Volunteer at Kelburn

What does each team do?

Artist Liaison

This small team assist in the Artist Liaison office. It’s mostly an office-based job, and requires excellent customer service skills. Shifts take place during the festival (Thursday-Sunday) and there’s one shift on the Monday morning.

Bar

This is a public facing role, which may include dealing with drunk people and you may be in a noisy area. You will be friendly and pay close attention to detail. This role will involve a moderate amount of physical activity, including some heavy lifting. Experience in bar work is essential. Shifts take place during the festival opening hours. If you do not have a personal license you will be required to attend an on-site training session before starting your shifts.

Box Office

This role is public facing and requires excellent communication and customer service skills. You will be friendly, cool under stress, and provide a great first impression to festival-goers. This role is suitable for those with limited mobility. Shifts take place across the Thursday-Monday period.

Buggy Driver

This role involves driving a buggy around site for food or other deliveries, and may be for either the crew catering team, or Operations team.  You must have a clean driving license. 

Build & Break

This team works before and after the festival, so you must be available for both. The role involves working hard within a small team and on your own initiative. It is physically taxing and may involve the use of power tools.  You’re working before and after the festival, so you get the festival period itself off! There’s a lot of lifting, shifting and getting things done. Ideally you should own and bring a set of steel toe capped boots. 

Places on this team are extremely limited, and we are looking for the following skills: plumbing, construction, joinery, use of power tools.

Bumpy Bus conductors

This is a public-facing role, where you’re managing folks getting on and off the bumpy bus that rides around the site. You’ll be talking to the public, answering questions and being available to assist the drivers. You’ll be comfortable using a radio and being a friendly and outgoing face for the public. You should arrive on the Thursday and most shifts will be Friday-Sunday.

Crew Catering

You’ll be helping to prepare and serve meals to our crew, working closely with our kitchen staff. Some early mornings will be required. This is often a physical role where shifts have busts of intensity. Previous food-handling experience is required. 

Artistic Production (Decor/Creative Build)

This role is non-public facing, and opportunities are available before and after the festival, but you won’t be working during the festival itself. This role may involve a moderate amount of physical activity. Whilst some tasks need to be completed at particular times, there’s more flexibility for others. Build week can be busy, and intense! For those who prefer to work in a more relaxed environment, we have opportunities throughout the month of June before the main build week.

Please note places are EXTREMELY limited this year due to high demand. (Please only apply to this team if it would be your first preference out of the other options. Please also apply for at least one other team to ensure you can secure a volunteering role, in the likely event you won’t be accepted for Artistic Production.)

Your application must be as solid and thorough as possible to be considered.

Our process is very selective, but far from elitist! Enthusiasm, reliability and a strong teamwork ethic go a long way. Festival experience also is appreciated but not required.

• Our build dates are 17th June-1st July inclusive.
• Takedown is 6th-9th July inclusive.

Opportunities are available in the following:

• Artwork creation – opportunities throughout build.
• Creative construction – various opportunities throughout build. Ideal candidates have experience with joinery or DIY, and can bring their own power tools.
• Lifting & shifting (build) – during last week before festival. Essential for distributing murals, stage scenery and other decor throughout site. A great core team which requires more people every year as we grow.
• Lifting & shifting (takedown) – the week following the festival.
• Other – please let us know! We’re always interested to hear of niche or unexpected skills and ideas.

Fencing

This role is non-public facing, and involves working hard within a small team and on your own initiative. It is physically taxing and may involve the use of power tools. You’ll be working before or after the festival and so will have the festival period off. There’s a lot of lifting, shifting and getting things done. Ideally you should own and bring a set of steel toe capped boots. 

Fire Tending

This is a semi public-facing role which involves looking after the campfires we have on site, and will involve at least 1x overnight shift.  PPE will be provided, you must attend a safety briefing, and you should have some previous experience of fire tending, fire tech or other fire safety.

Info Point

This role is mostly office-based, public facing and involves customer care, answering questions from festival-goers and selling merchandise. You will be outgoing, friendly and have excellent communication skills. You may be required to use a radio, and retail experience would be helpful. Shifts take place during the festival. This role may be suitable for those with limited mobility. Shifts are spread between Thursday and Sunday.

Litterpicking

Does what it says on the tin – we’re looking for people to help us keep the site clean, clear and tidy!  This is an outdoor and physical role, and shifts will be spread throughout the festival and possibly afterwards. 

Operations Assistant (traders)

This is a new role for 2026. We have a single-digit number of spaces for individuals who are interested in learning more about festival operations management. It is an all-weather outdoor role, and will involve welcoming traders to site and getting their vehicles sited correctly. Some driving experience may be beneficial, but we do not anticipate that any driving will be required. Shifts are Mon / Tues / Wed before the festival, and Monday after the festival. 

Stage Hand / Stage Runner

This is mostly a crew-facing role, where you’ll be helping out the stage manager, but there may be some public-facing elements. This is an outdoor role, and you’ll be on your feet a lot. You’ll be friendly, helpful, and have good communication skills. You may be doing some physical activity such as lifting and carrying, as well as running errands. Some experience of backstage or stage work would be helpful. Shifts take place during festival operating hours, so will involve some late nights.

Stewarding

This role is public-facing, outdoors, and involves customer care, giving instructions and information to festival-goers as well as checking wristbands. You will be observant, friendly and have good communication skills. You will be required to use a radio and you may be on your feet a lot in a noisy environment. Some roles are static positions but others are roaming. You must be able to arrive on Thursday. Shifts take place from Thursday onwards, with most shifts finishing on Sunday evening. There is one Monday morning shift that we need to cover!

Traffic Management

This is a public-facing role for which you need to be a friendly (but firm) face, and have excellent communication skills. This is an outdoor role, and you will be on your feet a lot. You should be comfortable using a radio. Some shifts start Wednesday, but most take place over the Thursday–Monday period. You must be able to arrive in time for the Traffic briefing on Wednesday evening.

Volunteer Coordination

This is mostly a crew-facing role, and will report to the Crew Coordinator. You will be friendly, have great attention to detail, and be computer-literate as well as have great admin skills. This role may involve some physical activity and patrolling the festival site. Most shifts take place Thursday–Sunday, but we have some spaces for pre-festival shifts (Tuesday onwards). Returners please note that the shift pattern may be a little different this year.

Welfare

This is a public-facing role, operational throughout the festival period.  We’re looking for volunteers to join our welfare family – motherhens, mediators and listeners all needed! Welfare at Kelburn involves helping to create a safe space for everyone, offering weary festival goers a place to recombobulate, have a warm drink or even just an understanding ear. We’ll want to know about any welfare, caring or support experience you have. Shifts run from Thursday 2nd-Monday 6th July, with two in the Welfare tent plus one roaming shift where you will get to go out into the festival spreading comfort and sweeties 🙂 The team works 24 hours once the festival is on, so crew need to be open to working any hours, as you may have late night or early morning shifts.

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