Campaigning FAQs

Festival campaigning is all about engaging festival goers about the chosen Oxfam campaign of the summer. It involves lots of amazing interactions that inspire both you and members of the public to take action! This could be something simple like signing a petition or getting involved in a creative project.

Please note that campaigning is predominantly a roaming role that involves lots of walking.

Our festival campaigners work four 6-hour shifts and a break for lunch. The latest you will be required to work is 5pm, so you are guaranteed to catch every headline act!

Our campaign is currently still being developed for 2024, but over the last three years, we have focused on Climate Justice!

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 from rising and to support those on the frontlines of the climate emergency.

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!

You need to show us that you will be able to engage confidently with fellow festivalgoers.

When you apply, we ask that you 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 minutes long about why you would make a great campaigner, and tell us something (anything!) you love and why.

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 £25 admin fee will apply instead).

Please note that if you do not complete your profile (submitting your video, writing your paragraph, and for Glastonbury, choosing a second festival) within two weeks then we reserve the right to cancel your application. Your full deposit will be returned, provided you have no other active applications. We are implementing this new process to ensure we have the opportunity to consider as many genuine applications as possible.

We review all applications a few weeks after we launch and aim to get back to you to confirm festival places within a month of having completed your application with video, paragraph, and for Glastonbury, having applied to your second festival.

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, unless you have another active application. Please allow up to 2 weeks for your refund to be processed.

You cannot apply for another volunteering position at a festival where you already have an active stewarding role. To apply for a different role, you must first cancel your stewarding position. However, you are free to apply for a campaigning role at a different festival without any restrictions.

Yes. We require all volunteers to provide a referee each year they apply. As when applying for a job, we would consider a college lecturer, employer, or someone who knows you in a formal capacity to be appropriate, please do not enter the name of a relative or someone who has known you for a short time. Your referee will be emailed, and they will need to confirm the following statements:

I have known this person for over six months.
I am not related to this person.
I can confirm they will be 18 by the time they are due to arrive onsite.
I know them through a professional capacity and have known them to be punctual and reliable.
I believe this person to be honest, responsible, and trustworthy in working with and looking-after others.

We have given our top Campaigners in 2023 our Campaigning Superstar status, with 50 spaces up for grabs.

Only those who get above and beyond the campaigning targets set for each festival will become an Oxfam Festivals Superstar!

This means that when applications open for Campaigning in 2024, the 2023 Superstar applications will go to the top of our list for selection for your chosen festivals.

Some festivals will still have limited capacity, so if all our 2023 Superstars want the same festival in 2023, you will still be picked on the strength of your application.

To sign up you will need to provide a one-off refundable deposit.

This is equal to the price of the highest festival ticket and is a bond to ensure that volunteers attend and complete their required responsibilities on-site.

One deposit carries you across all the festivals under or equal to that deposit price. If you know you want to sign up for more than one festival, we recommend that you choose the one with the highest deposit first.

Your deposit will be returned to you 4 weeks after your last festival with us, or 6 weeks for Glastonbury.

The return of your deposit relies on you having attended all your shifts satisfactorily, including being on time and working until the end of your shift.

Your deposit will be paid directly back to the card you used to pay your deposit. If you change banks or credit card companies – please get in touch in plenty of time before your refund is due, so that we can make alternative arrangements to return your money.

If you have had to cancel your volunteering place early, your deposit will be paid back (minus any fees) within a week of canceling, or 4/6 weeks after your last festival if you have completed other festivals/have more to go.

Depending on your bank’s processes it can then take up to 10 working days from the refund being issued, to it showing in your account.

Yes! On your profile, you'll find an option to donate a portion or all of your deposit instead of receiving it back. Every contribution you make goes directly towards Oxfam's work around the world, empowering communities to overcome poverty.

By choosing to donate your deposit, you're directly impacting the lives of those most in need, providing them with access to essential resources, education, healthcare, and sustainable solutions.

Thank you for considering this option and for your continued support of Oxfam's mission.

We do hope that you will not need to cancel your place but if you do, please follow the guidelines below.

How to cancel

To cancel your place, please email festivals@oxfam.org.uk with the subject line ‘CANCEL’ along with the name of the festival(s) you are cancelling.

In the body of the email, please confirm your name, festival(s) to be cancelled, and if cancelling after the deadline – please let us know the reason.

We aim to respond within 2 working days, but there may be delays during busy periods. If you have not received confirmation of the cancellation within 5 working days, please call us on 0300 200 1266 or use our Live chat function (Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm).

Cancellation deadlines

You may cancel within the 'cooling-off' period which is 14 days at no charge.

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

Cancellation fees

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

Cancelling any number of festivals within 14 days of signing up: No admin fee

Cancelling a place at a festival before the cancellation deadline is £25 per festival. (You will not be charged any more than £75 if cancelling more than three)

Cancelling after the 6-week deadline but having 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: £25.

Providing evidence

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.

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.

If you are unsure as to whether your situation is considered a valid reason, please refer to the volunteer agreement.

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. If you cancel your second festival and cannot attend another, Oxfam reserves the right to cancel your Glastonbury place.

All campaigners work the same shifts 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 so there is no guarantee that because you have a place, your friend will also have one.

We work in small groups decided on site and we mix these up over the week, so you'll be working with lots of different people. This is part of the joy of festival campaigning so please be prepared to work with people you might not know yet - we're sure you will become fast friends!

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!

Check out this webpage for a full list of packing items we recommend.

Our campaigners will need to be on-site from the Wednesday before the festival until the end of their last shift on Sunday afternoon. For Glastonbury you will need to be on-site from the Tuesday through to the Sunday afternoon.

Most of our volunteers will stay until Monday but you may leave the site after your shift on Sunday providing there are no restrictions on traffic or gates imposed by the festival - this can be confirmed onsite by the Campaigns Manager.

All festival campaigners will receive dedicated training onsite, as well as in advance of the event.

The advanced training will be pre-arranged and will be delivered in one session online but in two halves. The first half will be on best practices for campaigning. The second half will focus on the campaign actions for this year.

The training in advance of the festival is not mandatory, but it is recommended as it provides an opportunity to meet people you will campaign with, and ask any questions you may have!

Our onsite training is mandatory.

Further details will be confirmed in writing to you once your application has been accepted. 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 on-site training.

This training includes lots of new and useful information that you will need before volunteering with us. Unfortunately, if you do not attend a session you will not be able to volunteer.