Volunteer at Download Festival 2025 with Hotbox Events!

How to apply to volunteer

You can apply now to volunteer at Download Festival using our online volunteer application!

Messenger

If there is anything you would like to ask or you would just like to chat with us about volunteering at Download Festival, the easiest way is to...

Connect with us on Messenger

Socials

You can connect with us @hotboxevents on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Connecting with other volunteers

If you would like to chat with others who have volunteered with us at Download Festival before head to our Facebook Group and Forum

On Facebook and in our Forum you will find new and returning volunteers chatting about what it is like to volunteer at Download Festival, arranging to share lifts to Download, asking and answering questions about volunteering at Download Festival and more...

Watch Download Festival interviews

If you've not volunteered at Download Festival before and would like to see what it's like volunteering at Download before applying - make sure you checkout our Download Festival volunteer interviews!

In the Download Festival volunteer interviews you'll get to hear from Download Festival volunteers who have joined us talking about how they found their shifts, how they were treated by the Hotbox Events team at Download, what it was like volunteering at Download Festival for the first time on their own, taking on more responsibility year on year and progressing from a festival volunteer to staff role, and even how the experience and confidence gained at Download Festival has helped with their career progression away from music festivals!

Photos of Download Festival volunteers

Another way to see what volunteering at Download Festival is like is to check out some of our Download Festival photos!

In our Download Festival photo galleries, you will find thousands of photos covering our festival volunteering history over the past twenty years!

Going Solo to Download Festival

If you are thinking about volunteering at Download Festival but not sure about going solo you do not need to worry, every year more than half of those who volunteer with us at Download Festival do so on their own the first time and then return year on year to meet up with friends they have made whilst volunteering!

Questions about volunteering at Download

If you have specific questions about volunteering at Download Festival try our festival FAQs!

Our festival FAQs are regularly updated and packed full of answers to the questions we are usually asked, plus lots of handy hints and tips about volunteering at Download Festival.

Festival Newsletter

We usually send an email newsletter about once a month, if you would like to keep up to date you can subscribe!

Download Festival application deadline

There isn't a specific deadline for Download Festival volunteer applications, we keep the application open until all of the volunteer positions available at Download Festival have gone!

We confirm positions within 24 hours of a deposit being paid, often within the hour, so if you apply and pay your deposit now, you'll receive a confirmation that you have a place volunteering at Download Festival today!

Why there is a refundable deposit to volunteer

The refundable deposit is your way of showing commitment to volunteering at Download Festival.

You only need to pay 1 deposit a year to volunteer at as many festivals as you like!

Your deposit is returned to you within 30 days of the festival.

For more info about deposits please head to the deposits section of our FAQs!

How much is the refundable deposit

If this is your first time volunteering with us at a festival, the refundable deposit required to volunteer at Download is £95.

If you've volunteered at a festival with us before the refundable volunteer deposit is discounted by almost 50% to £45.

There are no admin fees charged on deposits, so you receive your entire deposit back as long as you complete all of your shifts!

What you'll do when volunteering at Download

Our Download Festival volunteers can be found across the festival site assisting with a wide variety of areas! It'd be tricky to list everything we get up to but some of the most common roles include the below.

Assisting Download Festival goers with directions.
Helping Download Festival goers carry their belongings and pitch their tents.
Answering questions about Download Festival performances and line-ups.
Reporting any problems such as a build-up of litter or faulty facilities.
Working alongside Download Festival Fire Safety, Medical and Security teams.
Keeping an eye on the Download Festival campsites from the fire towers.
Helping out with various roles across the Download Festival site including pedestrian and vehicle gates, wristband exchanges, keeping an eye on facilities, monitoring stages and walkways.

The things we provide at Download Festival

When you volunteer with Hotbox Events at Download Festival we make sure you have all you need to complete your volunteer shifts and have a safe and enjoyable week with us!

The below are the bits we always provide at Download Festival, and once you're onsite we're always on-hand should you need something else!

We send a volunteer info pack a few weeks before Download Festival which thoroughly details the festival volunteer role, responsibilities, and provides information about the festival and the festival site.
Secure Download Festival volunteer parking within walking distance of (but often next to!) your own private campsite!
A private and secure Download Festival volunteer camping area within the main festival crew area. In here you'll also find the Hotbox festival office so we're always close-by if you need anything!
A Download Festival volunteer marquee with chairs, tables, charging points, hot water, free tea, coffee, and biscuits!
Access to Download Festival crew toilets and hot showers!
Dedicated and discounted Download Festival volunteer catering right inside your volunteer campsite offering some of the tastiest festival meals you're ever likely to find on a festival site!
A Download Festival crew pass when you arrive at the festival which allows you to move about onsite.
A thorough onsite briefing from us and other Download Festival teams where you can also ask any questions you have.
At the beginning of each shift all the bits you'll need including a Download Festival tabard, a radio if the position requires one, and any PPE.

The bits you need to check when applying to volunteer

There are a few bits below you'll need to make sure of when applying to volunteer at Download Festival.

