to go to some of the UK’s top festivals this summer, then you should apply to Oxfam as a festival volunteer.

The charity wants friendly people to staff festivals across the UK this summer, including favourites like Glastonbury, Shambala, Boardmasters, Leeds, and Latitude. Volunteers have the opportunity to learn valuable new skills, make friends for life, and enjoy the festival without buying a ticket. Festival organizers pay Oxfam for volunteer stewards’ time, raising essential money for the charity to continue its work fighting poverty and suffering around the world.

Oxfam’s head of festival George Upcott said: “Being a volunteer at festivals is a music lover’s dream. You do three shifts at each event, and off duty you’re free to enjoy yourself like any other festival-goer. Best of all, everyone receives a warm welcome and meets a great bunch of like-minded individuals. Volunteering at a festival either as a campaigner, steward or in an on-site Oxfam shop is the perfect way to have a great time and help Oxfam fight poverty around the world”.

Festival volunteers help keep people safe, provide information and advice to festival-goers. Typical jobs include welcoming visitors, checking tickets and wristbands, managing access to stages, and monitoring crowd levels. The stewards become the face of the festival and look after all areas, including arenas, gates, and campsites. Other volunteers staff on-site Oxfam shops or talk about Oxfam campaigns like Stand as One with refugees.

Mark Grayson, a volunteer for the past 25 years, comments:

“There are more than 2,000 Oxfam stewards at Glastonbury, from 18 year-olds up to people aged 70, and it’s a great leveller. We all leave our normal lives behind. It doesn’t matter what car you drive, where you live, or what’s your background. There is no pretentiousness. It’s such a warm community. And we are raising money for Oxfam, building bridges between people”.

Grayson also plans to run in the London Marathon with a clump of Glastonbury mud to celebrate.

Volunteer Tasmin Harding first volunteered at Camp Bestival a few years ago by herself and said:

“I instantly made friends before I’d even set up my tent, and it’s remained that way ever since. The experience made me realise that I’m good at engaging with crowds and lifting the mood of tired festival-goers. It highlighted my administration and organisational skills, which I now use in my job working for a yearly arts fringe event”.

If you would like to volunteer and are over 18 years old, apply here.