Sunday, July 26, 2026
We're so excited to see you at Camp Bestival!
If you entered your shift preferences last week, your shift pattern has now been assigned!
You can view your shift pattern on the Overview page of your PAAM account.
If you've only just applied to join us or you haven't selected your shift preferences yet your shift pattern won't have been allocated yet. Please log in to your PAAM account to select your shift preferences and check back in a few days to see your shift pattern.
To choose your Camp Bestival shift preferences you need to:
If you're a paid steward and would like a few extra hours (and therefore extra wages!), we are looking for some gate stewards to work an extra hour at crossing points around the site until 01:00 on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening.
If you already have a shift on either Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening and would like to work an extra hour to finish your shift at 01:00 instead of 00:00, please pop us an email over to info@hotboxevents.com, noting the day/s you would be willing to work the extra hour.
Please take some time to check out the Training Portal in your PAAM account as there's lots of useful documents to familiarise yourself with before the festival. We are likely to be sent more briefing documents by the festival organisers in the days leading up to the festival so please keep an eye on the Training Portal area for new documents popping up!
Arrival information including which gate to enter the site via and the timings of the briefings can be found in the Camp Bestival Info Pack in the PAAM Portal.
Please note, it is a condition of the event license that vehicles travelling to and from the festival do not drive through the villages of Wool, Coombe Keynes and East Lulworth! When you get closer to the festival site, please follow the festival signage, not your satnav.
Please don't forget to bring documents to prove your right to work in the UK to the festival.
The options for this are:
We cannot accept photocopies or photographs! We are legally required to see the original documents in person at the festival. We have a safe in the Hotbox office where we can keep documents during the festival if you would prefer to not store them in your tent.
A driving license is not proof of your right to work in the UK.
Every year volunteers arrive with their driving license as proof of right to work in the UK and unfortunately need to be asked to head back home to collect other documents to prove their right to work in the UK. Please don't let this be you!
If you have any queries over right to work documents please contact us before the festival. If you do not have the correct documents for us to check at the festival site you will not be able to volunteer.
If you are bringing a caravan or motorhome please note the staff live-in vehicle area at Camp Bestival is on quite a steep incline, so we advise bringing some blocks or wedges to support your vehicle.
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, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube
If you would like to chat with others who have joined us before, head to our Facebook Group
Here 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 these 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 who are keen to join us but nervous about coming alone, so we promise you're not...alone! We're a very friendly bunch and if there's anything we can do to reduce your anxiety, please get in touch! You can also join our Facebook Group to make friends with others before the festival. Within this group you will also find links to some volunteer-led WhatsApp groups that have been set up!
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, as well as handy festival hits and tips.
We usually send out an email newsletter every month or so. If you would like to keep up to date with our news and festival happenings, please 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
