As preparations continue to secure leading lights in the worlds of music, comedy, wellness, food and nature for ALSO24 Festival this summer, the heat is on to find Midlands volunteers willing to help bring the festival to life.
Now in its eleventh year, ALSO24 – on July 12-14th, brings together performers and musicians, best-selling authors, celebrated scientists and experts in a variety of fields to create a one-off ‘magical and immersive experience,’ in Compton Verney, Warwickshire.
Festival organisers are now looking for volunteers from across the Midlands who would like to take advantage of discounted or free tickets, in exchange for their time and graft in the weeks running up to the event.
Diccon Towns, the CEO of ALSO, said: “There is no doubt that ALSO wouldn’t be standing if it wasn’t for the phenomenal input from our volunteers. What sets us apart from other festivals is the myriad of ways they can engage with the event.
“If people want to get two-thirds off the ticket price and work a single shift across the weekend, they can do that. If others fancy joining a group of creative spirits on one of our spring build weekends, designing, building, sewing and painting, then come along. Some of our volunteers have been doing exactly this for years.
“The beauty of volunteering in an economic crisis is that it solves two problems: it gives access to the event for those with limited disposable income while limiting production costs to the organisers.”
Volunteer tasks include building and dismantling stages, signage, decoration, painting and building temporary structures.
There are many opportunities to help with the build. Build weekends are on the 27th & 28th April, 18th & 19th May, 1st & 2nd June, 22nd & 23rd June and the 6th & 7th July. The Build Week is the 8th – 11th July and volunteers are needed in the days after the festival to help with the take down.
Volunteers are, of course, needed over the course of the three-day festival as well. The volunteering options range from the opportunity to secure a free festival ticket in exchange for two days of a helper’s time, to a heavily reduced ticket price of £60 in return for one 6-hour shift during the festival.
Or for those who want to get more deeply involved in the delivery of ALSO, volunteers will get a completely free ticket if they are happy to do 3 shifts of four hours each over the weekend. This will most likely be one per day and people could be volunteering on a wide variety of roles from box office and stewarding to stage management, food programming, artist liaison and tech support.
Thirty-five-year-old Rob Doolan and several members of his family, including his brother Tim, 37, have volunteered since 2017 and this year’s festival is the ninth one Rob has helped with.
He said: “We just love volunteering at ALSO. It is set in 50 acres of Capability Brown-landscaped and lakeside gardens which are just beautiful. It is unlike any other festival – I find that I reconnect with myself and the world around me.
“I come up the weekend before ALSO with my 9-year-old dog, Milo and we do the building of various things. He loves running about the field and swimming in the lake and keeping the ALSO team relaxed during the run-up.
“The weekend before is awesome as you get to enjoy the site, build lots and spend quality time with friends and family. It’s great to see it progress from a verdant field to a festival and your hard work can make that happen.
“I like how it’s a volunteer-led organisation where amazing speakers like Jessica Winter, Adam Kay and Marcel Le Cont are enjoying the festival alongside you. The speakers are invested in the idea of ALSO so it feels like a community experience. That and getting down the Rum Shack or disco bunker and dancing the night away.”
The current line-up for this inspirational summer festival is extremely impressive with big names such as comedian Sara Pascoe, Indie folk band Stornoway, Brazilian-influenced soul and funk collective, The Fontanas, broadcaster and satirist Nels Abbey, TikTok sensation Marcel Lucont, best-selling writer and comedian Adam Kay; experimental musician Jessica Winter and best-selling children’s author Andy Stanton.
These are just a handful of the acts performing across the weekend…more information on the line up can be found at www.also-festival.com
Aside from performances, festival-goers can be at one with nature or join in with a huge programme of wellness activities such as laughter therapy, fitness workshops, a Zen Ten Spa, fire yoga, moon yoga or floating SUP yoga, wild swimming, paddleboarding, painting meditation, den building, rocket workshop and raft building.
Anyone interested in volunteering can register on the website or email volunteers@also-festival.com for more information.
About ALSO Festival
ALSO is the annual festival where ideas run wild. An immersive escape set in divine surroundings, ALSO-land features eccentric, playful, thought-provoking programming. It’s a place to get involved, reflect, be inspired and experience ideas through creating, experiencing and experimenting.
Perfect for friends and family alike, ALSO is the place for a transformative weekend filled with quality time, wining and dining in nature with the promise of experiencing something new.
ALSO appears like a magical mirage for one July weekend only in a site borrowed from nature, fauna, beasts, birds, mini-beasts and trees who call it home year-round before disappearing. Everything is built to be designed for the longtime – sustainability is our middle name.
Plus ALSO is an escape from retail, you don’t need to buy things but to experience things we offer only things to do and experiences to book, we love to work and support any businesses or founders or companies that have similar ethics.
