Why a link may still show the 2026 season
Every link goes to the recruiter's own permanent sign-up page. Those pages keep the last season on display until the recruiter switches them over to 2027, that changeover happens through winter and spring. Register your account now, then apply on the same page the moment 2027 sign-ups open (most recruiters email you).
How festival work usually pays
Most student festival places are volunteer roles: you work around 3 x 8-hour shifts and get a free ticket, crew camping and your deposit back afterwards instead of wages. Paid steward and event-staff roles exist too, but the big recruiters don't publish hourly rates online, they confirm the rate with you at offer stage, and it must be at least the UK National Minimum/Living Wage for your age.
Volunteer Festival Steward
Volunteer place🏢 Hotbox Events (official Reading Festival volunteer partner)
🎪 Reading Festival
📍 Richfield Avenue, Reading
🗓️ Part-time / shift based across the festival week
⏱️ Hours: 3 x 8-hour shifts spread Wednesday–Monday (usually 1 early 09:00–17:00, 1 late 17:00–01:00, 1 night 01:00–09:00). At least two main evenings off.
💷 Unpaid volunteer — free festival ticket, crew camping and refundable deposit returned after the event
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: 18+ by the start of the festival; right to work/volunteer in the UK; own tent and camping kit.
⏰ Applications open in the winter before each festival and close when places fill
How to apply
- Create a free Hotbox Events PAAM account on their website.
- Apply for Reading Festival from the events list.
- Pay the refundable deposit to confirm your place — position confirmed within 24 hours.
- Rank your shift preferences when shift selection opens a few weeks before the festival.
- Complete all 3 shifts; the deposit is refunded in full around 30 days after the festival.
Verified 2027 season listing
Volunteer Festival Steward
Volunteer place🏢 Hotbox Events (official Leeds Festival volunteer partner)
🎪 Leeds Festival
📍 Bramham Park, Leeds
🗓️ Part-time / shift based across the festival week
⏱️ Hours: 3 x 8-hour shifts spread Wednesday–Monday (early 09:00–17:00, late 17:00–01:00, night 01:00–09:00).
💷 Unpaid volunteer — free festival ticket, crew camping and refundable deposit returned after the event
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: 18+ by the start of the festival; own camping equipment; refundable deposit payable at sign-up.
⏰ Applications open in the winter before each festival and close when places fill
How to apply
- Register for a Hotbox Events PAAM account.
- Choose Leeds Festival and submit your volunteer application.
- Pay the refundable deposit — earlier payment gets better shift-pattern choice.
- Select your shift preferences when they open by email.
- Work all shifts to get your deposit back about 30 days later.
Verified 2027 season listing
Volunteer Festival Steward
Volunteer place🏢 Hotbox Events (official Download Festival volunteer partner)
🎪 Download Festival
📍 Donington Park, Leicestershire
🗓️ Part-time / shift based
⏱️ Hours: 3 x 8-hour shifts spread Wednesday–Monday, chosen from ranked shift patterns.
💷 Unpaid volunteer — free festival ticket, crew camping, refundable deposit
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: 18+, own tent, refundable deposit.
⏰ Sign-up opens months ahead; places allocated in deposit-payment order
How to apply
- Set up a Hotbox Events PAAM profile.
- Apply for Download Festival.
- Pay the refundable deposit to lock in your place.
- Rank shift patterns when selection opens.
Verified 2027 season listing
Paid Event Steward
Paid role🏢 Hotbox Events
🎪 Latitude Festival
📍 Henham Park, Southwold
🗓️ Part-time paid seasonal work (more shifts than volunteers)
⏱️ Hours: Paid stewards work more shifts than the volunteer pattern of 3 x 8 hours, spread across the event.
💷 Paid role — Hotbox does not publish the hourly rate online; it is confirmed in the offer during recruitment
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: 18+; previous event experience helps; secure crew camping and crew facilities provided.
⏰ Paid steward recruitment usually opens a month or so after volunteer recruitment
How to apply
- Create a Hotbox Events PAAM account.
- Open the Latitude Festival event page and choose the paid steward option.
- Submit your application (a CV showing relevant experience is needed for paid staff roles).
- Wait for the recruitment team to confirm the role, rate and shift pattern.
