2025 festivals
Dates indicated are the dates most volunteers will need to be onsite; Glastonbury and Green Man also have some roles with a different shift pattern. All events are subject to change and/or cancellation.
What festival volunteers do
Our volunteers help make sure festivals stay clean, safe and enjoyable for everyone – all whilst raising awareness of the life-changing power of clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
Sanitation volunteers
Most of our volunteers are part of our sanitation teams. You could be:
- keeping toilets across site clean and tidy as part of our legendary Loo Crew;
- looking after the Good Loos, our very own composting toilets;
- taking care of women's urinals.
Hygiene volunteers
Hygiene volunteers help events stay safe by making sure key touch points like taps, sinks, refill stations and showers are sparkling clean and a joy to use.
You'll help keep the water flowing by checking taps are working as they should be, reporting any issues and signposting festivalgoers to their nearest water point.
Water volunteers
Volunteers on our water bars and kiosks help keep festivalgoers happy and hydrated, by:
- refilling water bottles,
- selling bottles and other merchandise,
- distributing pre-ordered bottles,
- cleaning taps and refill points.
When you apply, we ask which roles you're happy to carry out, and to highlight any skills and experience that will help us allocate the most suitable role to you.
Most of our roles do involve cleaning of some kind – and at Glastonbury, over half the positions include cleaning toilets. If you’re new to volunteering with us and are offered a place at Glastonbury, it’s most likely you’ll be allocated a role on our Loo Crew.
What it's like to volunteer at festivals with WaterAid
There's no denying it: festival volunteering is about rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck in! Most of our roles involve covering large distances, carrying equipment, and cleaning.
But it's also a wonderful opportunity to come together with a welcoming group of people, all passionate about WaterAid’s mission of making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene a normal part of daily life – for everyone, everywhere.
And of course, when you’re not on shift, you’re free to enjoy the rest of the festival!
Find out more about:
At multi-day festivals, you'll need to camp within the dedicated WaterAid area of the crew-only campsite. Facilities include toilets, showers, and a volunteer marquee with tea, coffee, and biscuits. If you have friends or family camping elsewhere at a festival, they won't be able to join you in the crew area, and you'll still need to camp with WaterAid for insurance and health and safety reasons.
You'll need to bring your own camping equipment, and unfortunately we don't have space to accommodate live-in vehicles, apart from at Camp Bestival.
We're not usually able to provide accommodation at single-day events.
We provide one meal per shift worked, either as vouchers to use at the event's crew catering, or as an expense allowance to buy food from on-site traders. Each festival has slightly different arrangements, which we confirm with you beforehand.
Inclusion and accessibility
We value diversity and are committed to making volunteering with us accessible to as many people as possible. Read our inclusion and accessibility information to learn more about what our roles entail, and how we can support you.
How to apply
Applications to join us this year are now closed.
Register your interest in volunteering, and join our Festival Volunteering Facebook group, to be the first to hear when we open applications for 2026.
Application guidance
Each year, we're fortunate to receive around 3,000 applications for approximately 700 volunteer places. To give yourself the best chance of being selected, please provide as much detail as possible in your application.
How we'll assess your application
We assess all applications using these factors:
Supporters who have demonstrated a strong commitment to festival volunteering with us are reviewed first.
This priority status applies to those who completed two festivals with us in 2024, or volunteered at five festivals with us over the past seven years.
We value applicants who show a clear dedication to WaterAid’s mission. Your support of our work might include:
- volunteering (e.g. as a Speaker, or at fundraising events),
- fundraising (e.g. by taking on a sponsored challenge, or organising your own fundraising),
- campaigning,
- being part of a group or company that supports WaterAid.
We look for relevant skills and experience that align with our roles, such as:
- experience at festivals or events,
- customer service expertise,
- practical skills like cleaning and managing facilities.
A positive attitude is essential. We're looking for individuals who:
- work well as part of a team,
- can represent WaterAid professionally to the public.
Volunteering at festivals requires physical stamina and adaptability. Applicants should be able to:
- undertake physical tasks in an outdoor environment,
- sleep in a tent and adapt to changing weather conditions,
- carry out their role at varied times of the day, including early mornings and late nights.
We welcome applications from disabled people: see our access information for more details on the adjustments and support available.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please first check out our festival volunteering FAQs. If you can't find the answer there, get in touch with us:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 7793 5050
You can also join the WaterAid Festival Volunteering Facebook group to connect with fellow volunteers, and keep up to date with all the latest volunteering opportunities.
