Volunteer with us at
Forbidden Forest 2026

• No admin fees deducted from deposits
• Deposit refunds processed 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 tasks. It'd be tricky to list everything we get up to, but some of the most common roles include:

• 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.
• Assisting with various roles across the Forbidden Forest site, including stewarding pedestrian and vehicle gates, handling wristband exchanges, overseeing facilities, and monitoring stages and walkways.
• Making sure festival-goers have the best time possible at Forbidden Forest!

We work very hard to ensure that everyone who joins us at Forbidden Forest has an amazing experience - and that includes giving you a great shift pattern!

We know how important it is that you have time off-shift to watch your favourite bands, so everyone who joins us has the opportunity to select shift preferences and receive their schedule before arriving at the festival.

Volunteer shift patterns at Forbidden Forest are arranged by way of shift preferences that you can select. A few weeks before the festival, we'll open shift selection and let you know via email, our news and socials that it’s time to login and make your choices. There are usually 20-30 volunteer shift patterns for you to rank from the most, to the least, preferable.

All Forbidden Forest volunteer shift patterns contain 2x 7.5-hour shifts. Most of these shift patterns contain 1x Early (09:00 - 16:30) and 1x Late (16:30 - 00:00) shift.

Shift patterns are allocated based on deposit payment date. Therefore, the earlier you apply and pay the refundable deposit to confirm your place, the better chance you have of being allocated your top choice shift pattern! However, we work very hard to make sure everyone gets the highest shift preference possible, regardless of sign-up date.

We guarantee all volunteers have at least two of the main festival evenings off-shift to enjoy the music. Some volunteers will even have all three evenings off!

When you volunteer with Hotbox Events at Forbidden Forest, we make sure you have all you need to complete your shifts and have a safe and enjoyable week!

Here are the essentials we always provide at Forbidden Forest - and once you're onsite, we're always around if there’s anything else you need!

• A volunteer info pack will be uploaded to your Hotbox Events PAAM portal a few weeks before Forbidden Forest. In this pack, you will find thorough details of your role, responsibilities and other information about the festival.
• We guarantee you'll have the same shift pattern as anyone you list in the 'Friends' section of your Hotbox Events PAAM profile!
• Secure Forbidden Forest volunteer parking within walking distance of (and often right next to) your own private campsite!
• A private and secure Forbidden Forest volunteer camping area within the main festival crew area. The Hotbox festival office is also here, so we're always close-by if you need anything!
• A Forbidden Forest volunteer marquee with chairs, tables, device charging points, hot water and free tea, coffee and biscuits!
• Free festival wi-fi, 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, which will save you money on your festival meals.
• A Forbidden Forest crew pass, which will allow you to move about the festival and access the arena when you’re not on shift.
• A thorough onsite briefing and Q&A from us and other Forbidden Forest teams before you start work.
• Everything you’ll need at the beginning of each shift, including a Forbidden Forest tabard, a radio and any PPE required.

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

• Be 18 years old or over by the day you arrive onsite.
• Be available to arrive onsite on Wednesday 3rd June 2026 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 beforehand.
• Be available to volunteer for 2x 7.5-hour shifts at any time between 09:00 Thursday 4th June and 14:00 Monday 8th June. Most shift patterns include 1x Early (09:00 - 16:30) and 1x 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 2x 7.5-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 original documents that prove your right to work and volunteer in the UK when you arrive at the festival. 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 us you are committed to joining us at the festival.

You only need to pay one deposit a year to join us at as many festivals as you like!

Your deposit refund will be processed within 30 days of the end of the festival.

If this is your first time joining us at a festival, the refundable deposit is £95. If you've joined us before, the refundable deposit is discounted by almost 50% to £45!

There are no admin fees charged on deposits, so you'll receive your entire deposit back as long as you complete all of your shifts or cancel your place at least 20 days before the festival arrival date.

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