No, you will have to arrange and pay for your own transport to each festival. If a particular festival is very hard to get to by public transport, then there is sometimes a shuttle bus from the nearest train station. You can post lifts offered and lifts wanted on our steward’s forum.
For more information about transport to a particular festival, please select the specific festival in the Festivals area here. or on the Oxfam Festivals Facebook page.
Yes, but you must tell us if you are bringing a vehicle and let us know your registration number, there is a place to do this on the application form. We request passes in advance for our stewards to bring cars, caravans or campervans to site. We don’t always post the passes to you; sometimes they are given out once you arrive.
If you change your plans after filling in the application form, please contact us to let us know. For certain festivals (particularly Reading) vehicle passes are requested a few weeks in advance and we may not be able to accommodate your request if you ask to bring a vehicle after we have ordered the passes.
You will need to arrive onsite BEFORE the festival opens to the public – for stewards, this is usually the Wednesday or Thursday prior to the festival beginning. The date you need to arrive onsite is in your confirmation email from Oxfam, and is also clearly stated on the application form when you apply. You must make sure you arrive on that day.
The exact times for registration at each festival are yet to be finalised and these will be in your pre-festival email.
Where possible you should plan to arrive between 2pm – 9pm, this should ensure that you arrive in time to register. Please check the times carefully and be aware that if you arrive late in the evening you may need to register before setting up your tent. You MUST make sure you arrive before registration closes, otherwise you could be marked as a no-show. At registration, you will be given your wristband, shift times and tabard.
(Please note: arrival times will be different for Campaigners and Shop Volunteers)
The day before shifts start we need all stewards to be registered, to be briefed on their specific role, and to orientate themselves before they start answering the festival goers questions about directions, facilities etc.
If you arrive on site to register and your first shift doesn't start until Friday morning you are not obliged to stay on site. If you leave site, please take into account how long it will take you to get back on site in time for your first shift. And don't lose your wristband!
Please make sure you leave plenty of time for your journey and allow for bad traffic or public transport delays. If, despite this, you find you are going to be late, please call the onsite mobile number (which will be in your pre festival email) to let us know. At some festivals the gates will be locked and you will not be able to get in so we may need to make special arrangements for you
We will also need to make sure you are not due to start a shift very early the next morning. It causes our staff lots of extra work if you are late, so please do make every effort to arrive on time.
Onsite briefing sessions ensure you are correctly briefed about your particular role onsite and we will tell you the details you'll need to know at that festival eg. ticketing systems, lost child procedures and catering arrangements. It is essential for all stewards to attend an onsite briefing prior to starting your shifts, even if you have stewarded with us before or attended a training session. The briefing times will be confirmed in the pre-festival email you'll receive a couple of weeks before the festival.
If you have been allocated a supervisory role, you will usually be asked to attend two briefings - one for stewards and one that is relevant to your supervisory role.
