Stewarding at Hay Festival
Stewards are a vital part of Hay Festival. They greet all of our visitors warmly and enthusiastically, look after the safety of our audiences and support, guide and ensure that the festival runs smoothly throughout 11 very busy days.
To join the stewarding team you must be 18 years of age or over and be happy to contribute to the welcoming festival atmosphere. Hay Festival strives to be a welcoming, accessible and inclusive environment where all visitors, artists, volunteers, staff, contractors and anyone involved with our organisation can feel safe, where differences are accepted, engagement is apparent and the contributions of all are encouraged, valued and respected.
All festival staff, contractors and volunteers are asked to adhere to this code. If you’re confident in giving directions, making small talk with complete strangers and helping to manage large crowds of people, then this role will suit you!
Hay Festival may carry out criminal background (DBS) checks on any of our volunteers. Volunteers will be notified in advance should this be required. This process will be led by the festival areas each volunteer will be working in and the responsibilities they may have.
You will be joining over 200 volunteer stewards covering more than 500 events both on and off the festival site. We have stewards from many different countries and various walks of life, representing a wide variety of cultural interests and backgrounds. Some stewards have been coming to the festival for many years and travel very long distances to join us, meeting up with old friends each year and helping contribute to the festival atmosphere. We hope you will find the experience immensely rewarding, not only in your exposure to some of the finest festival events, but also in meeting and greeting our audiences and working with your fellow stewards.
We value our stewards tremendously and are hugely appreciative of everything they do. If you have never visited the festival before, we recommend attending as a visitor before joining the stewarding team; however, if you would like to take the plunge straight away, we will be very happy to welcome you to Hay.
Hours
We ask all stewards to commit to a minimum of EIGHT sessions if possible. A 'session' is either a morning, afternoon or evening.
Session times are as follows:
- Morning: 9.30am - 2.00pm
- Afternoon: 1.30pm - 6.30pm
- Evening: 6.00pm until end of day’s events (usually around 10.30-11.00pm)
You select the dates and sessions that you can steward on the application form.
Stewarding rotas do not take account of event preferences. If there is a particular event, or events, that you want to see, we recommend you buy a ticket and join the audience as we cannot promise that you will be able to steward them. However, it is very likely you will see events that you would never have thought to attend!
Inductions for new stewards
All new stewards are required to complete an on-site induction. You will be asked to choose a date and time for this, which is usually scheduled for your first day of volunteering. When you arrive at the festival, an experienced steward will deliver your induction, give you a guided tour of the festival site, and provide you with a handbook containing more detailed information about the role.
When new stewards first arrive at the festival, please head to the Stewards Admin tent on the west side of the site, near the Global Stage, to check in.
You will also be provided with an identity lanyard and given a hi-vis steward's jacket, both of which you must always wear when you are on duty. You will then be directed to one of the venues for further training, where you will shadow another steward until you feel comfortable with your role.
Duties
Stewards remain at the same venue for each session worked, unless directed to another venue by the Head Steward or Venue Head. Stewards check-in and report to the Venue Head for responsibilities specific to that venue when they arrive for duty and must inform the Venue Head before they leave.
Duties can include; checking tickets, managing queues, observing the audience during an event, picking up litter after events, offering a microphone to the audience during question and answer sessions (if you would like to), and assisting visitors who require help, directions or advice while they are on the festival site.
Stewards also need to be aware of any special arrangements made for people with disabilities or additional needs attending events along with any evacuation and emergency procedures and meeting places.
Changes can often be made to the printed programme and events can move to different venues across the site. A list of the day's changes will be found in the Stewards' Office and at all venues, but having a pen and printed programme handy to make any alterations can be very useful.
Dress Code
There is no set dress code. We would suggest that you aim for comfort, particularly footwear, as you may be on your feet for quite a while. We have had wet and windy festivals and gloriously hot and sunny ones, and sometimes a mixture of the two during the same year! All stewards will be given a branded hi-vis jacket to wear so that they are easily identifiable, padded hi-vis jackets are available if the weather turns cold.
Meals
For each full session you work, you will be entitled to a free meal from festival staff catering, where breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be available. Closer to the festival, we will contact you to ask which meals you would like to pre-book (breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner) on the days and for the sessions that you have selected to volunteer. You will then receive a QR code on your phone, which you use to access the catering facilities. Pre-booking helps us ensure the correct number of meals are provided and supports better management of catering costs and food waste.
Tea, coffee, water and biscuits are freely available in the stewards' area at each venue and you may like to bring your own drinks container and/or mug. There are also a number of excellent on-site food outlets if you prefer to eat at those (at your own expense) or you are very welcome to bring your own food with you if you prefer.
Car Parking
We are finalising car parking for 2026 and will confirm arrangements in April/May.
Accommodation
Accommodation can be scarce during the festival, so if you need somewhere to stay nearby, we recommend booking as early as possible. We have a very limited number of free camping spaces (without electrical hook-up points) available at Gypsy Castle Campsite, located close to the festival site. In the first instance these spaces are prioritised for volunteers stewarding for five days or more, but spaces will be released to those attending for a shorter period of time if available. If you would like to request a camping space, please contact stewards@hayfestival.com. Spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Other festival accommodation can be found on the Hay Festival website, or findmeabed.co.uk. Tangerine Fields are the official Hay Festival campsite provider.
Stewards' On-site Meeting
There will be a festival health and safety briefing and stewards meeting on the day before the festival starts on Weds 20 May. More information about this will be sent out in May. This is not a steward induction, it’s just an informal way of getting to see the new site layout and attendance at this briefing is not compulsory.
This year we may also hold an online meeting for new stewards and will be in touch with more information, but you will still also need to undertake a full induction when you first arrive on site.
What happens next?
Receiving the email acknowledgement of your application is confirmation that we have your details on our system and that you have been accepted as a steward for Hay Festival 2026.
Please do not be concerned if you do not hear from us for a while after this. We will be in touch in April/May with further information regarding:
- Crew Catering and Staff Car Parking
- Health and Safety and Safeguarding - you must read the policy documents we send before you arrive on site. It is an important part of everyone’s duties at the festival to ensure that these policies are followed. PLEASE NOTE, you will be asked to acknowledge receipt of the policies/documents and indicate that you have read them. If you could let us know if you have had a current DBS check (and are part of the Update scheme) that would be useful.
- Security – we will contact you with details about site security and how you can help keep the festival safe and secure.
- Any further meetings and training opportunities.
VERY IMPORTANT
- Please make a note of the days that you said you will be available to steward and your induction time (if applicable)
- We understand that plans can change, so if your available dates do change once you have completed the form please let us know straight away - stewards@hayfestival.com
- We would very much appreciate if you would write your full name in the subject of emails to us. If your email address shows your name clearly, that’s fine.
If you do have any further queries please email stewards@hayfestival.com - we are always available to answer your questions.
Thanks again for choosing to volunteer, we will be in touch in April/May and look forward to seeing you at the festival.