Verified 2027 season listing
Volunteer or Paid Steward
Paid role🏢 Hotbox Events
🎪 Camp Bestival Dorset
📍 Lulworth Castle, Dorset
🗓️ Part-time / shift based
⏱️ Hours: Volunteers work 2 x 8-hour shifts Thu–Mon. Paid stewards work 3–4 x 8-hour shifts Thu–Mon.
💷 Volunteers unpaid (free ticket + camping, refundable deposit); paid steward rate confirmed during recruitment
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: 18+; own camping kit; free staff parking, camping, crew showers and catering provided.
⏰ Applications open ahead of each season and reopen if places free up
How to apply
- Register with Hotbox Events (PAAM).
- Pick Camp Bestival Dorset and choose the volunteer or paid steward stream.
- Pay the refundable deposit (volunteers) or complete the paid staff application.
- Choose your shift preferences before arriving.
Verified 2027 season listing
Oxfam Festival Steward
Volunteer place🏢 Oxfam Festivals
🎪 Reading, Leeds, Boomtown, Isle of Wight & Latitude
📍 Multiple UK festivals
🗓️ Part-time / shift based over the weekend
⏱️ Hours: Weekend festivals: 3 x 8¼-hour shifts, usually a morning, a day and a night shift. Day shows: 1 shift of no more than 8 hours.
💷 Unpaid volunteer — free entry, crew camping, hot showers, a meal voucher per shift, free tea and coffee
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: Right to volunteer in the UK (UK/Ireland, EU settled or pre-settled status, or a qualifying visa). Training provided.
⏰ First-come, first-served once sign-up opens each spring
How to apply
- Go to the Oxfam Festivals volunteering page and pick the steward role.
- Sign up online and choose your festival — places go first-come, first-served.
- Pay the refundable deposit Oxfam asks for to hold your place.
- Complete the online training before you travel.
- Work your shifts; the deposit is returned after the festival.
Verified 2027 season listing
Oxfam Festival Campaigner
Volunteer place🏢 Oxfam Festivals
🎪 Download, Isle of Wight, Latitude, Reading & Leeds
📍 Multiple UK festivals
🗓️ Part-time / daytime shifts only
⏱️ Hours: 4 x 6-hour daytime shifts, all ending before the headline acts.
💷 Unpaid volunteer — free entry, crew camping and a meal voucher per shift
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: Confident talking to the public and happy to represent Oxfam's campaigns. No experience needed.
⏰ Applications open each spring; selection is by application, not first-come
How to apply
- Open the Oxfam Festivals volunteering page and read the campaigner section.
- Submit the campaigner application form with your festival choices.
- Complete the short selection process Oxfam sets out.
- Do the online campaigner training before the event.
Verified 2027 season listing
Volunteer Steward / Bar Assistant
Volunteer place🏢 Festaff
🎪 Boomtown Fair
📍 Matterley Estate, Winchester
🗓️ Part-time / shift based
⏱️ Hours: Shift counts and times are listed on the individual Festaff event page — most camping events are 8-hour shifts with a meal voucher each.
💷 Unpaid volunteer — free festival ticket, free staff camping and one meal voucher per 8-hour shift; refundable deposit
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: 18+; own camping equipment; roles include wristbanding, gate stewarding, area stewarding, front-of-house bar assistant and information point.
⏰ Festaff say 2027 applications open around 1 February 2027 (date to be confirmed)
How to apply
- Register a Festaff account on their website.
- Open the Boomtown Fair event page and apply when applications open.
- Pay the refundable deposit Festaff request to secure your place.
- Wait for confirmation — Festaff aim to reply within about a week (2–3 weeks when busy).
- Arrive for accreditation and complete every shift to get the deposit back.
Verified 2027 season listing
Volunteer Steward
Volunteer place🏢 Festaff
🎪 Isle of Wight Festival
📍 Seaclose Park, Newport
🗓️ Part-time / shift based
⏱️ Hours: Typically 8-hour shifts; the number of shifts is confirmed on the event page each season.
💷 Unpaid volunteer — free ticket, staff camping and a meal voucher per 8-hour shift; refundable deposit
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: 18+; own tent; happy with customer-facing stewarding.
⏰ 2027 applications expected to open around 1 February 2027 (Festaff, TBC)
How to apply
- Create a Festaff account.
- Apply through the Isle of Wight Festival event page.
- Pay the refundable deposit to confirm.
- Check your email for your acceptance and shift details.
