Volunteering At Kelburn – Opportunities, Requirements and Expectations
Kelburn Garden Party wouldn’t be possible without the support of our dedicated volunteer crew. Volunteering is a chance to be an integral part of one of Scotland’s most creative festivals, and there are opportunities to be involved in almost every area of festival production. In return for your contribution, you’ll learn new skills and meet new people, as well as being fed, and (of course) getting plenty of time to enjoy the festival itself.
Kelburn needs volunteers for the following teams:
- 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.
- Stewarding
- This role is public facing 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. We are also looking for Fire Marshals for our site campfires.
- Build & Break Crew
- This role involves working hard within a small team and on your own initiative in the run-up to the festival. It is physically taxing and may involve the use of power tools. Full days, but you would then be free to enjoy the whole festival. Lifting, shifting, getting things done. This team especially welcomes anyone with skills in areas such as joinery, plumbing, or construction, and there may be some opportunities for those who wish to learn those skills.
- Artist Liaison
- This role is artist-facing, and requires attention to detail and excellent admin skills. You will offer a great first impression to artists arriving at the festival. You will be discreet, and you will not be starstruck.
- Decor
- This role is non-public facing but does involve intense team working before and after the festival (not during). Some use of power (& other) tools may be involved. Creative spirit and some artistic experience is good, but we’re also looking for skills like carpentry and basic painting. This role may involve a moderate amount of physical activity.
- Bar
- This is a public facing role, which may include dealing with drunk people. 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.
- 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 having great admin skills. This role may involve some physical activity and patrolling the festival site.
- 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 also be comfortable using a radio.
- Stage Hands
- This is crew-facing role, where you’ll be helping out the stage manager and sound team. 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. Experience in live music production is desirable.
- 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.
What we expect from you
- To fill in an application form (keep an eye on this page and Facebook for updates) and pay the deposit (see below)
- Advance volunteers will work 3-4 days before and/or after the festival dependent upon team, weekend volunteers will work 3 shifts over the weekend. Extra perks are available for volunteers who are willing to take on additional shifts (tshirts, meal tickets, etc)
- To be punctual for your shifts, and not intoxicated. Any volunteer found to be consuming intoxicants directly before, or while on shift will be removed from site and their deposit forfeited.
- To bring appropriate camping and outdoor equipment.
- To be at least 18 years old and provide legally acceptable photo ID.
- To provide us with your emergency contact details and other important information.
What you will get
- A full weekend crew ticket
- 3 meals a day on days you’re working before / after the weekend
- Breakfast plus 1 hot meal a day on days you’re on shift over weekend
- Volunteers who do extra shifts will get extra perks – tshirts, meal tickets, etc.
- Time to enjoy the festival
- Access to crew camping
- New friends, new skills, references for job applications, and becoming part of the Kelburn family!
What to do next:
- Please fill in the Volunteers Form to tell us a bit about yourself! Our Crew Coordinator will be in touch to discuss within around a week of you completing the form.
- Be ready to pay the deposit. Like many other festivals we require volunteers to pay a deposit equal to the price of a ticket. This measure is in place to ensure that we only get serious applicants – if you don’t turn up to volunteer, it makes it really hard to run this event. And that’s no fun for anyone…
Big Love From Sara (crew co-ordinator) and Team Kelburn ❤️
