All you need to know before volunteering at your first Oxfam festival
Are you volunteering at an Oxfam festival this summer? If so, good choice!
I’ve been volunteering with Oxfam for the past three years, and have loved the experiences I’ve had with them so far. The Oxfam crew is so friendly and they don’t call it the Oxfamily for nothing.
I’ve compiled all of what I’ve learnt from my previous festivals in this guide, to help you prepare before your first festival. It’s got information on shifts, arrivals and other stuff, as well as more general things like what to bring.
So here you have it: all you need to know before volunteering at your first Oxfam festival.
The basics
If you don’t know much about volunteering at festivals with Oxfam, then I’d recommend heading to my 2024 guide to Oxfam festival volunteering. This takes you through how it works and why you should even bother in the first place, as well as how to sign up and the different roles available.
I’d definitely recommend signing up to come to a festival or two. It’s a lot of fun and keeps festivals cost effective, whilst raising money for a great cause.
In the next couple of sections, I’ll take you through what happens before the festival, and we’ll get down to the nitty gritty.
Before you arrive: what do you need to do?
So, you’ve signed up to a festival. What next?
Before anything happens, make sure you fill in your profile on the Oxfam festivals website. You’ll need to provide an email for a reference, so don’t leave it to the last minute.
If it’s your first festival you’ll also need to sign up for some training. Nowadays, these training sessions are online and take up a couple of hours of your time. My training session back in 2020 was super relaxed, although there is a lot of information to absorb. Don’t sweat too much about remembering it all though – you’ll have another introductory session when you get to the festival.
Arrival information
A couple of weeks before the festival, you’ll receive an email from Oxfam which contains all the information you need to arrive. This will give you an arrival date and times, a location to head to, and other essentials. It will also tell you if you’ve got any early or late shifts.
Pay particular attention to the campsite location. The entrance for crew is normally different to the main entrance for punters, so don’t head to the same place or follow those signs!
Arriving at the festival
On the day you arrive at the festival, just follow the instructions on Oxfam’s arrival email to get you to the right place. Sometimes it’ll be a bit confusing, but for the most part there are festival stewards around to help direct you.
The arrival process depends on the festival. Sometimes you’ll need to head to a separate cabin first to get your wristband, as some festivals can be awkward about letting crew in and out of the campsite without those things, particularly at build stage. Other times, you can head straight to the Oxfield and get those things there.
Once you’re set up in the campsite, you’ll need to go collect your shift sheet, which details your shift types and times. You’ll also be given a tabard, which needs to be worn when you’re on shift, and an ID if it’s your first festival of the season.
At this point, they’ll give you a time for an introductory session that day. During that session you’ll get essential information about how the festival operates, such as any particular protocols, what jobs Oxfam volunteers are doing at the festival, and how to report to your shift. It’s a good time to meet others and get an idea about what’s going on this year.
Your shifts
Oxfam shifts run 24/7 from before gates open, until after the punters have left. Stewards will have three 8.25 hour shifts which could be at any time and will normally be distributed across the festival.
Shifts can be all sorts. Here are some of the shifts I’ve worked on:
- Working the gates, which including checking tickets, giving out wristbands and directing people into lanes;
- Campsite information points, pointing punters in the right direction for whatever they need, be it the main stage or the nearest (clean) loo;
- Working at the disability platforms, making sure they are only accessible to those who need them, or patrolling the arena; and
- Observation towers, checking for fires and any other problems throughout the campsites.
Can you choose your shifts?
Shifts are assigned randomly, and you can’t pick your shift times. However, you can pick who you want to be on shift with, by creating and joining a group on the Oxfam festival website. You can also elect to supervise (more on this later).
Don’t like your shift times? It’s possible to switch them. In the tent in the Oxfield, you’ll normally find a whiteboard for shift switching. You can stick the shift you want to change up there alongside what you’d change it for and your number. Others who want to make the switch can then contact you.
Just don’t expect to be able to get rid of all your worst shifts. If you have a shift over, say, the Friday headliner, but really want to see them, you’ll be able to switch, but realistically only if you are prepared to work the Saturday or Sunday headliner instead. There are always people who want to see each of the headliner artists; but there aren’t that many people who would trade a day shift for an evening one.
Preparing for your shift
You can be assigned to work anywhere in the festival, which means you could be looking at a half hour walk to get to the right place. Leave enough time to get there! If the spot is unclear and you’ve got the time, it’s worth checking out where it is in advance.
If you want to know more about what you’re actually doing, there is normally a noticeboard with job role descriptions in the marquee. It’s generic information but still gives you a better sense of the role.
