Volunteering 2024

[gazzared]

17 minutes ago, Hugh with a P said:

There is ALWAYS hope 🙂  Have the page open (and logged in to) at all times and check it randomly throughout the day ... or constantly if you have the head for it.    

This 👆🏻

And always have your phone on you and refresh whenever wherever you are ... toilet, dog walking, last thing you do before sleep and first thing you do when you wake up

[hurdy]

5 hours ago, philipsteak said:

Could be wrong here but I think there's two. One crew and one artists. Some fellow stewards I met got into the crew bar one year, then they found themselves in a different bar with a load of drinks laid out. They helped themselves to a couple then went looking for somewhere to pay but couldn't find anyone. It slowly dawned on them what they'd done. I assume they then helped themselves to a few more. As they left they noticed security who weren't there when they came in.

Good accidental blag.

(I could be remembering some of the details incorrectly, it was a few years ago.)

 

Can't talk for more recently than 2019 but then it was crew/artists together I'm the backstage compound with access on the left side of the stage. Officious security on the gate, had no chance with an Oxfam wristband.

[incident]

2 hours ago, JackP1994 said:

We’re after 1 Oxfam spot for my wife, having secured one myself back in Feb.

 

We’ve been weighing up whether to stick or twist with the cutoff coming up. 
 

Your words sound encouraging though so we might have to stick it out and hammer the Oxfam site for that 1 spot! 

 

I would be very confident that, with persistence, you'll be able to get a spot for her.

 

Where I would sound a note of caution is - there's a reasonable chance that you get the second spot after profiles have locked or after the rostering has been done - so you may not end up on the same shift pattern.

[philipsteak]

5 minutes ago, incident said:

 

I would be very confident that, with persistence, you'll be able to get a spot for her.

 

Where I would sound a note of caution is - there's a reasonable chance that you get the second spot after profiles have locked or after the rostering has been done - so you may not end up on the same shift pattern.

 

Glastonbury is, as ever, a very different and much bigger beast, but I managed to get on the same shift pattern as my mates for Womad one year when I only got my spot a few days before the festival. Was fully expecting not to so was a pleasant surprise to pick up the shift sheets. And that was with 4 other people, one of whom was a deputy shift leader and two were supervisors.

[incident]

1 minute ago, philipsteak said:

 

Glastonbury is, as ever, a very different and much bigger beast, but I managed to get on the same shift pattern as my mates for Womad one year when I only got my spot a few days before the festival. Was fully expecting not to so was a pleasant surprise to pick up the shift sheets. And that was with 4 other people, one of whom was a deputy shift leader and two were supervisors.

 

Sure, it's possible.

 

But I think probably shouldn't be taken as guaranteed, at least not past the cancellation deadline next week, and especially the later you get.

[Helgatron]

8 hours ago, LateStarter50 said:

Hey - also a first timer with Avalon. I filled out the form before Glade was announced and went for West Holts which I’d be really happy with if it comes through. I’ve browsed YouTube videos and it seems the bar is right besides a heaving stage so should get a good view and be kept busy 🍻 .

good luck with your choice!

 

Thank you - I think I'm going to go for West Holts too! Would be gutted if I miss Justice but being on the bar would be a good second best. Good luck with your choice too and hopefully we will both be there 🤞

 

 

22 hours ago, Madyaker said:

All the bars are pretty busy imo, maybe the late night areas are quiet when the headliners are on the main stages but apart from  that I think you'll be kept busy no matter what bar you pick.

 

Do you get time off?

Okay that's good to know!! Would much rather have a busy 8 hours than watching the time and feeling like I could be in about the festival. I think we get a half hour break per shift and do three eight hour shifts across the week, so lots of time off!

 

23 hours ago, DJL said:

Well I’m working the Glade Brew Bar, the line-up for that is out so you’ll know what the music is like. It is  pretty central so in break before or after you can get around quickly.
 

Similarly the acoustic line-up is out too so you’ll know what the music on cockmill is like, that is at one end of the site, close to the Pyramid and pretty close to the Avalon camp. The line-up of each is a pretty good indication of the drinks and vibe.

 

Those will both be pretty busy, as will Stonebridge bar, which is open later but the very far end of the site at the Park, you can look up the line-up for the Park and last year for  Stonebridge,  Arcadia, Rabbit Hole in that area.  Also you can look at the line-up for West Holts bar which, again is more central.
 

Then there are other bars less directly linked to stages. I guess it depends what you are interested in?

