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Boomtown FAQs
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Volunteering for Tonic at Boomtown
Please note that, as with all festival volunteering, it is standard practice for the volunteer to pay a refundable deposit that will be returned (minus a non-refundable £20 admin fee) within 3 weeks after the festival, assuming you have completed all of your shifts satisfactorily and returned all tabards/radios.
QUICK LINKS
Signing up
Travel
On-site and camping
Arrival information
Data privacy
Any other questions?
Overview
Dates: 8th-14th August 2023
Deposit for new volunteers: £200 (£180 refunded minus £20 admin fee)
Deposit for returning volunteers: £70 (£50 refunded minus £20 admin fee)
Please note: A deposit is required by Wednesday 26th July (midnight) to guarantee your place at Boomtown.
Camping: Crew camping available
Catering: One meal token per shift
Available roles: Confiscation Team / Campsite Hub Stewards
Volunteer arrival date: Tuesday 8th August before 17:00
Volunteer departure date: Monday 14th August 2023 after 16:00 (depending on last shift)
How does it help Tonic?
As a supplier to Boomtown festival, Tonic receives a donation, which means you are also making a direct impact in helping Tonic support people experiencing mental health issues with a range of support, including mental health and suicide prevention training, peer support groups, music workshops, psychoeducational workshops, resources, counselling and advice.
What do I get?
Become a Tonic Boomtown volunteer and discover a community of like-minded people who want to give something back. You’ll receive secure crew camping, a meal voucher for every shift, hot showers, toilets, hot water, free tea and coffee, phone charging, a comfortable communal seating area, supportive volunteer managers, friendly camp environment for individual volunteers and groups, and of course a free ticket to Boomtown: Chapter 2: The Twin Trail.
How old do I need to be?
You must be 18 years old on the day you arrive on site. We value experience and encourage support from mature volunteers too.
Do I have the right to volunteer?
Certain visa restrictions apply. If you are from the European Union, you are free to volunteer in the UK. For those from outside the EU, you will need to check that your visa allows you to volunteer. We may be in touch for proof of your visa. We are unable to support volunteer visas.
Do you cater for medical and accessibility requirements?
Tonic festival volunteering opportunities are open to everyone. We aim to create an environment that realises, challenges and utilises everyone’s skills. Please let us know if you have additional needs and we will do our best to support you.
Can I bring children with me?
No.
Signing up
Why do I need to pay a deposit?
As with all festival volunteering, it is standard practice for the volunteer to pay a refundable deposit (£200, or £70 for returning volunteers). This is less than the price of a Boomtown festival ticket and is a bond to ensure that volunteers attend and complete their required responsibilities on site.
Is my deposit refundable?
Your deposit (minus a £20 admin fee) will be refunded back to you. You will be contacted after Boomtown with on how you would like your deposit paid back. Your deposit should be returned to you within 3 weeks after Boomtown ends. No refunds will be given before the end of Boomtown.
The return of your deposit relies on you having attended all your shifts satisfactorily. This includes being on time and returning your tabard / radio when you have finished your last shift.
Why do I have to complete an application form?
You must complete this information to be granted safe access onto the site. These details include information such as emergency contact and previous experience. Please read the privacy policy for further information on data collection and consent.
Can I cancel my place?
We hope that you will not need to cancel your place, but if you do you may do so within the ‘cooling off’ period of 7 days at no charge. If you do cancel your place the below admin fees will apply.
Cancelling within 7 days of applying: No admin fee
Cancelling a place after the 7 days period: £20 admin fee.
Last cancellation time is midnight 20th July, after this the whole deposit becomes non-refundable.
Additional charges may include:
Losing your tabard: £50
Losing your radio: £50
Leaving a mess in the campsite: £50
The easiest way to cancel your place is to email us with ‘CANCEL’ as the subject heading to: boomtown@tonicmusic.co.uk with your details and the reason. You will get a reply within 3 working days confirming that your cancellation has been processed.
Cancelling your place due to unavoidable circumstances
If you can’t make it to Boomtown at the last minute due to illness, or some other unavoidable reason, please ensure that you call us to let us know as soon as possible. You will need to provide documentary evidence such as a doctor’s note. If we do not hear from you, you may be at risk of losing your whole deposit.
The quickest and most reliable way to get evidence to us is to scan the relevant document(s) and email it to: boomtown@tonicmusic.co.uk
Once we receive your documentation, we will return your deposit minus the £20 admin fee after Boomtown has finished.
How long are the shifts?
You will need to work a total of 24 hours over the festival period. Due to the nature of festivals, please be prepared to be flexible due to any last minute changes. There may be the opportunity to swap shifts on site if they clash with your favourite band. Once you have completed your shifts, you are free to enjoy the festival and leave whenever you wish. Do ensure that you have returned your tabard/radio before doing so.
Can I steward the same shifts as my friends?
Yes, you can add up to 5 friends to be shift partners on the application. We will always try our best to ensure you are always on shift at the same times as your shift partners. However, we cannot guarantee your duties will be based in the same location.
Please arrange your shift partner group before you apply, making sure you have all your shift partners' names and dates of birth ready for when you complete the application.
