Festival volunteering

It is not only the festival goers who are booking up or buying a GlamperRV.  There is a growing trend of festival volunteering resulting in an entire workforce of volunteers who support these summer events, getting tickets, campervan pitch and food in return for their time.

I was keen to get a better picture of the festival volunteer scene and so recently spoke with Giles and Jayne, who upgraded their VW campervan for a GlamperRV a few years ago and are regular volunteers.

Giles, tell me, what are the benefits of festival volunteering?
“There are so many.  Firstly we get on site a few days early which gives us the opportunity to walk around as the final build is being completed and chat with the ‘crew’.  To be in front of the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury as they’re doing the final sound checks is just incredible.  We get ‘free’ entry to the festival, our own secure camping area, access to all the crew bars (& facilities!) and a great experience alongside a really vibrant, mixed group of people.”

What does a GlamperRV add to the experience?
“As any festival goer will tell you these events are exhausting (especially as you get older!).  We will be standing for our 8 hour shift and typically walking 30-40,000 steps per day.  With a GlamperRV we are able to get a really good sleep following our night shift – no worries about noise, heat, rain or many of the other external factors faced at outdoor events.  Our old VW camper was just too small but we liked its style so when assessing the options we liked the fact that the GlamperRV was a little more individual, which suited us.”

So how much work do you actually do over a festival weekend?
“Typically we’ll be asked to do three eight hour shifts per festival – a day shift, one evening, and one overnight shift.  There’s a great camaraderie with the volunteers to the extent that they operate a shift swapping rota.  If one of your shifts coincides with your favourite artist performing there’s a good chance you’ll be able to swap. 

The beauty of volunteering is the eclectic mix of people we work with.  From the young through to the many retired folk, all brought together by their passion for live entertainment. We’re all also humbled by the funds we are helping to raise for these great charities.  Oxfam will raise over half a million pounds at Glastonbury alone.”

Giles and Jayne volunteer with Oxfam Festival Volunteering which supports nearly 20 festivals around the UK over the summer season.

For all charities this Glastonbury Tips link is worth a read.