What is festival shop volunteering?
How do I apply?
Signup for festival shop volunteering opens on the 20th of February, 2025.
If you are interested in volunteering next year, festival shop volunteering will open to current shop volunteers, interns, or members of staff with at least three months of experience. Or, anyone who has volunteered at two or more festivals with Oxfam Festival Shops in the past three years.
If you meet these criteria, we would love to have you on board! To apply, 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.
What does Festival Shop volunteering involve?
When you volunteer with Oxfam Festival Shops, you will get to enter the festival site before the public to help set up shop and pack down again after everyone has left. Your day-to-day duties will vary from cash handling and talking to customers, to changing the stock depending on the weather. There is never a dull moment when working at a festival shop!
Over the festival period, you will work one 6-hour shift a day, rotating between morning, afternoon, and evening shifts, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the festival and catch some incredible live acts.
Why volunteer with Oxfam Festival Shops?
We love selling amazing second-hand fashion, keeping customers warm and dry, and raising vital funds in our fight against global poverty. And we think you will too!
Plus, when you volunteer with Oxfam, you’ll get to meet lots of amazing people who you can enjoy spending time with on and off shift. The Oxfam community is super friendly so you’re sure to make new friends and have a great time.
What benefits do Oxfam Festival Shop volunteers get?
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Secure camping in our Oxfam campsite
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Two free food vouchers for every trading day
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Free tea and coffee 24 hours a day
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Access to crew only showers and toilets
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Free phone charging facilities in our campsite
Which festivals can I volunteer at?
This year, we will be bringing our shops to 7 UK festivals. These are; Bearded Theory, Download, Glastonbury, Latitude, Boomtown, and Leeds.
I've done all my festivals with Oxfam, with the festival shop, and this I think is my ninth festival. The best part about volunteering with Oxfam at festivals is the camaraderie with the team involved and the fun we have, and interacting with the public is always great.”
Grahame
The best part about volunteering with Oxfam, is the fact that we all come back every summer to volunteer - there's new people to meet, new volunteers, but then there's always recurring volunteers, and sometimes it's the only time you only see them once a year. So it's lovely to all meet back up again. And also the clothes in the shop are all really great!”
Festival shop volunteer, Beth
You might want to know
Which festivals to apply for?
At some festivals we are able to bring a bigger team of volunteers to help with the shop whilst others are very small. Please apply to as many as you are available for.
Due to how busy and complicated the multiple shops are that we run at Glastonbury, we will prioritise applications from volunteers who have previous experience with the Festival Shop. If you want to try one of the other festivals or events we have shops at first, you will be super ready for 9 days at Glastonbury!
Do you cater for medical and accessibility requirements?
We believe that festival volunteering should be for everyone, which is why we are dedicated to making stewarding as accessible as possible. We welcome deaf and disabled volunteers and those with health issues. All you need to do is let us know of any access requirements when you sign up and we will get in touch to discuss how we can support you on-site.
Do I need to pay a deposit?
No, unlike festival stewarding, you will not be required to pay a deposit to volunteer at one of our shops.
