Volunteer Requirements
Please read the requirements below before applying.
You must be 18 or over at the time of the event.
Once you have been offered a position, you will be required to pay a fully refundable deposit of £50 (plus a £5 admin fee).
Your deposit will be returned in cash as soon as you have completed your final shift of the event.
The deposit is to ensure that applicants are committed to the event.
This is your only outlay. There is no need to pay full ticket price up front with us.
If for any reason you cannot attend, if you let us know at least 28 days before the event, we will refund your deposit.
When you arrive at the event we will need your ID from you.
This is primarily for identification. We will accept a CURRENT passport or FULL driving license.
We may accept other forms of photo ID, but this must be agreed upon first.
You must provide and pay for your own travel to and from each event.
Parking will be provided, but we do encourage you to car share and use public transport if possible.
You could save money and meet new people by using a car share website like Liftshare or BlaBlaCar – Liftshare even has a sections for festivals.
At most events you will be required to arrive at the festival between 12pm (midday) and 2.30pm, the day before the festivalgoers arrive. More details on the exact date and time of arrival for each event can be found on the relevant festival page and in emails. You must arrive in the time window given to you and follow the directions to find us on-site.
Please do not arrive before 12pm as you will not be able to get onsite until then!
If you are running late please call to let us know. But please note: you will not be able to do the event with us if you arrive after 5pm. 5pm is the final cutoff and we can’t do anything about that unfortunately.
When you arrive, you will sign-in at the arranged meeting point, hand in your ID and collect your hi-vis vest for the weekend. Here you will also be given your group and shift times, plus a time/place to come to for the briefing.
Be sure you know your shift times! Non-completion of your shift or not turning up, will result in you not being given your festival pass and you will be ejected from the event.
Familiarize yourself with the site. As a Jolly Green Sherpa you need to know the site better than anyone!
You get to camp in the staff campsite, and have access to clean toilets and free hot showers.
As for other facilities – the staff campsite is slightly different at every event and facilities seem to change every year (so we don’t really know what to expect that year until we get there ourselves).
At every event there is always toilets and showers, but at some events there are also things such as a catering tent, access to a socket to charge your phone and access to a kettle etc (but at other events there are no facilities at all).
We therefore recommend just treating it as if there will be no extra facilities and bringing everything with you that you would usually take to a festival (if you weren’t working). Then if there are any extra facilities, it’s a bonus…
There will always be toilets and showers however!
As for prohibited items and if there is anything you can’t bring with you (gas stoves etc)…
Again, this differs slightly at every event, but the prohibited items will usually be the same as they are for general camping at that event. We therefore recommend just checking the festival’s website for prohibited items.
You must vacate the campsite the same day the festival finishes, and the public leave. For most events, this means you must leave on the Monday.
At every event there will be a briefing on the day you arrive. You will be given the time/place upon arrival.
It is your responsibility to get there on time. If you fail to be at the briefing or turn up to it intoxicated, you will be sent home
Shifts are allocated based on the order you arrive. At most events you need to arrive between 12pm (midday) and 2.30pm, so the closer to 12pm you arrive the more chance you have of getting the shifts you want.
But please do not arrive before 12pm as you will not be able to get onsite until then!
Be prepared for all types of weather, water-proof clothing is advisable. If it’s hot, wear sun-screen, sunglasses and something to cover your head.
- Uniform – You will be provided with a green hi-vis vest plus anything else necessary for your role, which you are required to wear at all times while working. Apart from that, you can wear whatever you want (Please think of the weather).
- Boots – Comfortable waterproof walking shoes, boots or wellies are advisable. You are likely to get blisters without good footwear.
- Gloves – Gloves are also a good idea for the same reason.
If any of the uniform you are given is not returned or is damaged, we will use your bond to cover the cost of the lost/damaged item. A lost hi-vis vest costs £20, so be sure to return it.
It is your responsibility to keep your area litter free. Bags will be provided.
Everything you would usually take to a festival to camp:
- Tent & Camping equipment (It must be a tent – unfortunately you cannot bring a motorhome/campervan)
- Sleeping Bag & Roll Mat
- Toiletries etc.
- A Power Bank to charge your phone.
Clothes for all types of weather:
- Waterproof Jacket
- Boots/Wellies
- Hat & Gloves
- Shorts
- Sun Block & Sunglasses
Food, or money to buy food (You might want to bring your own food as it can be quite expensive at the festival).
- Money
- ID (See above)
Deposit Information
Once you have been offered a position, you will be required to pay a fully refundable deposit of £50 (plus a £5 admin fee).
Your deposit will be returned in cash as soon as you have completed your final shift of the event.
