You’ll have heard stories of Glastonbury’s mythical ‘good old days’ when a bloke with a ladder would charge ticketless punters a fiver to smuggle them over the fence into the festival. Nowadays, that is emphatically not an option: the festival’s high-tech, rapid-response security team are not to be tangled with. Nevertheless, the dream of a cheap – or free – Glastonbury lives on.
Glastonbury has been named the largest green-field music and performing arts festival in the world. Despite its size, at least for 30 years of its 55-year history there have not been enough tickets for the scale of the demand. So, If you are one of the thousands that had the web page on refresh on the day of sale with no joy, then here are some ideas for how you can get into the festival, legitimately, for free or even as a paid worker.
Volunteer behind the bar
There are hundreds of bars on site and a large portion of them are managed by Avalon Bars and Events. If you like a bit of banter and thousands of people screaming at you to fill their cups with booze, then this could be for you. Keep an eye on this page for details.
Volunteer for a charity
Glastonbury has a long running relationship with Oxfam, Water Aid and Greenpeace. All three charities run volunteer programmes and account for thousands of festival workers, stewards and campaigners. Volunteers get their own campsite, with toilets, showers and a communal marquee plus meal tokens. The work is often in pairs or groups and many friendships have been formed and cemented in these shared volunteering experiences.
Water Aid volunteers, maintain the legendary Glastonbury toilets and also help people keep hydrated during the festival.
Oxfam workers do a lot of the stewarding work that might include checking tickets at the gate or patrolling the campsites.
Greenpeace volunteers may do campaigning or help run the Greenfield space in the Green Fields.
All three charities have a variety of roles, often allocated randomly, and some may be more appealing than others. Volunteers may also need to pay a deposit which is returned after the festival – assuming you have worked your shifts of course. Your exact shift pattern and details will depend on the role you’re offered; typically, volunteers work four shifts of six hours each, leaving a lot of time to watch bands and skip and play in the fields.
Oxfam registration is already open, so hurry, it’s first-come-first-served!
See here for details
Water Aid registration opens in early 2025, see here for details.
Greenpeace registration closes a year in advance, so set your sights on 2026 and keep a eye on the website.
Work in the car park
There are a lot of cars to park at Glastonbury and the festival employs a company to manage them and to help the unfortunates who may not be able to find their cars at the end of the festival. It happened to a friend, once. Ahem. It’s hard work, as car parking staff are expected to arrive the Sunday before the festival and stay until the after the festival finishes. You are also required to work a minimum of four 12-hour shifts. If you’d like to apply, keep your eye on the CTM website which publishes vacancies about six months in advance.
Work on a stall
If you are really determined, it is possible to find a trader who needs a helping hand. About 400 food stalls and the same number of other traders come to the festival every year, from those selling sequin jumpsuits, to herbal potions, clothes and wellies. Take a look at the list of traders and the food vendors from 2024. A large number, though not all return every year. This is a case of finding somewhere where your skills could fit, getting in touch to offer your services and hoping for the best.
Work for the festival
FInally, you can apply for a job with the festival, join the stewarding team or apply for a range of other volunteer jobs.
