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Festival jobs

Festival jobs across the UK

Paid event and festival work, agreed direct with the company. Add your name once; when crew's needed near you, your phone rings.

£100–£300+ a day
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Festival crew at work

Find festival work near you

CrewPool is a free, UK-wide list of event and festival crew. Companies search it and ring people direct. Pick your city:

LondonManchesterLeedsBristolBirminghamBrightonGlasgowEdinburghLiverpoolSheffieldNottinghamYorkCardiffNewcastleBournemouthBelfast

Festival staffing and event crew hire

Festival staffing on CrewPool works differently from a staffing agency. Hirers get direct access to the full crew list - no account manager, no percentage markup, no agency sitting on the wage. You browse free. When you find the right person, contact unlocks are free while we build CrewPool, and you ring them yourself. Festival staffing rates go straight to the crew member, which means the same quality of worker costs you less than going through a staffing company. Festival staffing through CrewPool is used by production companies, venue operators and independent event organisers across the UK.

Event crew hire for build, on-event and strike covers the three main phases of any festival. Build crew work the 3-7 days before gates open: erecting stages, rigging lighting, installing fencing, setting up bar structures and campsite infrastructure. Day rates for build event crew hire run from £100-160 a day for general labour, rising to £140-180 for specialist roles. On-event event crew hire covers the duration of the festival: bar staff, stewards, catering crew, AV crew and site managers at £120-180 a day for most roles. Strike runs 1-2 days after close. Event crew hire for all three phases is on the same CrewPool list, so one search covers the whole event.

See the full event crew hire guide for role-by-role day rates, how to post a requirement, and how the contact process works.

Festival jobs in the UK

Festival jobs in the UK cover a wide range of roles. Build crew erect stages, tents, fencing, lighting rigs and campsite infrastructure before the public arrive. Bar staff, stewards and catering crew run the event itself. Lighting and AV technicians handle the technical side. The bulk of festival jobs run from April to October, with build and break work bookending every event. Pay runs from £100 to £300+ a day, agreed direct with the company hiring you, with no agency cut taken off the top.

Companies search CrewPool and contact crew direct. Registered workers get called for festival jobs that match their location and skills, without having to apply to job boards or go through an agency. There are currently over 850 crew registered across the UK. Specific festivals with dedicated crew pages include Rebellion Festival in Blackpool (world's biggest punk festival, 15,000 capacity, 9 indoor stages at the Winter Gardens, August) and hundreds more listed from each city hub above.

Festival work

Festival work splits into two phases. The build - setting up structures, stages, bars, lighting rigs and campsites before the public arrive - typically pays £120-200 a day for general build crew. On-event work, running bars, stewarding or working catering and AV, runs for the duration of the event and pays £100-140 a day for most roles, with crew chiefs earning £150-280 a day. Registering on CrewPool covers both phases, so companies can reach you for whichever work fits your skills and availability.

Browse by role

Festival crewBar staffMarquee crewBell tent crewEvent stewardsLitter & recycling crewStagehandsLighting & AV crewCatering & food truck crewEvent driversSite & campsite crewCrew chiefsSite & production managersEvent safety & H&S officersExhibition crewChristmas light installersChristmas market staff

Bar & venue work, all year round

Same list, same crew between events. Casual and weekend bar work across the UK - bars, pubs, clubs and event bars, £13–£16 an hour plus tips. Pick your city:

LondonManchesterLeedsSheffieldLiverpoolNewcastleBirminghamNottinghamLeicesterBristolBrightonCoventryHullYork

New to event crew work? Start here

How to work at festivalsWhat does festival build crew do?How much do festival crew get paid?Event crew day rates 2026Getting festival work with no experienceHow to become a festival steward

Hiring crew for festivals?

