About Us

Leeds Festival Jobs and Volunteering

You can gain free entrance to this summer's Leeds Festival by joining our festival stewarding volunteers and festival event staff!

Our festival stewards, or CATs, work closely with Festival Republic and play a big part in creating a good atmosphere at the Leeds Festival - helping the festival goers to get the most out of their festival! By joining the Hotbox Events stewarding team as a festival volunteer or member of events staff you can help us to continue to achieve this!

How to apply online

You can apply to be a festival stewarding volunteer at the Leeds Festival online via Hotbox Events PAAM. The Hotbox Events festival application opens in early March each year. You can find the application guidelines via the PAAM login page.

The Hotbox Events PAAM festival stewarding application usually goes live in early March. If you don't already have a PAAM account please sign-up - we'll send you a message via PAAM when the festival stewarding applications go live each year.

We also let everyone know when the application goes live via Hotbox Events on Facebook, Twitter, the Hotbox Events News and Newsletter.

For more information about applying to work with us as a festival stewarding volunteer at the Leeds Festival please read the rest of this page and visit our Apply for Festival Jobs page.

Hotbox Events uses the PAAM Event Management System to recruit festival stewards, festival volunteers and event staff for the Leeds Festival.

Current recruitment levels

Leeds Festival staff and volunteer places remaining: 193
Leeds Festival staff and volunteer positions allocated: 624

Info about recruitment levels

The figures above are a live feed direct from the Hotbox Events PAAM volunteer application.

If the "places remaining" figure above is very small (0-25) and you're able to apply via PAAM but not pay your deposit; this means we have filled all of the positions at the festival and the small figure shown is due to cancellations.

We usually reopen a festival to accept deposits once or twice each season to fill the openings created by cancellations. If you'd like to be the first to know when we reopen please apply via PAAM and we'll send you an email as soon as you can login and pay your deposit.

Application deadlines

All festival stewarding volunteers and event staff need to pass a PNC check before working with Hotbox Events at Leeds Festival. This will be completed by the UK Police Force once your position has been confirmed. Your personal details need to be sent to the police no later than 2 days prior to your first day working at Leeds Festival. If you have not applied and paid a deposit at least 2 days before the first day of the festival you will not be able to work with us at the Leeds Festival.

To apply you will need to

Be 18 or over on the date of arrival.
Produce documents to prove your right to work and/or volunteer in the UK as detailed within the Borders and Immigration section.
Be available to arrive at the Leeds Festival site by 16:00 at the latest on Wednesday 21st August 2013 (ESSID). You're welcome to arrive from midday on Tuesday 20th.
Be available for a briefing at either 10:00 on Wednesday 21st or 10:00 on Thursday 22nd.
Be available to work 3 x 8 hour shifts at any time between 12:00 Wednesday 21st (or 17:00 Thursday if arriving for the later briefing) and 16:00 Monday 26th.
Wear a festival steward uniform whilst working.
Report in every two hours to your staff supervisor or immediately in the case of any problems.
Supply photographic ID on arrival.
Provide a refundable security deposit of £225.00 GBP.

Borders and Immigration - proving your right to work and volunteer in the UK

To work and volunteer at a festival or event with Hotbox Events you must have the right to work and volunteer in the UK. Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act of 2006 Hotbox Events is required by law to check your right to work and volunteer in the UK.

For further information please read the Borders and Immigration entry in the Hotbox Events FAQ.

Some info about festival steward volunteering shifts

Each festival volunteer works 3 x 8 hr shifts ONLY (24 hrs in total throughout the festival).
The first festival volunteer shift starts at 08:00 on the Wednesday before the festival weekend.
All festival volunteers are required to work one night shift.
The final festival volunteer shift finishes at 16:00 on the Monday after the festival weekend.
When off-shift all festival volunteers are free to enjoy the festival!
The festival volunteer shift times are: Early: 09:00 > 17:00, Late: 17:00 > 01:00, Night: 01:00 > 09:00.
You can apply to swap any shift you are allocated via your supervisor and we will try our best to accomodate your request.
We try to be as fair to everyone as possible when allocating shifts - all festival volunteers have at least one of the main event afternoons or evenings off.

The festival steward volunteer role can include

Assisting festival goers with directions.
Helping festival goers carry their belongings and pitch their tents.
Answering questions about performances and line-ups.
Reporting any problems e.g. a build-up of litter or faulty facilities.
Working with Fire Safety, Medical and Security teams.

All festival steward volunteers are provided with

A Crew Pass when you arrive at the festival.
An Info Pack prior to arrival at the festival - this pack thoroughly details the festival stewarding role and responsibilities and provides information about the festival and the festival site.
A festival stewarding Uniform - the long sleeved top you can keep to prove you worked at the festival!
Access to the crew café, toilets and showers!
A means of communicating with your supervisors.
A thorough on-site briefing.
Camping facilities in a secure crew area.
Time to enjoy the festival - you only work 3 x 8 hr shifts (24 hrs in total throughout the festival).

Following application

You need to send a deposit to secure your festival stewarding position(s). Your deposit needs to be paid after you have applied.

Paying a deposit does not guarantee your position at a festival; applications are assessed and positions allocated by a member of Hotbox Events staff after a deposit has been paid.

Positions are filled on a first-come first-served basis, following receipt of your deposit (the earlier you pay the more likely you are to get your first choice of shift pattern).

Generally, we only refuse applications for one of the following three reasons:

The applicant does not fulfil the criteria specified by the festival specific "about" pages on the Hotbox Events website - the sections titled "To apply you will need to".
If it is ascertained the applicant has previously been blacklisted by Hotbox Events or another festival staff or festival volunteer organisation.
The applicant fails a PNC check.

You only need to pay 1 deposit per year i.e. 1 deposit covers all festivals you would like to work at.

You can pay your deposit online via a major debit or credit card, or by posting a Cheque, Postal Order, Bankers Draft, by making a BACS transfer, or via PayPal.

You can find further details about paying your deposit within PAAM once you have setup an account.

Please read the Hotbox Events Terms and Conditions for further details about deposits.

The Hotbox Events Newsletter

If you haven't already please subscribe to the Hotbox Events Newsletter!

This way we can keep you updated - inform you when the festival stewarding applications go live each year, let you know when to expect your Info Pack and keep you updated with last minute festival changes.

We promise not to overwhelm your inbox - we generally send out no more than one newsletter per month.

Please check your email account regularly and check that your inbox isn't full - we receive HUNDREDS of notifications each month that email accounts are full!

Your email address will only be used for contacting you regarding working at events - under no circumstances will we sell, give away or otherwise divulge your personal information to anyone or anything.