A view of the main stage at night, with fairground in the backgrounds.

Festival details

  • 20 - 24 May 2026

  • Catton Hall, Derbyshire

  • N/A

  • You can bring your child to this festival

  • How we make volunteering accessible.

  • Roles: Shop volunteers

20 - 24 May 2026

Bearded Theory

Festival details

  • 20 - 24 May 2026

  • Catton Hall, Derbyshire

  • N/A

  • You can bring your child to this festival

  • How we make volunteering accessible.

  • Roles: Shop volunteers

Volunteer at Bearded Theory with Oxfam

Make friends, enjoy the festival and champion sustainable fashion.

Join Oxfam’s team of shop volunteers and be part of the action at a multi-award winning, independent festival.

Sign ups open in the new year but you can subscribe to our newsletter below to stay up to date.

Join the mailing list

Why Volunteer at Bearded Theory with Oxfam?

When you volunteer at Bearded Theory with Oxfam, you'll enjoy:

  • The chance to be part of the friendly Oxfam festival crew, meet fellow volunteers and make lifelong friends.
  • Plenty of time off to explore a creative, independent festival.
  • The satisfaction of bringing sustainable fashion to festivalgoers, and raising money for Oxfam.

About Bearded Theory

Bearded Theory's Spring Gathering is a creative and family-friendly festival set in the beautiful grounds of Catton Hall in the heart of the National Forest.

The multi-award-winning event has grown from a small local gathering to a reputable festival in the Midlands that attracts 10,000 festival-goers.

As well as 9 stages, Bearded Theory offers a cinema, craft village, real ale bars, healing area, and a children's village.

The 2026 lineup includes Pixies and Skunk Anasie as headliners, with Fat Dog, Getdown Services, Lambrini Girls, Peter Hook and the Light, Reverend and the Makers also taking to the stage, plus many more to be announced!

2026 Lineup

What Perks do Volunteers Get?

As an Oxfam volunteer you'll have access to:

  • Free tea and coffee, 24/7

  • Free phone charging facilities to keep you connected.

  • Access to crew loos & hot showers

  • Two meal tokens per trading day

About the role

You'll help run our festival shops, staffing the tills, restocking, and engaging with festivalgoers.

Shifts: One 6-hour shift a day, rotating between morning, afternoon, and evening shifts.

Impact: Our festival shops raise thousands of pounds every year for Oxfam and keep over 6,000kg of clothing and goods out of landfill.

Find out more

Practical Information

Parking

Free crew parking is available at all our festivals including Bearded Theory.

Public Transport

The nearest train stations are Burton upon Trent or Lichfield City where you can catch a taxi or car share with other volunteers.

  • Tent and camping gear
  • A reusable bottle and mug
  • Warm clothes and comfortable shoes
  • Toilet roll
  • Hat and sunscreen
  • Powerbank

A full packing list can be found here.

If you are interested in joining us in 2026, you will need to be an Oxfam shop volunteer, intern, or member of staff with at least three months of experience.

Find out more about volunteering in an Oxfam shop here.

Once applications open on 4th Feb, you will simply need to provide your Oxfam Manager’s email address when asked for a reference, to confirm you fit the criteria. You will then have an informal phone interview where you will be informed of the next steps in the process.

Other festivals like Bearded Theory

Beautiful Days

Founded and headlined by The Levellers, Beautiful Days is fiercely independent and proudly true to the counter-culture roots of the UK festivals scene.

Wilderness

Step into the Wilderness in the beautiful setting of Cornbury Park, an idyllic deer park in the heart of the Cotswold countryside.

Shambala

Fiercely independent, sponsorship-free, proudly daft - Shambala returns for another round of adventures in utopia.