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Shifts

  • Can I arrive early and start my shifts sooner at festivals ?

    There is an Arrival shift at most festivals, which involves arriving on the same day as everyone else but earlier than the standard arrival time. You will be asked to do your first shift on that day, either staffing early bird gates for the festival or registering the other stewards as they arrive. Your other two shifts will be allocated as standard shifts during the festival. You can request an 'Arrival shift' by ticking the relevant box on the online application form for the specific festival.

    There are a very small number of 'Arrival shift' places. If you are allocated one of these places you will be contacted directly by the stewarding team around one to two weeks before the festival itself. As we will not be able to tell you if you have been selected for this role until just before the festival, please only tick this option if you can be flexible with your arrival time and travel to the festival. For more information about this, please select the specific festival in the Festivals area here.

  • Can I be a supervisor or shift leader ?

    If you are interested in supervising, please fill out the supervisor page of the application form. There are role profiles available to read that tell you which positions you can apply for and what is involved.

    Please read these carefully and only choose a role at a level of responsibility you are confident with. We generally select shift leaders/deputy shift leaders from people who have had significant stewarding and supervisory experience, however we are always happy to give people a try at this.

    The driving positions are very popular, and again we prefer to select these from people who have had a lot of stewarding experience. Drivers need to be over 21, hold a full UK driving license, have a good knowledge of a festival site and ideally have experience of off-road driving. In the event of a mechanical failure, drivers may be required to deliver items on foot.

    All supervisors will be allocated three shifts, each one is eight and a quarter hours long.

    We intend to hold two supervisor conferences this year for people who want to learn more or brush up old skills. For anyone who wishes to be in any kind of supervisory role at Glastonbury Festival this year it is compulsory to attend a Supervisor's training course. These will be held onsite at Glastonbury, and more information will be available soon.

    If you wish to attend a supervisor conference, you will need to email stewards@oxfam.org.uk with the subject title of 'Supervisory training' to book a place. We will also be in touch with anyone who selected a supervisory role on the application form. It is aimed at experienced stewards who would like to up-skill and try supervising. We also welcome anyone who feels they would like to give supervising a go this year. Supervisors training is not a replacement for general training and you must either be booked on steward training this year or have done it in the last four years.




  • Can I do my shifts with my friends ?

    You can let us know who you would like as your shift partners. When we arrange shifts, we try to make sure you are always on shift at the same times as your shift partners, though we can't guarantee your duties will be based in the same location. There is a section on the application form where you give us your friends' names and dates of birth so that we can pair you with the right people.

    If you are stewarding, we're sorry but it is not possible for a campaigner or shop volunteer to be linked as your shift partner since their shifts operate on different timetables to ours.

    Please note that if you apply to any festival once we have started allocating shifts (usually after the cancellation date), it may not be possible to link you with your shift partner/s.

  • Do I need to wear a specific uniform?

    Stewards will be asked to wear a high-visibility Oxfam tabard, which we will supply. This needs to be worn over your clothes and any bags you are carrying so you are visible at all times. Apart from that, you will need to bring practical clothes to suit different times of day and weather conditions. Sturdy shoes and a waterproof coat are essential! Please see question 'What do I need to bring?' in the Camping at Festivals FAQ section for more advice on suitable clothing.

  • May I leave the festival site early?

    All stewards are required to be at the festival for the full onsite dates as stated on the application form when you apply and in your pre-festival information, this includes the Sunday night, and Monday after the festival.

    Most of the festivals need stewards for the Monday after the Festival has finished. To help us when we are allocating shifts, we assume that anyone who has applied to steward is also available for a shift overnight on Sunday or on Monday (which is why the 'available' dates will include the Monday).

    If you tick the 'I am not available to steward the late shift' box on the application form when you choose your festivals, then we will ensure your last shift will finish no later than 23.00 on Sunday. Please note that we can't change your availability for the late shift once the cancellation date has passed and we start allocating shifts. If you change your plans after that, and have been allocated an inconvenient shift, you will need to do a shift swap onsite. Please give us as much notice as possible if your availability for the late shift changes.

    Between your shifts and on completion of your shifts, you may leave the site as you please, where appropriate.

  • What if my favourite band is playing and I'm supposed to be on shift ?

    You will find out the times and locations of your shifts when you arrive onsite and register, and if you do not like your shifts, you can try to swap shifts with other willing stewards. If you find someone to swap with, please come to the Oxbox (or Adbox if there is one at your festival) to let us know as we will need to swap the shifts on our records to ensure our roster is accurate. If you do not find anyone to swap with, you will have to complete your allocated shift.

  • When can I find out when my shifts are ?

    Shift allocations tend to be carried out in the last two weeks before a festival; therefore you will be told what time your shifts are when you arrive on site to register. This information will not be available via the phone line, or by emailing us.

  • Why are the shifts eight hours and 15 minutes long ?

    To ensure comprehensive handovers and briefing at every shift change, we schedule everybody (including shift leaders, supervisors and stewards) to be at their position 15 minutes before the start time on their shift sheet.

    Stewards should not be expected to wait around after their eight hour shift has officially ended, while new stewards arrive, sign in, hand over radios, put on their tabards etc. Arriving 15 minutes early will ensure you are ready when your shift starts and the previous stewards can leave on time.

    Please note: Failure to arrive at your shift 15 minutes early to do full a handover will count as an incomplete shift.




  • Will I always be on shift in the position allocated to me ?

    Not necessarily. A good supervisor will rotate positions to give variety and relieve boredom and cover breaks. Supervisors also get requests to send stewards to support other positions, so even if you start your shift in a position you like and are on shift with your friends, you should be prepared to move during the shift.