Volunteering 2025

[JackP1994]

18 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

Needing one is a lot better than needing two, I couldn't believe it when we both got in on general last year. Wouldn't fancy having to repeat that though! 

 

After the initial disappointment this morning I'm now thinking of the Monday and Tuesday, and the extra time there.

Yeah we said that! We managed just mine on the general sale last year and she was one of the lucky few who got one the Thursday before the festival!

So hoping we’ll be able to sort one.

 

Oh definitely, we were considering even still trying for Oxfam if we’d got tickets because of that mainly.

 

You back next year? 

[stuie]

2 hours ago, JackP1994 said:

Hi all, 

 

No luck with tickets today or Thursday. My wife got through today as they sold out devastatingly.

 

So it looks like I’ll be back with Oxfam next year. Glastonbury this year was our first one with them and we had a blast. I did ArcTanGent 🤞

 

Wife couldn’t get the time off work to do a 2nd so hopefully Oxfam general sale would be kind to us to secure hers.

 

Hoping we’ll both be back next year as it was an absolute privilege to have a week on the farm.

 

Even if you're wife doesn't manage to get one on the day they are released, it's highly likely she'll get one over the coming months especially around the cancellation deadline, so keep the faith. 

 

A week on the farm really is a privilege - it means there's enough time to relax a bit and the Monday and Tuesday nights balance out the time you have to work, so it's not all bad. 

 

[philipsteak]

4 hours ago, incident said:

 

Indeed - admittedly this was a few years ago now, but talking to one of the office staff I was told it's "about half". Even if that's gone up substantially since then, I'd still expect priority to be an effective guarantee of a Glastonbury place (though obviously they can't/won't advertise it as such). It's the likes of Bearded and Trees where it becomes a scramble.

 

Yeah, it's still around half. Or just over.

 

3 hours ago, stuie said:

 

What was the rule change?  The supervisor one or something different?  I didn't think the supervisor one would make much difference as I'd guess the majority of supervisors do 2 fest a year anyway. 

 

What is certain is any places are left after priority will be gone in seconds this year!

 

One of my lot only does Glastonbury most years but he also gets in on the long term volunteer rule. Which a lot of supervisors will too I'd guess

 

3 hours ago, incident said:

 

Prior to 2016, "priority" was anyone who'd previously done a festival. There might have been a time limit on it, can't remember the exact number, but it was at least a couple years maybe a fair bit more.

 

So loads more people had priority under that criteria than do under the various 2016 onwards rules, many of whom only dipped in when they came up short on Glastonbury tickets. As a result Glastonbury did come much closer to filling in priority most years - and one year (I think 2014 or 2015, right before they changed the criteria) they had to set a cap on priority places so that they at least had *some* still available to offer to first timers.

 

No time limit as far as I'm aware. I once had a gap of 4 years and still qualified.

 

I seem to remember that last year they had to shut down priority places with no warning before the window ended to hold some back for general as they would have ran out. Which understandably pissed off people who hadn't rushed to sort a place as they thought they had plenty of time.

[efcfanwirral]

2 hours ago, JackP1994 said:

Yeah we said that! We managed just mine on the general sale last year and she was one of the lucky few who got one the Thursday before the festival!

So hoping we’ll be able to sort one.

 

Oh definitely, we were considering even still trying for Oxfam if we’d got tickets because of that mainly.

 

You back next year? 

As of now yes for Oxfam, but we will try the resale as the other 4 in our group aren't on the volunteering road and it might be their last Glastonbury anyway. But happy to do it if we need to!

 

Forgot to say our experience was getting through in the post resale release, so I agree with the post above that you'll get in before the festival for sure 

Edited November 17 by efcfanwirral

[deepkittycaz]

22 hours ago, JackP1994 said:

Hi all, 

 

No luck with tickets today or Thursday. My wife got through today as they sold out devastatingly.

 

So it looks like I’ll be back with Oxfam next year. Glastonbury this year was our first one with them and we had a blast. I did ArcTanGent 🤞

 

Wife couldn’t get the time off work to do a 2nd so hopefully Oxfam general sale would be kind to us to secure hers.

 

Hoping we’ll both be back next year as it was an absolute privilege to have a week on the farm.

