Volunteering

[Barratt1197]

Hi! This will be my first year at the festival and first time volunteering at any festival. I will be going alone. Does anybody have any tips and/or is anyone volunteering also? Absolutely, overwhelmingly EXCITED!!! see you there mother funkys!!!

[Rose-Colored Boy]

Will hopefully be going with Oxfam

Edited February 16, 2015 by Zac Quinn

[Barratt1197]

That's class! I'm doing it through hotboxevents. Keen to get going now, I must admit. Will be good seeing it from a different perspective

[adz101]

Been volunteering with Oxfam for several years and made some good festival friends.

Despite the occasional early mornings & late nights, I enjoy the perks of staff bar & catering, free showers and SECURE campsite.

A few tips

Bring a warm jumper & decent waterproof coat when it rains

toilet roll/wipes

Anti-bac hand gel..........and.....

PACE YOURSELF !

[tillyandthewall]

This will be my 8th year at Latitude as a volunteer. There must be something to it that keeps making me come back....

What everyone said is correct above, I'd also put down a torch as a must-bring as well if patrolling camping areas. Decent waterproof walking boots are far better on your feet than wellies for tackling the grass - even if the weather's good the dew comes down heavily on the grass. If you've never been to Latitude before then I'd spend the day(s) before it opens getting acquainted with the site geography - as an added bonus it's fascinating seeing the controlled chaos that takes place to build the site (if you're a festival geek like me!)

[glasto-worker]

That's class! I'm doing it through hotboxevents. Keen to get going now, I must admit. Will be good seeing it from a different perspective

Although I am not with Hotbox this will be my tenth year at Latitude and I have been a volunteer for the past 26 years.

I have a friend who worked for Hotbox last year and while they have better toilets and showers than the normal ticketholders she did not find a crew Bar { sorry }

There is various volunteer groups and they all end up in their own crew camp and the facilities does vary between them although many share the same catering tent { see below - shot from 2014 } I am with the WBC and they supply two meal vouchers per day and two drinks vouchers but I don't have a clue what Hotbox supplies.

Our Crew Camp was next to Hotbox last year - there was a small fence dividing the two up but what I did spot was that Hotbox volunteers ended up with loads of room to camp in -

if you look at http://www.latitudefestival.com/sites/www.latitudefestival.com/files/Latitude%20Map%202014_Public%20Map-140714_2000px.png

your crew camp site was between yellow gate 1 and Pink Moon Camping but its not marked on that map.Each year they shuffle the camps about but it will be in that general area.

at the way into the Arena you will see the public way in and to your left will be a unmarked gate and that is where Crews enter the Arena - If you are carrying a bag its unlikely that it will be searched { which it would be if you enter the public way }

At various points at Latitude they do have a big problem with Midges so you would be wise to pack some DEET - it does vary from year to year but better to be safe than sorry.

Due to many crews camping in the same area if there is heavy rain the general crew path can get very muddy { it was really bad in 2012 }

check out the larger shots at

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/wbc-2012-1.html

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/wbc-2012-2.html

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/wbc-2012-3.html

but 2013 was fine

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/wbc-2013-6.html

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/wbc-2013-7.html

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/wbc-2013-8.html

and so was 2014 { still to upload images }

Don't worry about being alone as you will soon make friends within your crew camping area.

[tillyandthewall]

^^ Agree totally with glasto_worker with everything, especially the DEET! Citronella's supposed to be good as well, the lakeside banks smelled of the stuff last year so the organisers may be putting it down themselves.

Oh, and another important point, the site is in the middle of nowhere. There's a pub two miles away, and there's a Southwold/Halesworth shuttle bus when the fest opens, but apart from that, you're relying on what you bring yourself pre-opening (there's a crew cafe which is subsidised rather than free if working with Hotbox but the crew bar is WBC only) unless you've got a car. Or if you want to walk six miles to Southwold, did it myself last year as I had important documents to collect from there! So packing is vital, take only essential things that weigh little - like spirits instead of a crate.

[kaosmark2]

I worked at Latitude through Hotbox in 2013 (on my own). Think glasto-worker had most of the key tips covered.

Hotbox don't supply meal vouchers by default but you can ask for them and they get taken off your deposit when you get it back.

Stewarding alone is great fun. You make friends really easily. Festivals are a pretty easy place to get chatting to people anyway, but it's even easier when stewarding.