Thank for this!! Think I'm going to go for West Holts just for the lineup and relative closeness to the campsite. Like the lineup at the Park too but as you say it's far away and don't know if I fancy trekking across the site before a shift!

[Talcroft]

Done both Park and West Holts before. Asked for Park again this year due to the line up. 

Would say both have big peaks and troughs - West Holts can be suuuuuuuper quiet in between bands and was dead on sat night last year - that was a slow shift. Park peaks and troughs too but probably slightly steadier. If the weather's good on Wed Park gets hammered while everyone's on their way up to the sign so for once I actually don't want a Wednesday shift! 

It is a trek but I limited how much I did last year coz West Holts was too convenient, so want to avoid that and get around a bit again this year. 

[jamafa]

Question about Oxfam volunteering; does anyone know if selecting the free Bristol shuttle bus option excludes you from being selected for pre-festival shifts? I’m happy to make my own way there if I’m lucky enough to be selected for pre-festival shifts, but I’m concerned that having selected the shuttle bus option they won’t consider me as I have a seat reserved on the Monday coach. 

[incident]

40 minutes ago, jamafa said:

Question about Oxfam volunteering; does anyone know if selecting the free Bristol shuttle bus option excludes you from being selected for pre-festival shifts? I’m happy to make my own way there if I’m lucky enough to be selected for pre-festival shifts, but I’m concerned that having selected the shuttle bus option they won’t consider me as I have a seat reserved on the Monday coach. 

 

I think that it won't preclude you from being selected for pre-festival shifts.

 

But obviously, if you were to be selected, then you would be too late to get a refund on the bus, and you would still need to be able to make your own way to site on the Saturday.

[philipsteak]

1 hour ago, incident said:

 

I think that it won't preclude you from being selected for pre-festival shifts.

 

But obviously, if you were to be selected, then you would be too late to get a refund on the bus, and you would still need to be able to make your own way to site on the Saturday.

 

The shuttle bus is free again now. 

 

Paid for by the charge for taking a van.

[incident]

27 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

The shuttle bus is free again now. 

 

Paid for by the charge for taking a van.

 

Good point, had totally forgotten that change.

[Pipine]

I got an oxfam place 4 days before the festival in 2019 via an alert from distill. There’s always hope!  Good luck! 

[upstream]

On 4/24/2024 at 10:47 AM, Radiopaste said:

Does anyone know if theres a crew bar in the Park and if so where the entrance is? 

there is a  bar but its not designated as a crew bar - its a backstage bar and you need a completely different wrist nand to get into it 

 

[upstream]

On 4/24/2024 at 11:21 AM, philipsteak said:

Could be wrong here but I think there's two. One crew and one artists. Some fellow stewards I met got into the crew bar one year, then they found themselves in a different bar with a load of drinks laid out. They helped themselves to a couple then went looking for somewhere to pay but couldn't find anyone. It slowly dawned on them what they'd done. I assume they then helped themselves to a few more. As they left they noticed security who weren't there when they came in.

Good accidental blag.

(I could be remembering some of the details incorrectly, it was a few years ago.)

 

there is only 1 bar and has always been only one bar its at the top near the gate to the feft of the stage as ou look at is - the backstage/ crew bar is only accessable if you have additional wrist bands - there is a special park wrist band and the crew wristband needed or hospitality band

[philipsteak]

17 minutes ago, upstream said:

there is only 1 bar and has always been only one bar its at the top near the gate to the feft of the stage as ou look at is - the backstage/ crew bar is only accessable if you have additional wrist bands - there is a special park wrist band and the crew wristband needed or hospitality band

 

Fair enough. Maybe I (or the two guys) misremembered it. They definitely reckoned they got into it though, and weren't even trying a blag. Dunno how they would've even got backstage though. Unless it was before the Wednesday and things were a bit lax

[This_Fields_Good]

4 hours ago, Pipine said:

I got an oxfam place 4 days before the festival in 2019 via an alert from distill. There’s always hope!  Good luck! 

 

Personally, I'd say it's rather early for that last ditch, grin-and-bear-it optimism;
bit like giving up on getting a GA ticket before the Ticket Resale.

 

Oxfam have been collecting all the returns since the main giveaway on 1st Feb, including anything after the Resale.  In the next couple of weeks, probably announced upfront, they will release all those places; by my assessment, that will be certainly dozens, and probably quite a few more than that !

 

Then later last year they also had two smaller out-of-hours batches and loads of sporadic places here and there.
All in all, I'd say that's got to be more than 100 spaces still to be filled.