If you landed here looking to hire crew for festivals rather than find work: CrewPool is the direct route to festival staffing without agency markup. Post what you need free - build crew for the 2-4 weeks before gates open, bar crew and stewarding crew on gates during the event, catering crew, drivers, specialist crew - and we text the people near your site who are confirmed available for your dates. You contact them direct, agree pay direct, no agency takes a cut. Festival staffing through CrewPool means the same crew costs less because there is no middleman on the wage. Festival staffing and event crew hire the direct way - no agency markup. See how it works: Event crew hire, direct →

Find a catering crew chief

Catering crew chiefs are the people who run food and drink operations on site - supervising the catering build (setting up kitchen equipment, bar units and service counters), managing stock take and par levels, running crew briefings before each service period, and keeping hygiene compliance in order throughout the event. Catering crew chiefs typically work at Glastonbury-scale festivals and WOMAD-type events with large catering villages running 20+ traders, and at arena shows and stadium events with multiple hospitality suites. To find a catering crew chief through a staffing agency used to cost a 20-30% margin on top of the day rate. On CrewPool, catering crew chiefs are self-registered with their experience and references verified - search by your site postcode, filter for crew chief and catering experience, and contact them direct at no agency markup. Day rates run from £150 to £200 a day for smaller operations and up to £280+ for large catering villages and multi-stage events. Find a catering crew chief →

Common questions

How much do festival jobs pay?
Most day work pays £100–£300+; specialist and crew-chief roles reach £300+. Agreed direct, no agency cut, you keep all of it.
Do I need experience?
No - tick what you've done and what you'd be happy to try. Loads of festival work takes willing hands, not CVs.
What does it cost to join?
Nothing. Free forever, no registration fee, no deposit.
What festival jobs are there in the UK?
Festival jobs in the UK cover build crew (erecting stages, tents, structures and fencing), bar staff, event stewards, catering crew, lighting and AV technicians, site crew, litter pickers, crew chiefs and production managers. The main circuits are outdoor music festivals from April to October, plus the winter circuit covering Halloween events, Christmas light trails and Christmas markets from September to January.
What is festival work?
Festival work splits into two main phases: the build and break (setting up and dismantling stages, structures, bars and campsites) and on-event (running bars, stewarding, working catering or AV during the festival itself). Build and break crew are often needed for a week either side of the event. On-event work runs for the duration. Both phases pay day rates agreed direct with the company - no agency takes a cut.
How do festival jobs work?
Production contractors and event companies search the CrewPool list for available crew near their site. When they find someone who fits, they ring you directly to offer the festival job - you agree the day rate and dates, turn up and get paid direct. No job application, no interview, no agency cut. Festival jobs are mostly short-term: a day, a weekend, a week-long build, or a full festival from build to strike.
What are the best festival jobs for beginners?
General site crew, litter pickers and build crew are the most beginner-friendly festival jobs - physical fitness required, no tickets needed. Bar staff (willingness to learn; personal licence a bonus) and event stewards (attitude over CV) are also common entry points. These are the most common roles on CrewPool and the ones production companies are most willing to fill with willing newcomers.
How do I find a catering crew chief for my festival?
To find a catering crew chief for your festival, search the CrewPool list by your site postcode and filter for catering and crew chief experience. CrewPool is free to browse, and contact unlocks are free while we build it. Ring the crew member directly. Day rates run from £150-200 a day for smaller operations and up to £280+ for large catering villages. Check their experience statement - what events they have run previously - and that references are confirmed by a named company. Find a catering crew chief →
What is festival staffing and how does it work?
Festival staffing covers finding, hiring and managing crew for all phases of a festival or outdoor event. On CrewPool, festival staffing works on a direct-hire model: companies browse the crew list and unlock a crew member's number free while we build CrewPool, then agree rates direct with no agency taking a cut. Festival staffing roles include build crew, bar staff, event stewards, catering crew, riggers and site drivers. The three phases are build (3-7 days before gates open), on-event (the festival duration), and strike (1-2 days post-close). Festival staffing through CrewPool costs less than agency because there is no percentage markup on wages.

Seasonal event work

Festival season runs April to October. The autumn and winter circuit keeps event crew busy through December and beyond: Halloween jobs (scare events, light trails, pumpkin patches - September to November), Christmas temp jobs (grottos, light trails, corporate party crew, winter wonderlands - October to January) and the Christmas market circuit (Broadmead, city centres - November to December). Add your name once and get rung for all of it.