Wednesday, May 31, 2023
We hope you're looking forward to joining us at Download Festival next week!
The Download Festival Info Pack has been updated with all the info you need, including the gate you need to head to when you arrive at the festival! You can read the info pack in the PAAM Portal along with lots of other important information to help you prepare for joining us at Download!
Accreditation open times are:
Irrespective of the above accreditation opening times, you must ensure that you are onsite and signed in in time for your briefing. Which briefing you need to attend depends on your shift pattern.
If you have been allocated to the following teams you need to arrive before 15:00 Tuesday 6th to be booked in and have your briefing at 19:00 on the Tuesday: ALPHA, GOLF, HOTEL, INDIGO, JULIET, KILO, LIMA, MIKE, ROMEO, TANGO, UNIFORM, TOWER ALPHA, TOWER FOXTROT, TOWER GOLF, TOWER HOTEL
If you have been allocated to the following teams you need to arrive before 15:00 on Wednesday 7th to be booked in and have your briefing at 19:00 on the Wednesday (you are welcome to arrive on Tuesday 6th if you would prefer): BRAVO, CHARLIE, DELTA, ECHO, FOXTROT, NOVEMBER, OSCAR, PAPA, QUEBEC, SIERRA, TOWER BRAVO, TOWER CHARLIE, TOWER DELTA, TOWER ECHO
If you have been allocated to VICTOR or WHISKEY you need to arrive in the afternoon of Monday 5th. Please phone the onsite office team on the phone number in the Info Pack when you arrive at the staff accreditation point via Reservoir Gate.
NB: if you are part of our staff team, please reference your contract for arrival and briefing times.
Please plan to arrive onsite at least 4 hours before your briefing, this so that you have time to find the correct entry gate, go through any required security checks, find the staff accreditation point, complete right to work checks and collect your crew wristbands, make your way to the Hotbox compound in the staff campsite and set up your tent before the briefing. There can be long queues around the festival site and at accreditation at peak periods so we recommend arriving earlier, so you’re settled in in good time for the briefing!
Should you be delayed and suspect you may arrive outside of the accreditation opening times and miss your briefing, please give our onsite office team a call on the phone number in your Info Pack in the PAAM Portal.
We are required to check your right to work documents before signing you in at the festival site. You won’t be able to attend the festival without bringing them!
The options for proving your right to work in the UK are:
Please note, we're required to see original documents – we cannot accept photocopies or photos!
Remember, a driving license is not proof you can work in the UK!
Please contact us if you have any queries about proving your right to work in the UK. We're receiving an exceptionally high volume of messages at the moment but we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!
We look forward to seeing you at Download!
If there is anything you would like to ask or you would just like to chat with us about, the easiest way is to...
You can connect with us @hotboxevents on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
If you would like to chat with others who have joined us before head to our Facebook Group and Forum
On Facebook and in our Forum you will find new and returning staff and volunteers chatting about what it is like to join us at festivals, arranging to share lifts, asking and answering questions about working at festivals and making new friends!
If you have not joined us at a festival before and are wondering what it is like, check out some of our staff and volunteer interviews!
In the interviews you will get to hear from those who have joined us talking about how they found their shifts, how they felt they were looked after by the Hotbox team, what it was like working solo for the first time, taking on more responsibility year on year, and even how the experience and confidence gained has helped with career progression away from festivals!
Another way to see what joining us is like is to check out some of our festival photos!
In our festival photo galleries, you will find thousands of photos covering our festival history over the past twenty years!
It's totally normal to be anxious before coming to a festival, particularly if you're coming solo! We get hundreds of messages every year from people wanting to join us but nervous about doing it, so we promise you're not alone! We're a very friendly bunch so if there's anything we can do to reduce your anxiety please get in touch! Try joining our Facebook Group to make friends with others before the festival - there are even a few WhatsApp groups that have been set up too!
If you have specific questions about joining us at festivals 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 working at festivals.
We usually send an email newsletter about once a month, if you would like to keep up to date you can subscribe!
If you would like to drop us an email it's info@hotboxevents.com
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
