Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Top 10 UK Festivals to Work At This Summer
Get free entry to a festival, soak up the atmosphere and get paid at the same time. Sounds good, doesn't it?
This summer there will be more and more festivals taking place up and down the country, and each one needs motivated, hard-working events staff to help run it smoothly. Roles can vary from the traditional stewarding, bar work and wristbanding, right down to reception work and site decoration. Not only do you get to enjoy the festival outside of your working hours, but with such a variety of festival assistance needed, you could be working in a role that could benefit your future career.
Just some of the options available to those of you who want to work at festivals are:
Stewarding/Security - They provide support and customer service to festival/goers, whilst working to help reduce crime and keep ticket holders safe. They are also responsible for ensuring that all medical, fire and security issues are dealt with promptly and safely.
Information Staff - They work to support ticket holders, providing information about the festival including facilities and performances to ensure they have the best time possible at the festival.
Medical Staff - They're responsible for overseeing issues and emergencies that occur on sight.
Gate Staff - They're there to assist festival-goers and check tickets at the entrance gate.
Bar Work - They help to create a unique experience for festival-goers and to provide a friendly service within the bar by dispensing orders accurately.
Litter Clearance - They ensure the park is safe, tidy and well-maintained.
Some more of the opportunities that are available to people who want to work at festivals include campsite staff, wristband duties, merchandise selling and car and coach car park attendance.
Not all festival jobs pay you a wage for the hours you work. Quite often, you will get a free weekend ticket to the festival, and all your food and drink while you are working. But that's not to be sniffed at anyway, is it? You could end up being the envy of all your mates who might not be able to get hold of tickets!
And there are other reasons why you might want to find a festival job this summer..
Free entry - If you agree to work at a festival you can probably expect your ticket as part of the deal. There is often no need to worry about missing your favourite bands either – clean toilets on festival mornings or join the set-up or clean-up crew and work before or after the event. Even if you’re working during the event, the friendly nature of the teams often means that they will swap shifts with you.
Meet new people - The experience of working at a festival can be very intense therefore, friendships are often formed. Your role may be challenging but there is nothing as satisfying as getting a tough job done as part of a supportive and lively team. You also get to meet some amazing people. You will often find that a certain type of personality signs up to work or volunteer at festivals and these are usually the kind of people who are sociable and easy to get along with. Many festival roles also involve interacting with festival-goers, which can be great fun and another way to meet lots of new people.
Boost your CV -
Working at a festival is a good opportunity to demonstrate that you’re a hard-working team player with a responsible attitude. When future employers see volunteer experience on your CV, this shows adaptability and a strong sense of team spirit.
You probably don’t
need much extra incentive to work in a festival job other than the fact that
you have loads of fun and get to see great acts and entertainment for free.
But, even apart from all of that, you can benefit massively from the skills it
can add to your CV after working at a festival. Just some of the talents you
may be able to add to your CV after working in a festive job are:
- Dedication
- Time Management
- Team Player
- Merchandising
- Customer Service Skills
Food and drink - If you work for a catering company, you’re likely to be fed, at least whilst on shift. Other employers often provide food or meal vouchers as part of their terms and some teams get access to subsidised bars or cafes. This is likely to cut your living costs and it also means no more queuing for hours at that burger van next to the main stage!
Better camping - Most festival workers receive extra security around their living space. Some festival workers often have a dedicated camping area which may feature showers, toilets, catering, lockers and sheltered communal areas.
You also can’t beat that feeling of knowing that something you’ve done has gone towards everybody’s festival experience. Whether it’s running a friendly bar, assisting on the campsite or helping to organise the clean up.
We all know British Festivals can be bleak at times what with the rain, cold and whatever else gets thrown in there but Britain really is the home for amazing music and can host a pretty great festival. Here are our top 10 picks:
1. DOWNLOAD
Where? Donington
Park, Derby
When? 9-11 June
Line up: Biffy
Clyro, Aerosmith, System of a Down, A Day to Remember
Download is the festival of choice for heavy rockers, punks and metal-heads. The music is going to be loud and your weekend is bound to get messy.
