What event crew get paid, by role
UK event and festival day work in 2026 runs roughly: general / festival crew £100–£150 a day · stewards £90–£120 · litter & recycling crew £90–£130 · bar staff £100–£140 (or £13–£16 an hour on hourly venue shifts) · catering & food-truck crew £100–£150 · bell-tent crew £100–£160 · marquee crew £120–£200 · stagehands £120–£180 · drivers £120–£180 · lighting & AV £130–£220 · crew chiefs £150–£250 · event safety officers £180–£300 · site & production managers £200–£350. These are direct rates, agreed worker-to-company, with no agency margin on top.
What hirers actually offered, on 83 real jobs
Everything above is the market range. This bit is different: it is our own data, taken from every job posted on CrewPool between June and September 2026 and every crew member who told us what they expect. No survey, no estimate, no scraped job ads. Updated 16 September 2026.
The single most common rate a hirer offered was £14 an hour. Fifty of the eighty-three jobs posted were priced at £14. The full spread of what companies actually put on the job:
- Bell tent build and breakdown — £13.50 to £14.20 an hour, or £195 a day on one Shropshire job
- Big top and heavy manual tent crew — £15 an hour, worked onsite (Sussex and Newport)
- Bar staff, London events build — £12.71–£15 an hour (ages 21+)
- Telehandler driver, Dorset — £230 a day, the highest single rate posted
- Marquee crew, 9x15m clear span, Bradford — £120 a day
- Stage and cue manager — £50 to £100 per shift
- Event producer — £50 per shift
- Sauna and wellness site build, Manchester — £12.71 an hour minimum (ages 21+), or £100 a day
And what crew ask for. Of 1,318 registered crew, 526 gave us a number. The most common answers were £150 a day (35 people), £120 a day (35), £100 a day (33) and £200 or more (24). On hourly, £13 to £14 an hour.
The most interesting answer was not a number at all. Two hundred and eighty-seven people — more than half of everyone who answered — put "whatever's fair". That is the honest state of this market: most crew are not trying to squeeze a rate, they are trying to work with companies that do not mess them about.
The two sides already agree. Hirers offer around £14 an hour, which on a full day is roughly £112 to £140. Crew who name a figure ask for £100 to £150 a day. The gap that agencies exist to arbitrage is, on this evidence, mostly not there.
Method: rates are as written by the hiring company on the job, and as written by crew on their own profile. Hourly figures are what the company offered before any overtime. We have not adjusted, averaged or smoothed anything.
Why the range exists
Within each role, the rate moves with experience, tickets (forklift, IPAF, first aid, personal licence), how far you'll travel, whether you can stay overnight, and how busy the weekend is. Glastonbury build week and a quiet midweek wedding pay differently for the same job. Confirmed references push you to the top of the rate band, because hirers ring the fullest profiles first.
Day rate vs hourly
Most festival and event build work is paid as a day rate. Bar and hospitality shifts at fixed venues are usually hourly - around £13–£16 an hour plus tips. Event bars often switch to a day rate for a full festival weekend. Always confirm whether a quote is per day or per hour before you commit.
Hiring? What it actually costs you
A traditional staffing agency adds 20–50% on top of the worker's rate. On CrewPool you agree the rate directly with the crew and we take no cut of their pay - unlocking a confirmed-available contact is free while we build this, then ring them. The same worker costs you less. See what it costs to hire event crew, or browse crew by city below.
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