How did you get on with ATG? I go to that one as a punter (and I probably enjoy it more than Glastonbury - but for different reasons)

[JackP1994]

21 minutes ago, deepkittycaz said:

How did you get on with ATG? I go to that one as a punter (and I probably enjoy it more than Glastonbury - but for different reasons)

I enjoyed it! Not one I’d choose to go too normally but was a great little festival, polar opposite to Glastonbury in terms of scale, but the crowd were really friendly.

 

It worked for me as I only live in Bristol and it only required me taking 2 days off of work, as only 2 shifts between Thursday-Saturday. Meant I can secure Glasto priority nice and easy  for next year. Would recommend stewarding there 👌

[deepkittycaz]

Nice! I like it as it's so nice and tiny in comparison to Glastonbury. Plus as you say, the crowd are lovely. Heavy music with almost zero aggro.

[SPW]

Interesting to read back on this as registered myself with Oxfam previously and more recently considered Water Aid as something I am quite passionate about. Haven't done anything about it to date owing to work commitments and my wife does a lot of volunteering for Samaritans (non festival) so isn't up for festival volunteering on top of that. But I am thinking it's time for me to do something and give some time back, at risk of sounding a bit corny. And I think I'd enjoy doing it. Am at a stage in life with children turned into adults etc. that there's less constraints.

 

Gonna keep an eye on the opps early next year and possibly take the plunge - am not overly wedded on any specific festivals and dates would probably dictate but admittedly it would be nice to build up to Glastonbury priority.  But I would be doing it alone, which am happy to do and assume that's fairly 'normal' if not a daft question!?  Of course wouldn't be the same experience not going with my wife and missing chunks of the festivals but equally there's otherwise not going at all😃.  And usually have  some regulars I know at Glastonbury.

Edited November 18 by SPW

[Leyrulion]

Will be updating the spreadsheet further for 2025 soon. 

 

Any tips or errors please let me know. 

 

 

[balti-pie]

20 hours ago, SPW said:

Interesting to read back on this as registered myself with Oxfam previously and more recently considered Water Aid as something I am quite passionate about. Haven't done anything about it to date owing to work commitments and my wife does a lot of volunteering for Samaritans (non festival) so isn't up for festival volunteering on top of that. But I am thinking it's time for me to do something and give some time back, at risk of sounding a bit corny. And I think I'd enjoy doing it. Am at a stage in life with children turned into adults etc. that there's less constraints.

 

Gonna keep an eye on the opps early next year and possibly take the plunge - am not overly wedded on any specific festivals and dates would probably dictate but admittedly it would be nice to build up to Glastonbury priority.  But I would be doing it alone, which am happy to do and assume that's fairly 'normal' if not a daft question!?  Of course wouldn't be the same experience not going with my wife and missing chunks of the festivals but equally there's otherwise not going at all😃.  And usually have  some regulars I know at Glastonbury.

its completely normal, whatever normal is 😄 i'd say the majority of people arrive on their own, but then they may have mates they've volunteered with before who they might camp with - i think what might appear at times to be a little cliquey in the oxtent actually tends to be majority people on their own, talking to other people on their own. I like to keep my own company, and spend great swathes of glastonbury on my own, but ill have a bit of time in communal areas as well on occasion, if there's shiftmates who are around. Its nice in that you can dip in and out, if you so desire, the great majority of oxfam volunteers are good sorts, its quite low on dickheads (unless im the dickhead!) 

[philipsteak]

www.instagram.com/p/DCjEGXvsOWB/?igsh=MXNqb25jeDVjNTE3cw==

[LateStarter50]

On 11/17/2024 at 11:00 AM, Talcroft said:

 

It's the tiredness for me...I refuse to rest before/after a shift as feel I have so much to do (plus you don't sleep camped out behind Iicon anyway). Though, with that said, I'd rather do bars than almost any of the other available jobs on site - it's fun, easy work with a nice vibe isn't it. I found a link by accident on here in 2019 and have never really looked back in that respect. Are you in the WhatsApp group? 

 

 

It was an absolutely life changing stroke of luck to join the Avalon crew this year and the wonderful W/A group made my day when the FB post about '25 was shared - thank you! My fingers are crossed that I miss nothing in processing the application for this year, loved the bar work like you say. But also, as you say, it requires energy and stamina and a cheery disposition probably helps too.