What should you bring with you?
Make sure you pack for the appropriate weather. I’m talking about:
- Got an early morning shift? Pack your warm weather items, like suncream, hat, and shorts to change into later
- Got an evening / overnight shift? Bring layers, like a coat and hat – it can and will get cold
- Looks like it’s going to rain? Get your raincoat!
There’s an Oxfam buggy which will often make a tea run during the shift. Bring your mug with you so you can get a hot drink to keep you going.
You only have half an hour for your break, and depending on where you’re stationed, it could be a walk to the nearest vendor. I’d recommend bringing some ambient food to eat just in case.
Personally, I like to bring a flask and tea bag. That way I can have a pot noodle for dinner, and can have a cuppa regardless of whether the buggy comes or not.
Logically, given the location of your shift, you might not want to return to the Oxfield, especially if you want to run to catch an act. So think of what you might need throughout the rest of the day too!
Being a supervisor
You can also express a preference to be a supervisor at festivals. This is where you’ll lead a group of stewards during the shift.
Being a supervisor has some added responsibilities. You’re responsible for signing the volunteers in and out of the shift, collecting and returning radios, assigning shifts, and managing breaks. Depending on the role you might also be doing some mediation, such as if there are problems with punters.
It’s a certain level of responsibility, so you may be wondering: why bother? Aside from getting a different tabard, you get priority (early access to festival sign-ups) with less festivals. And for anyone looking for a job or doing any other applications, it’s a nice thing to add to your CV!
The Oxfield
The Oxfield is what everyone calls the Oxfam volunteer campsite. It’s a standard festival campsite, so expect cramped conditions, with tents very close together. If you’re coming in a group, it’s a good idea to arrange your tents so that you’ve got some space in the middle for chilling.
Most Oxfam volunteers are lovely, and it’s easy to make friends if you’re coming on your own, particularly in the marquee.
As it’s a working campsite, once the festival is underway, most people will keep quiet as volunteers who were on the night shift might be sleeping. Even so, you’ll be able to hear some from the rest of the festival, so bring your earbuds and an eye mask.
Festivals mean some late nights are going to be involved, so pack accordingly. Bring your extra layers or blankets for any night-time sleeping. You won’t be needing any of that for daytime naps!
The marquees don’t always have chairs, so I’d bring your own, to use there and outside your tent.
I also love hanging up bunting around the tent. It makes finding our tent super easy and also makes it feel more cheery!
Festival hygiene
My least favourite part of festivals has got to be the hygiene aspect, and I know I’m not alone on that. It’s slightly easier when volunteering with Oxfam, but as you’re at the festival longer, keeping clean and fresh is even more important.
The Oxfield or wider crew camping will always have a block of showers. Don’t expect anything glamorous. They’re normally in short supply so expect to have to queue, possibly for a long time.
If you’re lazy like me and don’t want to brave the queue, bring dry shampoo and soap so you can give yourself a clean at the tent. It can be useful to have a water carrier which you can use for cleaning your toothbrush and rinsing your flannel.
There are no sinks, so bring your hand sanitiser!
Food
Onto arguably the most important topic: food.
As an Oxfam volunteer, you’ll need to arrive one to two days earlier than the punters. At that stage, food vendors will not be set up, so food options can be limited. Avoid any problems and bring your own meals for those first few days.
I normally bring a sandwich for the first day and baps with hot dog sausages for the second. As for the rest of the days, I bring a mix of instant noodles and ambient meals, like the John West tuna pots. Cereal bars, ambient pan au chocolat or instant porridge go down well for breakfast.
There’s always hot water in the Oxfield, so you can have any snack which just requires hot water.
Meal tokens
One perk of being an Oxfam volunteers is that you get a meal for every shift you work. These take the form of a token which you can exchange at select places.
Depending on the festival, there will be one of two options. The first is food vendors in the arena. There will be a list, anywhere from two or three places up to ten or more, which will take the tokens in exchange for a meal. This is great as you don’t have to leave the arena to eat, and can pick from some fun places.
The other situation is where there is staff catering. At Glastonbury, there is a specific caterer in the Oxfield; at others, it might be the general crew caterer. I love crew catering – the portions are larger and heartier than what you get from vendors, and sometimes you’ll get pudding thrown in. They are a more chill place to eat and normally there will be seating too.
Conclusions
I’ve loved my time volunteering at festivals with Oxfam, and can’t wait to do it again this year. A little bit of planning can be quite useful especially when camping, but it isn’t much harder than being a punter at a festival.
I hope this guide has been useful and gives you an idea of how to prepare. If you’ve got any questions, just add them to the comments!
