How to find volunteers for your festival in 2024

Find volunteers through social media groups

Social Media platforms like Facebook are awash with groups that provide would-be volunteers to help out at festivals. 

Due to the sheer size of Facebook and, in turn, these groups, you’ll likely find people interested in helping you make your festival the best it possibly can be for your attendees. 

By using phrases like ‘Festival Volunteers’ and ‘Festival Volunteering’, you can quickly find groups to advertise in. Make a list of the groups you find and spend some time crafting posts asking for volunteers. 

Ensure you provide as much information as possible, relevant images and a contact form so people interested in volunteering can pass on their details. 

Leverage platforms like Instagram and TikTok

Clever social media marketing could also help you find volunteers. 

Like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have massive user bases. According to Statista, Instagram had around 34 million UK users in January 2024, while Ofcom data shows that 23.3 million people in the UK are using TikTok. 

The users on these platforms tend to skew younger, and while volunteers can be any age, young people who are spending the summer away from university might be looking at volunteering as a way to get experience in the industry. 

So, making the prospect of volunteering at your festival appealing through entertaining Instagram Reels and TikTok Videos could help you attract people who want to help. 

Strike up partnerships with companies to find volunteers

There are companies out there that can help you find festival volunteers. 

Websites like Hotbox Events, Festaff and My Cause UK provide services for people who want to volunteer at festivals. They work with some of the largest festivals in the UK, including Reading & Leeds, Download, Kendall Calling and more. 

So, why not try and strike up a partnership with one of these companies? They’ll be able to find volunteers for you through their databases, managing the process and providing a secure way for people to get involved. 

Use your own network

If you’re running a festival, you’ve likely built up a following through your newsletter. 

This could be a great way to find volunteers for your festival. After all, the people who signed up for your newsletter are interested in your event; that’s why they signed up. If they didn’t manage to get tickets, for example, volunteering could be an alternative. 

You could dedicate a newsletter to volunteering and the benefits, as well as send out one-off newsletters in between your main one in an attempt to drive interest in helping at your festival. 

Hold a volunteering drive 

A volunteering drive is a great way to meet and network with people potentially interested in volunteering at your festival.

It’s something that community organisations and DIY venues to broaden their networks, and the concept is pretty simple. It’s essentially a meet-up in a venue where people can chat and learn more. 

However, you might want to jazz the idea up a little bit. You could hold the volunteer drive, set up some stalls and play some music for an hour or so. 

Then, throw a club night so the people you’ve met on the day can have a fun evening and get to know each other.