Campaigning FAQs

To volunteer at a festival with Oxfam you must be 18 on the day you are required to arrive on site for your first festival. We also welcome older and more experienced individuals. It’s great to have a variety of skills and to learn from each other while enjoying the festival together.

Oxfam festival volunteering opportunities are open to everyone. We aim to create an environment that realises, challenges and utilises everyone's skills.

More information on medical and accessibility requirements.

If you are from the Common Travel Area (UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man), are an EU/EEA citizen holding Settled or Pre-Settled Status, have European Temporary Right to Remain, or have a Working Holiday Visa, you have the right to volunteer in the UK. If you hold a different visa or immigration status, you need to check if you have the right to volunteer before applying.

UK immigration rules allow visitors from the EU to undertake volunteering provided it lasts no longer than 30 days in total. We are unable to support volunteer visas.

Some of our family-friendly festivals will allow children to attend. However, our rules for bringing children may differ to the festival’s rules for the public so please do check our festival specific pages first.

As our campaigners work the same shifts over the festival, if you are campaigning then you can only bring a child with you if you are also volunteering along with a steward who can be legally responsible for the child, as you need to make sure one guardian is off-shift at all times to take care of the child.

In most cases a child ticket is required, you will need to confirm this yourself, and if required, purchase the ticket via the festival's website directly.

Each adult volunteer steward can bring two children under the age of 13, but you need to ensure there is a designated adult to supervise them when you are on shift.

In addition, you can bring up to two children between the ages of 13-18 to camp in the volunteers' area with you.

If you have purchased the relevant tickets and would like to bring your children, please email us at festivals@oxfam.org.uk and we will provide you with the child form to complete.

Information required includes a photo for their ID card, an emergency contact number and the name of the individual who will be looking after the children while you are on shift. A new form will need to be completed for each additional festival you apply for.

You will need to provide your own camping equipment such as tent, airbed and sleeping bag.

At festivals where we have our own caterers you will also need to bring a plate and eating utensils.

Always bring a mug (if you don’t have one you won’t get a hot drink from the tea buggy whilst on shift) and a reusable water bottle to keep yourself hydrated.

Make sure you have clothes suitable for both extremes of weather. We recommend always bringing a raincoat, wellington boots and a warm jumper as well as a sunhat and sunscreen. We can provide legionnaires caps, emergency ponchos, earplugs and sun cream if needed.

Essentially, be prepared for the best and the worst weather during the same shift. And bring spare socks! Remember if you're on a shift that starts at 2pm, it may be very cold by 10pm when it finishes.

Bring some good footwear. You need good solid shoes, boots or wellies to wear on shift, as flip flops, open toed shoes and high heels are prohibited.

Please check the individual festival's website for detailed information regarding restricted items, fires and BBQ’s. The use of gazebos is usually permitted but we do sometimes have limited space in our campsite so please be prepared to take it down if asked.

Caterers may not be open when you arrive on site, bring food and drink to keep you going before the festival starts and you are able to use your meal vouchers. Noodles, and cereal bars are ideal.

I am afraid not. Space is limited at all festivals and allocated based on how many tickets the festivals have sold. In addition, we need to ensure your welfare while volunteering. Our insurance does not cover you staying outside the designated Oxfam area. So, if anything were to happen to you, we wouldn’t be able to help! You can of course go and visit them when you are not on shift.

Yes, but spaces are limited. You must tell us on the Transport section of your profile, and your vehicle must meet a certain standard to be allowed in. To count as a live-in, your vehicle must have purpose-built sleeping facilities, and either fitted cooking or washing facilities. Any converted vehicles must clearly be live-in vehicles. A van with a mattress in the back, or any setup based on a normal car will not be considered a live-in and will have to stay in the carpark, and cannot be used to sleep in. Once sited, your live-in must remain static for the duration of the show, to minimise unnecessary vehicle movement in our campsite. If you leave site in your vehicle you may not be allowed back in.

As more and more people bring vans, space is getting very tight. It is unlikely that you will be able to pitch an awning, so please pack accordingly. If it is possible to put an awning out, it must be purpose-made for use with a vehicle. Setting up regular tents of any kind in the live-in area is not permitted, due to fire safety regulations.

