As a non-profit organisation, Blues at Bridgetown relies on the passion and commitment of hundreds of volunteers to make our festival successful – they are the foundation of our event. Volunteering is all about making a difference, and ‘the Blues’ is committed to involving volunteers across its operations – from event delivery to every-day business support. By volunteering with us, you’ll be making a difference to the organisation as well as the wider community.
Volunteers
WHAT YOU GET OUT OF VOLUNTEERING
Blues at Bridgetown offers, and welcomes involvement from volunteers who seek the same from their volunteering:
- A sense of pride, expression and achievement in making a valuable contribution to our community
- Share and contribute to the organisation’s mission, vision and values
- An opportunity to learn more about us and our community, the arts and tourism industries
- Being part of an internationally recognised event
- Social interaction with like-minded people
- Gaining skills and experiences for professional and personal development
- Simply having a great time!
In addition, we offer the following benefits based on the completion of 10 hours volunteer work or equivalent:
- Free access to the Festival’s ticketed events, including the wrap-up event on the Sunday night of the Festival weekend
- A Blues At Bridgetown t-shirt
- Volunteer BBQ after the Festival weekend
Blues at Bridgetown is also happy to provide you with a reference in return for you volunteering with us. If you would like a reference, simply ask us when you have successfully completed your volunteering work.
SELECTING THE RIGHT VOLUNTEER
Our aim is to find a place in our organisation for every enthusiastic volunteer.
At Blues at Bridgetown, we want to make sure we have the right people, with the right skills volunteering in the right roles at our event. Some event day roles require experience or qualifications such as a First Aid, Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) Certificate or Police Clearance.
When we receive your application, we take a look to see what roles are available and try to match your experience against our requirements. We take into account your preferences for shifts, working with friends or family as well as the experience you have and the experience you would like to gain. If we are unable to meet your preferences, or think another role would a better match, we will contact you to discuss and suggest alternatives.
WHAT’S AVAILABLE
There are many different types of roles available on the Festival weekend, in the lead up to and after the weekend, as well as all year around – your assistance is always welcome. Here are some of the different areas you could help out in, and you can always contact us to let us know you are interested and have a chat where you could volunteer.
OPERATIONS
Operations provide and coordinate all the support services that are common to all our sites, which includes liaising with external agencies such as Police, Fire and Ambulance. They move equipment around, play a big part role in assembly and disassembly of sites either side of the Festival weekend, and during event time respond to assist with resolving issues.
The functions that come under Operations include logistics, communications, electrical and plumbing services, cleansing and waste, security, medical, transport, vehicles and traffic. Our Operations team members are resourceful, great at coordinating multiple things and quick to think of clever solutions.
VENUES
A Venues team is dedicated to each one of our sites. The size and make up each team depends on the size of the site and it’s type of operation. We have four venues – three ticketed venues (Blue Owl’s Nest, Geegelup and the Festival Club) and Saturday’s Street Party. The venue team collectively make their venue run like a well-oiled machine – everything happening in coordination to deliver a great experience for our guests.
The venue team is made up of people managing the site, vendors and security, stage managers working with the artists and technical crew as well as our very own announcers/MCs.
The members of our venue teams are dedicated to making sure our event space is always welcoming, safe, fun and great place to be. They are organised, have an eye for detail and enjoy interacting with different types of people.
BAR OPERATIONS
The Bar Operations team manage all aspects of alcohol service. They offer great service to our customers, manage the stock, keep the bar presentable and of course serve alcohol responsibly.
As the majority of positions in this team serve customers, you will need to hold a current RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) Certificate. There are a few positions in this team that assist back-of-house topping up supplies and stock and so don’t require an RSA.
Our bar team members are friendly, quick with a smile, enjoy interacting with people, efficient and speedy.
SALES & TICKETING
This team works our outlets over the festival weekend selling tickets, artist CDs, raffles, merchandise and drink tokens as well as exchanging wristbands for pre-purchased tickets. They also help out our guests with information.
Everyone one of our festival guests will meet someone from this team over the weekend, and in most cases will it will be the first Blues at Bridgetown person they interact with. This team welcomes them to our event as well as the town, leaving our guests with a great first and lasting impression. They are cheerful, adaptable, good listeners and confident handling money.
ADMINISTRATION
The administration team is the one that keeps the organisation running day-in, day-out, every day of the year. They coordinate all the office activities – everything from managing correspondence and applications of all kinds, accounts, filing, answering queries … you know, all those office type things!
There is always something to do in the office and help during the year is always welcome. The Admin team are resourceful, organised, understand the importance of confidentiality, great at multi-tasking and most of all, enjoy a laugh!
SIGN UP
Thanks for taking the time to consider volunteering with us. You can download the Volunteer Expression of Interest Kit right here. It has a guide with a form for you to fill in and send through to us. Of course, let us know if we can help in anyway.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long do I have to volunteer for during the event?
You are required to do a minimum of 10 hours or equivalent in order for you to receive all the benefits. Most positions require you to attend a training session prior to the event which is in addition to the minimum requirement of 10 hours. Many volunteers exceed the minimum 10 hours which is very much appreciated.
Is there any pre-festival or post-festival volunteer work?
Yes. Some positions are available both pre & post-festival. Roles include the bump-in and bump-out of event sites as well as general office assistance such as collating information for volunteers, artists etc. There are many opportunities to help out outside the Festival weekend.
Can I request shifts so I can work with my friends?
Yes. We may not always be able to meet your requests though – it is not always possible to accommodate everyone’s requests, as the Festival needs to have role coverage for all three days, as well as the days before and after the weekend.
Must I attend volunteer pre–festival training?
Yes, in some form. Coordinators and Team Leaders are for the most part locals, as (being local) they are able to attend meetings that cover compulsory topics such as Occupational Health and Safety and Responsible Service of Alcohol in-depth, as well as more comprehensive training specific to their level of responsibility. Other volunteer roles only require a more succinct session that is offered several times in the days leading up to the weekend, or for some roles just prior to your first shift.
In short, every volunteer is required to complete some training and/or briefing that is tailored to your role and level of responsibility.
Is there accommodation provided for volunteers?
No. All volunteers are required to organise their own accommodation for the weekend. Details for accommodation for the weekend can be found on this website.
Is there parking available for the volunteers?
No. There is no dedicated parking for volunteers. There is parking available and closer to the festival this information will be added to the website. You will need to be prepared and leave early to ensure you are not late for your shift.
Can I get discounted tickets for my friends & family?
No. There are no discounted tickets available to friends and family of volunteers. Of course, your friends and family could volunteer too!
How many volunteers are required?
Approximately 150 volunteers are required across the weekend to deliver a successful Festival.
What if I am unable to make a shift?
You will need to contact your Team Leader as soon as possible if you are going to be late, are ill or unable to make your shift. You will be given this number prior to the Festival. If you have already received your volunteer pack or any equipment associated with your role, you will need to return these back to the Blues Office.
Is there any paid work available at the Festival?
No. There are no paid positions available. All Blues at Bridgetown personnel are volunteers.
MORE INFORMATION
If there is anything else you would like to know, our Volunteer Coordinator would love to hear from you. Our contact details are on our Contact Us page of this website – you can call us, drop into the office or send us a message via the contact form.