If you would like to add shift partners after you have applied, please email boomtown@tonicmusic.co.uk with the details and before the cut-off date.
Travel
Do you provide transport?
No. You will need to arrange your own travel to the festival. You will need to tell us in the application form how you intend to arrive, as Boomtown will require you to be sent a car or campervan pass.
Need a lift?
We encourage you to car share with other volunteers in your area.
Can I bring a live-in vehicle?
Live-in vehicles are strictly limited. To be permitted into the crew field, your vehicle must meet the criteria set by the festival as acceptable.
This means 'it must have purpose-built sleeping facilities, and either fitted cooking or washing facilities. Any converted vehicles must clearly be live-in vehicles'.
Vehicles that don’t meet these criteria (such as a van or 4x4 with a mattress in the back) will have to remain in the car park, even if they have previously been let in.
Once you have been sited, your vehicle must remain static for the duration. If you leave the campsite, your vehicle will not be permitted back in.
Boomtown allocate each live-in vehicle a pitch 5m wide and 7m deep.
Everything you bring (patio furniture, picket fences, awnings) needs to fit within your pitch. In line with site fire regulations, regular tents absolutely must not be erected in your van pitch.
If you wish to pitch up next to a friend’s van, please try to coordinate your arrival time with them, so we can fill the space in an orderly fashion. Feel free to pool your pitches with your neighbours to make the best use of the allocated space.
On-site and camping
Do I need to bring my own tent?
You will need to provide your own camping equipment such as a tent, airbed and sleeping bag.
Do make sure you have clothes suitable for both extremes of weather. We recommend always bringing a raincoat, wellington boots and a warm jumper, as well as a sunhat and sunscreen.
Importantly, be prepared for the best and worst weather during the same shift. And bring spare socks!
Bring some good footwear. You need good solid shoes, boots or wellies to wear on shift, as flip flops, open toed shoes and high heels are prohibited. Remember, if you're on a shift that starts later in the day, it will be very cold when the shift finishes.
Please check the individual festival's website for detailed information regarding restricted items, fires and BBQ’s. The use of gazebos is permitted, but due to the limited space we have in our campsite, please be prepared to take it down if necessary.
ALL FESTIVALS ENFORCE A NO DRUGS POLICY and anyone caught with illegal or banned substances will be dealt with in line with our terms of reference and drugs policy.
Please note that you are not permitted to camp outside of the Crew / Tonic campsite.
Do you provide food?
You will be given one meal ticket per shift you work, i.e. three or four meal tickets. These will be redeemable at a specific caterer, generally crew catering provided by the festival.
Do you provide on-site briefings?
On-site briefing sessions ensure you are correctly briefed about the festival and your role on site - they are not a training session. The briefing will cover important details you will need to know about the festival, such as ticketing systems, lost child procedures and catering arrangements.
It is essential for all stewards to attend an on-site briefing prior to starting your shifts. If you have been allocated a supervisory role, you will need to attend two briefings - one for stewards, and one that is relevant to your supervisory role. If you are allocated a shift-leading role you will need to attend both separate briefings.
What happens if I breach the terms that I have signed up to?
We hope you have an enjoyable and safe time at Boomtown Festival. We want you to have fun and fully embrace all that the festival has to offer. However, we do ask that you enjoy yourself responsibly to ensure the safety of you, your fellow volunteers, and the public and staff while on site.
Any breach, such as absconding, not turning up to a shift, or unruly behaviour, will not be tolerated and will mean that you will be evicted from site, thus forfeiting your deposit.
Remember the friendly volunteer management team are based in the Tonic volunteer hub and are your first point of contact if you are unable to make a shift for whatever reason.
Boomtown is a cashfree site
This means that cash and cards will not be accepted anywhere within the festival. Instead, you will be able to pay for everything including food, drinks, market stall purchases, fairground rides and charity donations, using your Boomtown wristband which has the RFID technology built into it. You will need to create a Boomtown 2023 - Cashfree Account. Once you’ve set up your account online, you can top up ahead of time or at the festival via ‘totem poles’ or at the TONIC Camp.
To create your account please visit the Cashfree page on the Official Boomtown site:
Arrival information
How do I get into the festival?
When you arrive you need to follow the signs to the Volunteer Accreditation Gate where you will check in to receive your wristband and be shown where the volunteer hub and your campsite is.
Once you have pitched your tent, make your way to the Volunteer Hub to collect your shift times and locations, tabard, site maps, meal tokens, etc.
On-site briefing locations will also be confirmed at this time.
What is an on-site briefing?
This is where you will be given all the information you need about the festival and your role, and covers specific aspects of your role such as confiscations and campsite hub roles, locations of welfare and medical, how to use radios, etc.
It’s essential for all volunteers to attend an on-site briefing prior to starting your shift. If you have been allocated a supervisory or shift-leading role you will need to attend an extra briefing.
When can I leave?
As soon as you have completed your final shift and handed back your tabard/radio.
Any other questions?
If you have any other questions, please check the Boomtown Official FAQs, or contact us at: boomtown@tonicmusic.co.uk
Big thanks
Team Tonic X
Please note – the information contained on this page is subject to change.