Volunteer with us at
Forbidden Forest 2025

• No admin fees deducted from deposits
• Deposits refunded in full 30 days after the festival
• Choose shifts before the festival
• Private secure camping and car parking
• Bring your campervan, caravan, or motorhome
• Free phone charging and wi-fi
• Crew toilets and hot showers
• Free tea, coffee, and hot chocolate
• Discounted festival food

Our Forbidden Forest 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 Forbidden Forest festival-goers with directions.
• Helping Forbidden Forest festival-goers carry their belongings and pitch their tents.
• Answering questions about Forbidden Forest performances and line-ups.
• Reporting any problems such as a build-up of litter or faulty facilities.
• Working alongside Forbidden Forest Fire Safety, Medical and Security teams.
• Helping out with various roles across the Forbidden Forest site including pedestrian and vehicle gates, wristband exchanges, keeping an eye on facilities, monitoring stages and walkways.
• Making sure festival-goers have the best time possible at Forbidden Forest!

When you volunteer with Hotbox Events at Forbidden Forest 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 Forbidden Forest, 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 Forbidden Forest which thoroughly details the festival volunteer role, responsibilities, and provides information about the festival.
• Around 20-30 different shift patterns for you to rank in order of preference a few weeks before the festival so you can make sure you're off-shift to watch your favourite bands!
• Every volunteer will have at least two of the main festival evenings off-shift to watch the artists, some volunteers will get all 3 evenings off!
• We guarantee you'll have the same shift pattern as your friends if you list them in the 'Friends' section of your PAAM profile!
• Secure Forbidden Forest volunteer parking within walking distance of (but often next to!) your own private campsite!
• A private and secure Forbidden Forest 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 Forbidden Forest volunteer marquee with chairs, tables, charging points, hot water, free tea, coffee, and biscuits!
• Free festival wifi, exclusive to Hotbox volunteers within the Hotbox compound!
• Access to Forbidden Forest crew toilets and hot showers!
• Access to an exclusive Forbidden Forest crew catering provision to save you money on your festival meals!
• A Forbidden Forest crew pass when you arrive at the festival which allows you to move about onsite.
• A thorough onsite briefing from us and other Forbidden Forest teams where you can also ask any questions you have.
• At the beginning of each shift all the bits you'll need including a Forbidden Forest tabard, a radio if the position requires one, and any PPE.

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

• Be 18 or over on the date you need to arrive at Forbidden Forest.
• Be available to arrive onsite on Wednesday 28th May 2025 and attend an onsite briefing at 19:00 that evening. We strongly recommend planning to arrive several hours before your briefing time as you will need to sign in, go through security checks and collect your accreditation before the briefing.
• Be available to volunteer for two 7.5 hour shifts at any time between 09:00 Thursday 29th May and 14:00 Monday 2nd June. Most shift patterns include 1 x Early (09:00 - 16:30) and 1 x Late (16:30 - 00:00) shift.
• 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.
• Be able to produce documents when you arrive at the festival which prove your right to work and volunteer in the UK. You can read more about proving your right to work and volunteer in our FAQs
• Provide a refundable security deposit.

The refundable deposit is your way of showing commitment to volunteering at Forbidden Forest.

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

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

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

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