If your friends are in tents, then no. To comply with fire regulations, we have separate areas in our campsite for live-ins and tents, divided by fire lanes. If your friends are also bringing live-in vehicles, then you should aim to arrive together (driving in convoy is fun!) because we site live-in vehicles in the order they arrive (spaces will not be saved).

Usually no, you will need to arrange your own travel to the festival.

It is important to tell us during sign-up how you intend to travel as some festivals will require you to be sent a car, caravan or campervan pass in advance.

We do run buses to Glastonbury which run from Temple Meads Train Station in Bristol. The cost of using these is £33 (for arrival and return journey), which is deducted from your deposit. You can choose which bus you would like to use via the application form.

Please note, if you only wish to use the bus one way, the charge remains the same.

We also run a free shuttle car to WOMAD which runs from Kemble Railway Station.

For the Isle of Wight Festival we offer a free Foot Passenger only ferry, and shuttle, from Southampton to the festival site, which can be booked on your application when you apply. These can be subject to delays so we recommend booking an open return railway ticket if you are travelling by train.

Need a lift? We encourage the use of the liftshare scheme which enables you to search for and offer lifts exclusively to other Oxfam volunteers.

Travelling alone? Don’t worry – making new friends is easy and you’ll be joining a friendly team who will welcome you into the ‘Oxfamily’.

We hope you have an enjoyable and safe time at your chosen festival. We want you to have fun and fully embrace all that the festival has to offer, however we do ask that you party responsibly and abide by our terms of reference to ensure the safety of you, your fellow volunteers and the public and staff while on-site. You are representing Oxfam and as such, need to behave in an appropriate manner.

Any breach, such as absconding, not turning up to a shift or unruly behaviour will not be tolerated and will mean that you will be evicted from site. You will forfeit your deposit and will be banned from volunteering at festivals again so please do be aware of your responsibilities while volunteering with Oxfam.

ALL FESTIVALS ENFORCE A NO DRUGS POLICY. Anyone caught with illegal or banned substances will be dealt with in line with our terms of reference and drugs policy.

Your safety and welfare while on-site are paramount to us. If you are unable to turn up for your shifts for whatever reason, please do come and speak to us. We are there to help and can often rearrange your shifts for you so that you do not risk losing your deposit.

We do hope that you will not need to cancel your place but if you do, you may do so within the 'cooling off' period of seven days at no charge.

Each festival has a 'cancellation deadline' which is 6 weeks, or 8 weeks for Glastonbury before you are expected on-site. If you cancel a festival after its cancellation deadline, you may forfeit your deposit.

If you do need to cancel your place, the admin fees below will apply:

Cancelling any number of festivals within 7 days of signing up: No admin fee

Cancelling a place at a festival before the cancellation deadline is £20 per festival. (You will not be charged any more than £60 if cancelling more than three)

Cancelling after the 6-week deadline but have already successfully attended one or more festivals: Lose half of the deposit.

Cancel after the deadline with no valid reason: Lose all the deposit.

Cancel after the deadline with a valid reason and you can provide evidence: £20.

To cancel - please email us with 'CANCEL' along with the name of the Festival(s) you are cancelling in the 'Subject line' to festivals@oxfam.org.uk. In the email please confirm your name, the Festival(s) you wish to cancel, and if cancelling after the deadline - please also let us know the reason.

You will get a reply within 2 working days confirming that your cancellation has been processed. If you do not receive this confirmation, you should phone us on 0300 200 1266 (Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm) to confirm that your cancellation has been completed.

Cancelling your place

If you can't make it to your festival due to illness or bereavement, please ensure that you call or email us to let us know as soon as possible.

We will ask for some documentary evidence such as a doctor’s note or order of service. We fully appreciate that your reason for cancelling may be of a sensitive nature and we hope you understand why we do have to ask for evidence. If we do not hear from you, you may be at risk of losing your deposit.

Glastonbury Campaigners Only

If you cancel your second festival at any time, you will be asked to provide a valid reason and evidence to support this. If you do not provide a valid reason with evidence, then Oxfam will withhold half of your deposit. as well as If you cancel your second festival and cannot attend another, Oxfam reserves the right to cancel your Glastonbury place.

