Volunteering 2023

[amfy]

2 hours ago, ced221_ said:

Thank you so much - this is super helpful! Glad to hear you got a ticket this year! Could I ask what the camping area was like too - is it super noisy being behind SE corner or generally OK (i.e., what you'd expect from camping at a festival)? I normally camp a few fields back from the park/arcadia

To be honest I thought the Shelter camping was the best spot I’d had in years because it is so close to all my favourite areas of the site - Avalon, T&C & Acoustic. Since the SE corner etc has existed, & Wedt Holts camping disappeared, there’s no where nearer that end of the site.

The SE corner noise didn’t bother me because it’s a consistent buzz which, once you adjust, drowns out intermittent shouting & banging which I find far more disturbing when I’m trying to sleep.

I’d back up - great showers and loos, & a nice cafe/bar type effort for on site downtime.

 

[March Hare]

8 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

What are the possibilities of getting off site on the Tuesday by public transport and doing a booze run to a supermarket? 

Presume it's Shepton Mallet is the closest? Just thinking ahead to how much I might need to bring in with me.

You can do it earlier in the day.  Come late afternoon the trickle of punters will start. Shepton Mallet Tesco isn’t far away

[dondo]

12 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

What are the possibilities of getting off site on the Tuesday by public transport and doing a booze run to a supermarket? 

Presume it's Shepton Mallet is the closest? Just thinking ahead to how much I might need to bring in with me.

Tesco Shepton is pretty close as @March Haresays. That's where I picked up my booze on my way in last year.  Only thing is I am not sure what public transport will be running from the site on that day.  I know the shuttle bus operarates to and from Castle Cary but other than that not sure.

[selectedalbionworks]

10 hours ago, wairey said:

Morning! I'm volunteering with Oxfam for the first time after a couple of years with general admission. My mates all got standard tickets and it would be great to know a couple of other friendly volunteers! DM me if you're also going solo 😊 (Will, 26 and Bristol based)

In exactly the same situation as you mate (Bristol based too). the mrs got a ticket in the resale but I decided to stick with the volunteering to have a new experience. Havent been since 2016 so I'm excited to see what's changed!

[philipsteak]

12 hours ago, wairey said:

Morning! I'm volunteering with Oxfam for the first time after a couple of years with general admission. My mates all got standard tickets and it would be great to know a couple of other friendly volunteers! DM me if you're also going solo 😊 (Will, 26 and Bristol based)

If you're getting the shuttle bus from Bristol you'll probably have made friends before you get on site. 3 of our group meet on the bus, camped together, and we (plus a few others) have all been volunteering together for years now. And the last time I got the bus, years ago now, I missed my flight back to Belfast on the Monday so had to stay in Bristol. Ended up crashing at the home of someone I met on the bus on the way in.

[Johnnyseven]

I note Festaff do the wristbanding at Glasto, but what do their staff do after most people have been wristbanded on the initial days of the festival? Surely there's not much for them to do on Saturday, I guess on Sunday they have the day ticket folks to deal with. 

[March Hare]

13 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

I note Festaff do the wristbanding at Glasto, but what do their staff do after most people have been wristbanded on the initial days of the festival? Surely there's not much for them to do on Saturday, I guess on Sunday they have the day ticket folks to deal with. 

Exactly that. Staffing reduces a lot after the opening two days so shifts tend to be front loaded. Same is true but to a lesser extent with Oxfam where some people end up with just one shift Friday-Sunday because they did one on Wednesday and Thursday 

[Johnnyseven]

5 minutes ago, March Hare said:

Exactly that. Staffing reduces a lot after the opening two days so shifts tend to be front loaded. Same is true but to a lesser extent with Oxfam where some people end up with just one shift Friday-Sunday because they did one on Wednesday and Thursday 

Noted for next year. Kicking myself now for not getting a volunteering place sorted before the resale despite me registering with a couple of organisations. I didn't want to let them down if a got a ticket, plus some of them didn't seem to allow you to cancel your volunteering spot after the resale date.

[March Hare]

1 minute ago, Johnnyseven said:

Noted for next year. Kicking myself now for not getting a volunteering place sorted before the resale despite me registering with a couple of organisations. I didn't want to let them down if a got a ticket, plus some of them didn't seem to allow you to cancel your volunteering spot after the resale date.

Long term, get other festivals done with either organisation (two with Oxfam. Not sure about Festaff) and get on the priority list for next year. 

[dondo]

2 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

Noted for next year. Kicking myself now for not getting a volunteering place sorted before the resale despite me registering with a couple of organisations. I didn't want to let them down if a got a ticket, plus some of them didn't seem to allow you to cancel your volunteering spot after the resale date.

Oxfam spots may yet pop up.

[Johnnyseven]

3 minutes ago, dondo said:

Oxfam spots may yet pop up.

Yeah i'm keeping my eye out, fingers crossed.

Can't really complain though, you'll see below how many times i've been. Been thinking the last few years that I wouldn't have been successful but we were able to get them. Luck ran out this year, someone else's turn.

I'd actually quite like to work, I've seen the festival from a punter and performers view - it'll be good to see it from another side.