The deposit is to ensure that applicants are committed to the event.
This is your only outlay. There is no need to pay full ticket price up front with us.
If for any reason you cannot attend, if you let us know at least 28 days before the event, we will refund your deposit.
FAILURE TO PAY THE DEPOSIT WILL LEAD TO YOUR PLACE BEING OFFERED TO SOMEONE ELSE.
Volunteer FAQ
You must be 18 or over at the time of the event.
In the past applicants have accepted positions at events and not show up. This leaves us short staffed and is unfair on everyone. The deposit ensures that applicants are committed to the event.
Once you have been accepted, you can just log back into your account to pay your deposit.
When you arrive at the event we will need your ID from you. This is primarily for identification. We will accept a CURRENT passport or FULL driving license.
We may accept other forms of photo ID, but this must be agreed upon first.
You must provide and pay for your own travel to and from each event.
Parking will be provided, but we do encourage you to car share and use public transport if possible.
You could save money and meet new people by using a car share website like Liftshare or BlaBlaCar – Liftshare even has a sections for festivals.
Parking will be provided, but we do encourage you to car share and use public transport if possible.
At most events you will be required to arrive at the festival between 12pm (midday) and 2.30pm, the day before the festivalgoers arrive. More details on the exact date and time of arrival for each event can be found on the relevant festival page and in emails. You must arrive in the time window given to you and follow the directions to find us on-site.
Please do not arrive before 12pm as you will not be able to get onsite until then!
If you are running late please call to let us know. But please note: you will not be able to do the event with us if you arrive after 5pm. 5pm is the final cutoff and we can’t do anything about that unfortunately.
You will sign-in at the arranged meeting point, hand in your ID and collect your hi-vis vest for the weekend. Here you will also be given your group and shift times, plus a time/place to come to for the briefing.
Be sure you know your shift times! Non-completion of your shift or not turning up, will result in you not being given your festival pass and you will be ejected from the event.
Familiarise yourself with the site. As a Jolly Green Sherpa you need to know the site better than anyone!
Shifts are allocated based on the order you arrive. At most events you need to arrive between 12pm (midday) and 2.30pm, so the closer to 12pm you arrive the more chance you have of getting the shifts you want.
It is especially recommended to arrive close to 12pm if you are coming in a group and want to ensure your shifts are all the same.
But please do not arrive before 12pm as you will not be able to get onsite until then!
Be prepared for all types of weather, water-proof clothing is advisable. If it’s hot, wear sun-screen, sunglasses and something to cover your head.
- Uniform – You will be provided with a green hi-vis vest plus anything else necessary for your role, which you are required to wear at all times while working. Apart from that, you can wear whatever you want (Please think of the weather).
- Boots – Comfortable waterproof walking shoes, boots or wellies are advisable. You are likely to get blisters without good footwear.
- Gloves – Gloves are also a good idea for the same reason.
Yes – You are more than welcome to wear fancy dress.
You get to camp in the staff campsite, and have access to clean toilets and free hot showers.
Yes, at least until the weekend (the nights before the main work days) – even if you live close to the festival site, the traffic outside the site gets really bad as people are arriving to the festival, so you would get stuck in it and be late for your shifts if you’re not already staying onsite.
The staff campsite is slightly different at every event and facilities seem to change every year (so we don’t really know what to expect that year until we get there ourselves).
At every event there is always toilets and showers, but at some events there are also things such as a catering tent, access to a socket to charge your phone and access to a kettle etc (but at other events there are no facilities at all).
We therefore recommend just treating it as if there will be no extra facilities and bringing everything with you that you would usually take to a festival (if you weren’t working). Then if there are any extra facilities, it’s a bonus…
There will always be toilets and showers however!
Everything you would usually take to a festival to camp:
- Tent & Camping equipment (It must be a tent – unfortunately you cannot bring a motorhome/campervan)
- Sleeping Bag & Roll Mat
- Toiletries etc.
- A Power Bank to charge your phone.
Clothes for all types of weather:
- Waterproof Jacket
- Boots/Wellies
- Hat & Gloves
- Shorts
- Sun Block & Sunglasses
Food, or money to buy food (You might want to bring your own food as it can be quite expensive at the festival).
- Money
- ID (See above)
Again, this differs slightly at every event, but the prohibited items will usually be the same as they are for general camping at that event. We therefore recommend just checking the festival’s website for prohibited items.
You must vacate the campsite the same day the festival finishes, and the public leave. For most events, this means you must leave on the Monday.
No – Unfortunately you cannot bring a motorhome/ campervan to stay in. It must be a tent.