 

Does that make it a shoe-in to get one ?
I'd say no, cos there will be 100s, if not 1000s of would-be volunteers keeping an eye out to try and snag them.

 

Good luck, and nil desperandum, to those still in the game !

[JohnEW52]

On 4/24/2024 at 11:11 AM, dondo said:

Can't remember the name of the company that did it previously but they were there for a good many years. 

 

They just provide meals for recycling crew out of a marquee up in Tom's Field. Not sure if WaterAid use it as well.

 

Be interesting to see how the new ones turn out as can get very busy in there. 

I want to say that the previous provider in the tent with Tom's Bar was International Eats, but at my age I could be completely misremembering.

 

WaterAid used them for a few years but last year we moved to Ivy Mead next door. Again I could be misremembering though!

[Paul ™]

1 minute ago, JohnEW52 said:

I want to say that the previous provider in the tent with Tom's Bar was International Eats, but at my age I could be completely misremembering.

 

WaterAid used them for a few years but last year we moved to Ivy Mead next door. Again I could be misremembering though!

Cheers for info.

 

It's only for the first 4 days, come Wednesday we get traders vouchers to use.

[dondo]

37 minutes ago, JohnEW52 said:

I want to say that the previous provider in the tent with Tom's Bar was International Eats, but at my age I could be completely misremembering.

 

WaterAid used them for a few years but last year we moved to Ivy Mead next door. Again I could be misremembering though!

Yes. Someone posted on FB that it was International Eats

 

Thanks for clarification on WaterAid- always wondered who got fed in the marquee next door

[JohnEW52]

Just now, dondo said:

Yes. Someone posted on FB that it was International Eats

 

Thanks for clarification on WaterAid- always wondered who got fed in the marquee next door

It's not just WaterAid in there. There's a lot of other crew being fed there as well. You can actually eat in there most meals for £5. If you go towards the end of each meal session they will take you as long as they have enough food left. And it's good, much better than International Eats. Of course who ever is replacing them this year might be better.

[KJ3]

1 hour ago, This_Fields_Good said:

 

Personally, I'd say it's rather early for that last ditch, grin-and-bear-it optimism;
bit like giving up on getting a GA ticket before the Ticket Resale.

 

Oxfam have been collecting all the returns since the main giveaway on 1st Feb, including anything after the Resale.  In the next couple of weeks, probably announced upfront, they will release all those places; by my assessment, that will be certainly dozens, and probably quite a few more than that !

 

Then later last year they also had two smaller out-of-hours batches and loads of sporadic places here and there.
All in all, I'd say that's got to be more than 100 spaces still to be filled.

 

Does that make it a shoe-in to get one ?
I'd say no, cos there will be 100s, if not 1000s of would-be volunteers keeping an eye out to try and snag them.

 

Good luck, and nil desperandum, to those still in the game !

 

Thanks so much for this info! Super super helpful! 🙂 

Im looking for a spot for my mate - so here's hoping - legend!

[jamafa]

8 hours ago, incident said:

 

I think that it won't preclude you from being selected for pre-festival shifts.

 

But obviously, if you were to be selected, then you would be too late to get a refund on the bus, and you would still need to be able to make your own way to site on the Saturday.

Great, thanks for your reply!

[incident]

2 hours ago, This_Fields_Good said:

Oxfam have been collecting all the returns since the main giveaway on 1st Feb, including anything after the Resale.  In the next couple of weeks, probably announced upfront, they will release all those places; by my assessment, that will be certainly dozens, and probably quite a few more than that !

 

Crucially, Oxfams own cancellation deadline is Monday.

 

I'd expect that we hear something fairly soon after that, but probably not before.

[upstream]

15 hours ago, philipsteak said:

 

Fair enough. Maybe I (or the two guys) misremembered it. They definitely reckoned they got into it though, and weren't even trying a blag. Dunno how they would've even got backstage though. Unless it was before the Wednesday and things were a bit lax

yah security is lax before tuuesday morning but thats because the bar doesn't open till wednesday evening usually

[giantkatestacks]

16 hours ago, JohnEW52 said:

It's not just WaterAid in there. There's a lot of other crew being fed there as well. You can actually eat in there most meals for £5. If you go towards the end of each meal session they will take you as long as they have enough food left. And it's good, much better than International Eats. Of course who ever is replacing them this year might be better.

Yeah there are always loads of security in there as well as wateraid.