Verified 2027 season listing
Festival Volunteer (all roles)
Volunteer place🏢 Glastonbury Festival — official volunteering hub
🎪 Glastonbury Festival
📍 Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset
🗓️ Part-time / shift based across the festival
⏱️ Hours: Varies by organisation — commonly 3 shifts of 8 hours or equivalent across the event.
💷 Unpaid volunteer — free ticket in exchange for shifts; each partner organisation sets its own package and deposit
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: 18+ for most roles. Glastonbury lists every official volunteer partner (Oxfam, Festaff, WaterAid, Recycling Crew and more) on one page.
⏰ Each partner opens its own applications, mostly in the winter and spring before the festival
How to apply
- Open the official Glastonbury volunteering page.
- Choose the organisation whose role suits you (stewarding, recycling, water, welfare).
- Apply directly on that organisation's site — Glastonbury does not take volunteer applications itself.
- Pay that organisation's refundable deposit and complete their training.
Verified 2027 season listing
Event Steward / Crowd Safety (paid)
Paid role🏢 Showsec
🎪 Festivals, arenas and stadium events UK-wide
📍 Nationwide
🗓️ Part-time, flexible shifts around study — one of the biggest student employers in UK events
⏱️ Hours: Shift based, typically 6–12 hours per event; you pick the events you are available for.
💷 Paid hourly role — Showsec does not publish rates on the careers page; the rate is confirmed at offer stage
🏠 Crew camping: No
✅ Who can apply: 18+ and right to work in the UK. Stewarding needs no licence; SIA-licensed security roles pay more and Showsec runs training.
⏰ Rolling recruitment all year
How to apply
- Open the Showsec careers page and pick your nearest region.
- Complete the online application form.
- Attend the induction / training session you are invited to.
- Accept shifts through their staff app once you're cleared to work.
Verified 2027 season listing
Seasonal Event & Hospitality Staff (paid)
Paid role🏢 Silverstone Circuit
🎪 Silverstone
📍 Silverstone, Northamptonshire
🗓️ Mix of full-time seasonal contracts and part-time event-day roles
⏱️ Hours: Event-day roles are usually 8–12 hour shifts across a race weekend; seasonal contracts run for the event season.
💷 Paid — rates are stated on each individual vacancy when it is advertised
🏠 Crew camping: No
✅ Who can apply: 16+ or 18+ depending on the role; hospitality or customer service experience helps but is not always required.
⏰ Vacancies are posted through the year, with the big push before the summer race weekends
How to apply
- Open the Silverstone careers page.
- Filter for event, hospitality or seasonal vacancies.
- Apply online with a CV for the specific role — pay and hours are on each listing.
- Attend the recruitment day or interview if invited.
Verified 2027 season listing
Paid Event Staff (multi-event)
Paid role🏢 Hotbox Events
🎪 Reading, Leeds, Download, Latitude, Camp Bestival
📍 Nationwide
🗓️ Seasonal, several events across the summer
⏱️ Hours: Longer than volunteer patterns; set per event by the recruitment team.
💷 Paid staff roles — rate agreed with you during recruitment; not published online
🏠 Crew camping: Yes
✅ Who can apply: A CV showing event experience and any relevant qualifications. Volunteering first is the usual route in.
⏰ Staff recruitment starts roughly a month after volunteer recruitment each season
How to apply
- Read the Hotbox 'event jobs and work' page.
- Email your CV through their contact page to register interest in paid staff roles.
- They contact you when a suitable vacancy opens for the season.
- If you have no experience yet, volunteer at one event first — most staff start that way.
Verified 2027 season listing
Event Crew & Show Staff
Paid role🏢 Norfolk Showground
🎪 Norfolk Showground Events
📍 Norwich, Norfolk
🗓️ Part-time, event days and build/break weeks
⏱️ Hours: Event-day shifts, usually 8 hours; build and break-down weeks offer longer days.
💷 Paid roles and volunteer show helpers — details confirmed by the showground team on enquiry
🏠 Crew camping: No
✅ Who can apply: 16+ for most stewarding and hospitality support roles.
⏰ Recruitment ramps up in the spring before the summer shows
How to apply
- Use the Norfolk Showground contact page to ask for current event vacancies.
- Say which shows and dates you're available for.
- They send the application form and confirm pay and hours for the role.
Verified 2027 season listing