Edited April 25, 2023 by Johnnyseven

[tj95]

2 minutes ago, March Hare said:

Long term, get other festivals done with either organisation (two with Oxfam. Not sure about Festaff) and get on the priority list for next year. 

For Priority, do you need to do two festivals every year or once on the list that's it?

[faymondo]

4 minutes ago, tj95 said:

For Priority, do you need to do two festivals every year or once on the list that's it?

So if I done two non Glastonbury ones this year I would get priority for next year ? 

Thinking of doing this as I can only see future sales being brutal. 

[Johnnyseven]

8 minutes ago, dondo said:

Oxfam spots may yet pop up.

Something i'm not sure about. Is it correct that if I want to work at Glasto for Oxfam I also need to do another festival this year? If so, if I see the Glasto option available on the Oxfam website will I be able to select it if I haven't already signed up for a 2nd festival? Can I sign up for my 2nd festival after i've got a Glasto slot?

[balti-pie]

6 minutes ago, tj95 said:

For Priority, do you need to do two festivals every year or once on the list that's it?

Two every year to maintain it, or i think you can do one a year if you supervise- i've not been reeled in by supervising yet but im gonna keep an eye on it this year and see how it looks . . . 

[philipsteak]

6 minutes ago, tj95 said:

For Priority, do you need to do two festivals every year or once on the list that's it?

Simply, you'd need to do two a year to stay on priority. There are also other criteria for long term volunteers, which I think are currently supervised at least once last year and the year before and steward 7 festivals in the last 7 years

[philipsteak]

3 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

Something i'm not sure about. Is it correct that if I want to work at Glasto for Oxfam I also need to do another festival this year? If so, if I see the Glasto option available on the Oxfam website will I be able to select it if I haven't already signed up for a 2nd festival? Can I sign up for my 2nd festival after i've got a Glasto slot?

Nope.

Some organisations do that but not Oxfam. Doing a second gets you priority for next year

[Johnnyseven]

3 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

Nope.

Some organisations do that but not Oxfam. Doing a second gets you priority for next year

Ah ok, thanks for clarifying. I was going to do Boomtown if I had to do a 2nd, i've always wanted to go but mates have never been keen. Can anyone who's been comment on what stewarding at Boomtown is like, is it absolute carnage and full of folks off their nut? Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

[incident]

28 minutes ago, March Hare said:

Exactly that. Staffing reduces a lot after the opening two days so shifts tend to be front loaded. Same is true but to a lesser extent with Oxfam where some people end up with just one shift Friday-Sunday because they did one on Wednesday and Thursday 

I've literally seen a gate on the Friday evening where Festaff had left one solitary poor sod on their own doing any (tiny amount of) wristbanding that came through.

While their shifts are front loaded, they do still have a presence throughout and especially a fair few people on Sunday morning/early afternoon to cope with the new influx of locals.

[incident]

18 minutes ago, tj95 said:

For Priority, do you need to do two festivals every year or once on the list that's it?

Every year, until you reach a different milestone. For Oxfam specifically, any of the following will get you on the Priority list:

- Having done 2 festivals with them the previous year.
- Been a Supervisor in each of the two previous years.
- Having done at least 7 festivals total across the previous 7 years.

Getting the last locked in and rolling makes it much easier to manage. It means I've already locked in priority status until (currently) 2027 despite only having done one Festival with them last year and not currently scheduled for any this year.

[incident]

6 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

Ah ok, thanks for clarifying. I was going to do Boomtown if I had to do a 2nd, i've always wanted to go but mates have never been keen. Can anyone who's been comment on what stewarding at Boomtown is like, is it absolute carnage and full of folks off their nut? Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

This was asked last year in the Boomtown forum, and covers it in some great detail from various peoples viewpoint:

 

[philipsteak]

12 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

Ah ok, thanks for clarifying. I was going to do Boomtown if I had to do a 2nd, i've always wanted to go but mates have never been keen. Can anyone who's been comment on what stewarding at Boomtown is like, is it absolute carnage and full of folks off their nut? Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

It can be absolute carnage but weirdly, on the two occasions I've done it I've ended up with really (like REALLY) quiet locations. Was fun listening to the radio at the chaos unfolding elsewhere though.

[Johnnyseven]

8 minutes ago, incident said:

This was asked last year in the Boomtown forum, and covers it in some great detail from various peoples viewpoint:

 

Thanks, i'll take a read.

[Johnnyseven]

2 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

It can be absolute carnage but weirdly, on the two occasions I've done it I've ended up with really (like REALLY) quiet locations. Was fun listening to the radio at the chaos unfolding elsewhere though.

Sounds interesting...

[amfy]

10 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

Sounds interesting...

It is absolute carnage with everyone of their nut as you say …..but I have never had shifts go quicker than at Boomtown! It’s slightly terrifying and absolutely brilliant all at the same time. You’ll love it! Do it! x

Also - although there are some quiet shifts -  loads of the shifts at Boomtown are right in the midst of the action which is much more fun than Glastonbury where you are usually miles out on gates and crossings. 

Edited April 25, 2023 by amfy
To add