[glasto-worker]

^^ Agree totally with glasto_worker with everything, especially the DEET! Citronella's supposed to be good as well, the lakeside banks smelled of the stuff last year so the organisers may be putting it down themselves.

Oh, and another important point, the site is in the middle of nowhere. There's a pub two miles away, and there's a Southwold/Halesworth shuttle bus when the fest opens, but apart from that, you're relying on what you bring yourself pre-opening (there's a crew cafe which is subsidised rather than free if working with Hotbox but the crew bar is WBC only) unless you've got a car. Or if you want to walk six miles to Southwold, did it myself last year as I had important documents to collect from there! So packing is vital, take only essential things that weigh little - like spirits instead of a crate.

when I first joined the WBC in 1989 the bar was open to many crews but in the middle 90's there was a huge fight caused by off duty Security fighting with each other and this led to a ban of any other crew unless they have a direct connection with the WBC - some workers who know who to ask may end up with a special day pass although that is very rare these days.I did hear there was a crew bar behind a main stage but who runs it and who they let in I don't have a clue.

I worked at Latitude through Hotbox in 2013 (on my own). Think glasto-worker had most of the key tips covered.

Hotbox don't supply meal vouchers by default but you can ask for them and they get taken off your deposit when you get it back.

Stewarding alone is great fun. You make friends really easily. Festivals are a pretty easy place to get chatting to people anyway, but it's even easier when stewarding.

In 2013 { and previous years } the crew catering was supplied by Orange Catering and I found them fine but for some unknowing reason FR changed Catering Companies and they had a problem with their catering volunteers doing a Houdini because for some daft reason they did not take a deposit so as soon as they were issued their crew pass they vanished which put enormous pressure on the catering company and they just could not cope so they had to limit the time they were open - I doubt they will ever be seen again.

its a shame Hotbox don't supply free meal vouchers - they are claimed to be worth £8 { 2014 value } although the cash price for the meals within the catering tent is a lot less than £8 so if a person did not have a voucher they would be better just to pay cash.

[kaosmark2]

its a shame Hotbox don't supply free meal vouchers - they are claimed to be worth £8 { 2014 value } although the cash price for the meals within the catering tent is a lot less than £8 so if a person did not have a voucher they would be better just to pay cash.

Yeah, when I've worked places that do it's made a big difference.

I think they're claiming that the meals would be charged at £8 elsewhere in the festival, which is probably right.

[jed123]

If you've never been to Latitude before then I'd spend the day(s) before it opens getting acquainted with the site geography - as an added bonus it's fascinating seeing the controlled chaos that takes place to build the site (if you're a festival geek like me!)

Would definitely recommend this (only volunteered once), but myself and a group of other volunteers were exploring the site and accidentally found ourselves stood on the main stage before the site was open to the public!

[glasto-worker]

Yeah, when I've worked places that do it's made a big difference.

I think they're claiming that the meals would be charged at £8 elsewhere in the festival, which is probably right.

You may be right - at some events they issue two vouchers per day that can be used at the same time and others where they are clearly marked Breakfast and Main Meal which is not as flexible.

I know 100% that FR will not allow the WBC to use a separate catering Company at Latitude - The WBC owns it own Catering Company and they use them at Glastonbury each year and at other events when allowed.

At Glastonbury they will pass on all the packed meals that have not been picked up so we end up with tons of food { we share the same Crew tent and its that bar where I work }

top image is Glastonbury 2014

Bottom image is Latitude 2014 ' but only on the first day ' - they started using paper plates and plastic cutlery due to them not having staff { well they did have staff but they failed to show up to work } to fill their dishwashers and they reduced the portions.

I normally fix the shifts so I start at 6am so that I can get stuck in with a good breakfast - the later a person waits the smaller the size will be.

[tillyandthewall]

You got 2 vouchers when working at Bestival which could be used at a range of traders - had veggie burgers which were a million times better than crew catering. But they also charged a £15 non refundable admin fee for working with them so it's swings and roundabouts for me.

[glasto-worker]

You got 2 vouchers when working at Bestival which could be used at a range of traders - had veggie burgers which were a million times better than crew catering. But they also charged a £15 non refundable admin fee for working with them so it's swings and roundabouts for me.

Stuff that as part of the joy with Crew Catering is to be able to relax with friends and have a chat - overall taking in the last 26 years while some years were better than others at various events I think crew catering does do a very good job.They work within small margins and it also gives some people the chance to volunteer.

They open very early and close very late.

[Leon G]

Hmmm...interesting info I learn thanks!