Hello there,

I am super excited to say that I have just signed up to volunteer at my first festival with Hotbox Events next year. It is been something I have wanted to do for ages; and I finally took the leap. While I am looking forward to meeting new people; enjoying the festival atmosphere, and contributing behind the scenes; I am also feeling a bit nervous since I do not know exactly what to expect.

I was wondering if anyone here could share their experiences or advice for a first-time volunteer?

I have read the essentials on the website, but are there any items you’d recommend that might not be obvious?

I have seen that we work a set number of hours, but do you have any tips for balancing work and enjoying the festival?

Is it easy to make friends with other volunteers, and are there any activities in the camp when you are not on shift?

Also, I have gone through this post; https://www.hotboxevents.com/news/2023/reading-and-leeds-festival-2023-volunteer-shifts-assigned-machine-learning-and-updated-arrival-info/ which definitely helped me out a lot.

I am planning to volunteer at one of the larger festivals, and I know the environment can get hectic; so any tips for staying organized and making the most of the experience would be amazing.

Thank you in advance for your help and assistance.