The quickest and most reliable way to get any evidence to us is to take a photo of the document(s) and email it to festivals@oxfam.org.uk.

Changes to your work schedule, holidays and if your friends are no longer able to make it, are not accepted as valid reasons to cancel, so please ensure that any time is booked off and confirmed before applying to avoid disappointment.

We’re looking for passionate campaigners who are confident, outgoing and who are happy speaking clearly and knowledgeably about Oxfam’s campaign.

Don't worry about not knowing the details of the campaign beforehand, training will be provided both before and during the festival to make sure you are informed and able to speak comfortably about our campaign.

Festival campaigning is all about engaging festival goers about the chosen Oxfam campaign of the summer. It means a-lot of talking, walking and amazing interactions that inspire both you and members of the public to take action!

This year we are bringing back Climate Justice to festivals!

Right now, climate change is destroying homes and wrecking lives as extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more intense. It is people living in poverty that are affected the most by climate change.

More intense and unpredictable weather means that sea levels are rising, people’s crops and homes are being destroyed, and their ability to earn a living is impacted - often in areas where basics like clean water and healthcare are not guaranteed.

This is an injustice that can and must be stopped, but we need to act now - there is time to prevent global temperatures rising, and to support those on the frontlines of the climate emergency

Festival Campaigners will be expected to complete four shifts, each shift lasting six hours, and you'll get a break for lunch. The latest you will be required to work is 6pm.

Shifts may involve several different activities to keep them interesting. Please note that campaigning is predominantly a roaming role. We will also provide you with one meal voucher for each shift.

All campaigners work the same shift times so changing shift time is not possible. If you have any problem with being able to complete your shift you will need to talk directly to the Oxfam Campaign staff onsite as soon as possible.

Festival Campaigning places are allocated according to whether you meet the selection criteria. There is no guarantee that because you have a place, your friend will also have one, so please be prepared to be working with people that you don't know. We work in small groups decided onsite and we mix these up over the week, so you'll be working with lots of different people.

Campaigners may be asked to wear an Oxfam campaign t-shirt, which we will provide. Apart from that, you will need to bring practical clothes to suit different times of day and weather conditions. Sturdy shoes and a waterproof coat are essential! We will include items we suggest you bring in the arrival information email around 2 weeks before the festival.

You must be available until the end of your last shift on Sunday afternoon, as per the campaigning dates you agree to on the application form when you apply. You may leave site after this providing there are no restriction on traffic or gates imposed by the festival - this can be confirmed onsite by the Campaigns Manager.

You need to show us that you will be able to engage confidently with fellow festival goers! When you apply, we ask that you can tell us, in no more than 300 words, about an Oxfam campaign past or present that resonated with you and why. Additionally we ask that you record a video no longer than three minuets long about why you would make a great campaigner, and tell us something (anything!) you love and why!

We’re looking for great communicators with plenty of energy who can spread the word about Oxfam’s vital campaign around the festival, whilst also having a great time!

To be considered for a campaigner place at Glastonbury you will be required to sign up to campaign at a second festival. If you cancel your second festival after Glastonbury, you will lose half of your deposit (unless you have a valid reason and you can provide evidence, in which case a £20 admin fee will apply instead).

We review all applications a few weeks after we launch and aim to get back to you to confirm festival places within a month. Feedback time for applications made after this may vary, so please refer to the website for updated response times during the season. If your application is unsuccessful your deposit will be refunded into your account.

This year all festival campaigners will receive dedicated training in advance of the event and on site. The advance training will be pre-arranged and will be delivered in one session online, but in two halves. The first half will be on best practice for campaigning. The second half will focus on the campaign actions for this year.

Further details will be confirmed in writing to you, if you have been successful. We will also send you further information 2 weeks before the festival which will include arrival information, briefing times and documents to read before you arrive on-site.

Yes. We bring a new campaign to festivals each summer, so it is crucial you attend the training. Nobody is exempt from this and if you do not attend a session you will not be able to volunteer with us as a festival campaigner.