Key Takeaways: Working at a festival can give you free entry, accommodation, and catering, while offering great experience and unforgettable memories.
- Site Managers: Oversee festival zones, manage staff, and keep everything running smoothly.
- Artist Liaison: Support performers backstage and ensure shows run to schedule.
- Site Security: Handle entry wristbands, crowd control, and site safety.
- Catering: Serve food to hungry festivalgoers, staff, and artists.
If you want free entry to a festival, free accommodation and complimentary catering, you have two options. You could join a band and try to get on the festival bill, but this requires quite a lot of hard work and dedication to your art. If you’re not musically inclined, the next best alternative is to get one of the many coveted jobs working behind the scenes at your favourite festival. Although it may be hard work at times, there will be plenty of down time to enjoy the bands and it’s a great way to meet new people and learn some new skills along the way. Here are some popular jobs at festivals that need to be filled every year…
Site Managers
This is a fairly high-level job that will require some knowledge of running events, including technical knowledge of how audio equipment works. Site managers will typically be responsible for a key area of the festival, such as a stage or entertainment area. Before the festival has even kicked off, you will have to build your team and ensure you have the right people to help you keep the event running smoothly. You will need to be cool in a crisis, be able to manage artists’ egos and also have endless stamina, as you’ll probably be working long hours on the day.
- Site Managers: Lead teams, manage zones, and ensure smooth running of events.
- Artist Liaison: Coordinate with performers and handle backstage logistics.
- Site Security: Manage access, distribute wristbands, and maintain order.
- Catering: Keep attendees, staff, and artists well fed throughout the event.
Artist Liaison
This is probably the most coveted of all entry level roles at a festival. As part of the artist liaison team, you will be responsible for ensuring the musicians and acts all have everything they need before and after the show. This will include arranging riders or hospitality, making sure they are able to get to the stage on time and generally being their main point of contact for the duration of the festival. Although you might have dreams of hanging out backstage with your favourite bands, the reality is that you’re far more likely to be running beer to their hospitality tent rather than sharing a beer with them. The biggest perk of this job is that you’ll often get to enjoy the show from the side of the stage.
Site Security
Security is an incredibly important element of every festival and there are many different jobs for security professionals. From giving people their festival wristbands at the entrance to ensuring that screaming fans don’t make it into the backstage area, it’s a varied role that will give you the freedom to roam anywhere on the site. Security workers generally work in shifts throughout the weekend, so you’ll still have a chance to catch your favourite bands in between shifts.
Catering
There are a lot of hungry mouths at festivals and someone has to feed them all. Catering is a fun and sociable festival job that most people can get into without much experience. You can either join an independent trader selling their food at the festival or you can join the central catering company, which will often be providing food for artists and staff. Like security, you’ll be working shifts, so you’ll still be able to enjoy the festival in between your commitments.
Equip Your Festival Team
From staff security to catering crews, wristbands keep access organised and secure. Ensure your festival runs smoothly with wristbands for every role.