Where? Worthy Farm,
Pilton, Somerset
When? 21 – 25 June
Line up: Ed
Sheeran, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Katy Perry
Glastonbury is a unique feast of music set on a huge site offering a grand scale of entertainment unlike any other festival in the world. As well as music from every genre imaginable on over 100 stages, there are also performing arts with cabaret, circus, theatre and much more.
3. LATITUDE
Where? Henham Park,
Suffolk
When? 13 – 16 July
Line up: The 1975,
Mumford & Sons, Fatboy Slim
Over the years, Latitude has become renowned for its unique atmosphere as well as its broad and thoroughly enjoyable mixture of theatre, art, cabaret, dance, poetry, and even politics! There is no other festival like Latitude. If you’ve never been to a festival before, I would recommend starting with this one.
Where? Richfield
Avenue, Reading & Bramham Park, Leeds
When? 24 – 27
August
Line up: Kasabian,
Eminem, Muse, Bastille
Rock, alternative, indie, punk, metal, with big names, breaking acts, and exclusive performances Reading and Leeds Festival has it all.
Where? Hyde Park,
London
When? 30 June – 9
July
Line up: Justin
Bieber, The Killers, Kings of Leon, Martin Garrix
The 50,000 crowd isn’t particularly rowdy or easily stereotyped - mainly due to the diversity of the acts on stage – from the likes of Justin Bieber and Blondie to Take That and Kendrick Lamar. The event includes a village green with a pub and a farmers’ market. Plus real toilets, an outdoor pool bar, bistros, restaurants and cocktail bars.
6. V FESTIVAL
Where? Hylands
Park, Chelmsford, Essex
When? 19 – 20
August
Line up: Jay-Z,
Pink, Craig David, Jess Glynne
V Festival is a
paradise for pop-lovers, hosting an array of chart-topping acts every year.
Previous years have seen the likes of Justin Bieber and Beyonce grace the
stage, and this year it looks like it’s continuing with the star-studded
lineup.
Every year the festival’s line ups have gradually moved away from indie and this year, Jay-Z and Pink are headlining.
Where? Victoria
Park, East London
When? 14 – 15 July
Line-up: Frank
Ocean, Chase & Status, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Anne Marie
Held over two days, Lovebox is a celebration of the best British and international music talent, dance, and the arts. This festival caters for London’s young, wild, part crowd and their ‘Lovebox After Dark’ answers those late night city rave prayers. Lovebox Festival also deliver on fairground rides, mainstream DJ’s and branded bars.
8. WIRELESS
Where? Finsbury
Park, Harringay
When? 7 – 9 July
Line up: The
Weeknd, Skepta, Chance The Rapper, Sean Paul
Wireless Festival is a city festival with a particular focus on pop and urban music. In recent years, the Wireless stages have played host to huge names; from Drake, Rihanna and Bruno Mars to Chase & Status and Little Mix. They’ve recently upgraded the atmosphere with fairground rides and street food, becoming the favourite post-exam blowout for students.
Where? Heaton Park,
Manchester
When? 10 – 11 June
Line up: The 1975,
Frank Ocean, Two Door Cinema Club, Stormzy
Parklife is a two-day live music festival that takes place annually in Manchester. The timing of the festival often coincides with the end of exams so is usually met with high spirit. But with secret gardens, a busker stage and various other installations, there is something here for everyone who enjoys when electronica and indie collide.
Where? Mill Hill
Field, Cambridgeshire
When? 20 – 23 July
Line up: Metronomy,
Crystal Fighters, Peaches, Kate Nash
The Secret Garden Party is set within a landscaped garden bordering a river and a lake in Cambridgeshire and is bursting with eclectic abundance. You could start a paint fight, a mud wrestle, a debate or even a dance off – that’s how random it is, but that’s why everyone loves it.
Someone has to look
after all those thousands of festival-goers, and the work that goes on behind
the scenes before, during and after these festivals is absolutely staggering.
The festival season
starts out around June and runs right through to September, so the window of
opportunity is open for a good few months over summer if you’re looking to soak
up some festival atmosphere without paying a penny.
So, what are you waiting for?
JOIN Jobhop and spread the word.
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