[Skip997]

Avalon bar folk on here, where did you camp this year?

 

We had a few “Avalon refugees” camp in Dragon field. If you were one of them then you’ve likely met me 

[Johnnyseven]

I've done Oxfam but quite fancy a turn behind the bar this year. When do their applications tend to open and how easy is it to get in?

[Talcroft]

28 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Avalon bar folk on here, where did you camp this year?

 

We had a few “Avalon refugees” camp in Dragon field. If you were one of them then you’ve likely met me 

 

Same as always, behind SE Corner/just outside PGC. 

 

What went on there then? Didn't hear about that! 

[Talcroft]

39 minutes ago, LateStarter50 said:

It was an absolutely life changing stroke of luck to join the Avalon crew this year and the wonderful W/A group made my day when the FB post about '25 was shared - thank you! 

 

I've no more reactions left for today but you're welcome! Am sure people will post on here and me or Steve will post in the W/A chat when the emails go out, we look out for each other. 

[Skip997]

16 minutes ago, Talcroft said:

 

Same as always, behind SE Corner/just outside PGC. 

 

What went on there then? Didn't hear about that! 

Apparently you ran out of space 

[Talcroft]

17 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Apparently you ran out of space 

 

Oops! They rearranged the field a bit this year and I wonder if that impacted it. But it was the same field since at least 2022 (when I started working for them), presumably longer. 

Edited November 19 by Talcroft

[SPW]

9 hours ago, balti-pie said:

its completely normal, whatever normal is 😄 i'd say the majority of people arrive on their own, but then they may have mates they've volunteered with before who they might camp with - i think what might appear at times to be a little cliquey in the oxtent actually tends to be majority people on their own, talking to other people on their own. I like to keep my own company, and spend great swathes of glastonbury on my own, but ill have a bit of time in communal areas as well on occasion, if there's shiftmates who are around. Its nice in that you can dip in and out, if you so desire, the great majority of oxfam volunteers are good sorts, its quite low on dickheads (unless im the dickhead!) 

Cheers for that, as said I have been thinking about it for a good while (years!) and it feels the right time with less time constraints now my children have turned into adults. I am pretty easy going and tend to find myself nattering to anyone but equally okay in my own company if needed.....I will deffo do something, somewhere and with the expectation of not getting Glastonbury next year without priority. But will try nevertheless, as it will only be me so no harm in looking just in case the odd late space comes up. 

Edited November 19 by SPW

[efcfanwirral]

56 minutes ago, SPW said:

Cheers for that, as said I have been thinking about it for a good while (years!) and it feels the right time with less time constraints now my children have turned into adults. I am pretty easy going and tend to find myself nattering to anyone but equally okay in my own company if needed.....I will deffo do something, somewhere and with the expectation of not getting Glastonbury next year without priority. But will try nevertheless, as it will only be me so no harm in looking just in case the odd late space comes up. 

We got two of us in on the final non priority release, having not even tried for the first release. You've got as much of a chance as anyone to get 1 place over the two general releases. 

[waltere]

13 hours ago, Talcroft said:

 

Oops! They rearranged the field a bit this year and I wonder if that impacted it. But it was the same field since at least 2022 (when I started working for them), presumably longer. 

I've been doing it with them since 2014, and it's always been the same field for at least that long

[Old_Johno]

If anyones looking at refresh west, they run the bars at the Prospect building and there’s a few 1 day events listed on their site at the moment so it’s an easy way to get yourself onto the crew list and bag a spot at Glastonbury. 
 

edit: if you live in/ near Bristol 

Edited November 20 by Old_Johno

[Aragorn]

Recycling Crew have been emailed. Some changes 

[pie_and_a_pint]

1 hour ago, Aragorn said:

Recycling Crew have been emailed. Some changes 

After the charity I worked with gouged us for the full ticket cost this year, I'm quite pleased to hear I'll only need to pay a £75 deposit this time around. 

[fullfathom5]

Can I ask a question re: Oxfam Stewarding. Am I right in thinking to get Glasto priority you have to do 2 camping festivals the year prior?

 

So if I wanted to potentially get priority for 2027, I’d want to be looking at doing 2 fests for them in 2026 - is that right?