Be 18 or over on the date you need to arrive at Download Festival.
Be available to arrive at the Download Festival site in good time for your onsite briefing (no later than 4 hours before your briefing) on Wednesday 11th June 2025 (Event Sign-in Date). You're welcome to arrive at Download Festival from midday on Tuesday 10th.
Be available for a briefing at Download Festival at 19:00 on Tuesday 10th or 19:00 on Wednesday 11th (the briefing you need to attend is shift pattern dependent). Please note when the shift preferences are available, if you chose one of the shift patterns which include a Wednesday shift and are confirmed for this, you will need to arrive on the Tuesday (from midday) to be booked in and have your onsite briefing at 19:00 on the Tuesday prior to your first shift on the Wednesday.
Be available to volunteer for three 8 hour shifts at any time between 09:00 Wednesday 11th (or 01:00 Thursday if arriving for the later briefing) and 14:00 Monday 16th.
Arrive at the Hotbox Events festival office one hour prior to your shift to be signed in and have your zone and/or position allocated; you will then need to allow between 5 and 30 minutes to make your way to your zone. This time is outside of your allocated three 8 hour shifts in a similar way that travelling to your place of work or study is outside of paid work or classroom hours.
Wear a Download Festival tabard when completing your volunteer shifts.
Produce documents to prove your right to work and volunteer in the UK.
Provide a refundable security deposit.

Proving your right to work and volunteer in the UK

To work or volunteer at Download Festival with Hotbox Events you must have the right to work and volunteer in the UK. Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act of 2006 Hotbox Events is required by law to check your right to work and volunteer in the UK.

For further information please read the Borders and Immigration section in our festival FAQs.

How Download Festival volunteer shifts are planned

We work very hard to make sure everyone who volunteers with us at Download Festival has an amazing experience and this of course includes your volunteering shift pattern!

Download volunteer shifts are chosen by way of volunteer shift preferences that you can select. We open volunteer shift selection a few weeks before Download Festival and let you know when you can login to choose your shift preferences via email, our news, and socials. There are usually between 20-30 volunteer shift patterns to choose between and we make sure everyone gets the highest shift preference possible!

You can find more information about Download Festival volunteer shifts below but if you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch!

When you volunteer at Download Festival you'll complete three 8 hour shifts, so a total of twenty-four hours volunteering throughout the course of the festival.
Shift patterns are allocated before Download Festival, then individual positions at the beginning of each shift. If you have a preference when it comes to location your supervisor will do their best to accommodate your request.
You need to arrive at the Hotbox Events festival office one hour prior to your shift to be signed in and have your position allocated. You then need to allow between 5 and 30 mins to make your way to your position. This time is outside of your three 8 hour shifts in a similar way that travelling to your place of work or study is outside of paid work or classroom hours.
You don't need to return to the Hotbox Events festival office after your shift as your zone supervisor will sign you out in the zone, take your tabard and any equipment allocated to you, so you are free to head off straight away as soon as your shift ends!
The first Download Festival volunteer shift starts at 09:00 on the Wednesday before the festival weekend.
Everyone volunteering with us at Download Festival is required to work one night shift.
The final Download Festival volunteer shift finishes at 17:00 on the Monday after the festival weekend.
Our standard Download Festival volunteer shift times are Early 09:00 to 17:00, Late 17:00 to 01:00, Night 01:00 to 09:00.
You can ask to swap any shift you are allocated with your Download Festival supervisor who will do their best to accommodate your request.
We try to be as fair as possible when allocating shifts, everyone volunteering with us at Download Festival gets at least two of the main festival afternoons or evenings off to see the headliners.
If you'd like to find out more about how Download Festival volunteer shifts are planned please head to the festival volunteer shifts section of our FAQs!

The festival volunteering community

If you'd like to hear and see more from those who have volunteered at Download Festival with us in the past please head to our festival community!

On our festival community pages you can get an idea of what it's like to volunteer at Download Festival with Hotbox Events by browsing our Download Festival photo galleries, hear from volunteers who have joined us by watching some Download Festival volunteer interviews, chat with returning and new volunteers in our festival forum, and read feedback from volunteers who have joined on our volunteer feedback page!

Questions about volunteering at Download Festival

Try our FAQ as lots of questions are answered in there!

Email

If you would like to drop us an email it's info@hotboxevents.com

Phone

You can reach our office by phone on the numbers below...

Tel: 01252849600 (UK) select option 2 for Hotbox Events

Tel: +441252849600 (International) select option 2 for Hotbox Events

Robert

A massive thank you to everyone at Hotbox after volunteering at Download Festival 2017!
I was wary about volunteering at first, so myself and my friend decided to go together to see what it was all about. We wanted to go to a festival and saw the opportunity to volunteer so we gave it a go. Honestly, it was one of the GREATEST EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE! I met so many like minded people and made so many great new friends; a few of us have even decided to get together again in a group and volunteer for Leeds Fesitval later on this year!

Everyone at Hotbox was so friendly and all of the other volunteers WANTED to talk to you and make friends which was amazing. The supervisors on shift were most notably some of the friendliest and approachable people I've worked with. This kind of attitude and working atmosphere made the experience so much more enjoyable. I've made some great new friends because of this opportunity and I wholeheartedly recommend anyone who is dubious about volunteering, to just do it.