How many volunteers do I need for my festival?

That depends on your size, your programme and how much you outsource. Work from the bottom up: for each zone (box office, hospitality, safety, build-up) decide how many people you need at peak moments, add up the shifts and count on some drop-out. Better to plan a small reserve than to have gaps on the day itself.

When should I start recruiting volunteers?

Start three to six months before your festival. That gives you time to bring in sign-ups, screen people, match them to the right task and build a roster without time pressure. Approach your existing volunteers first, because they are the quickest to sign up.

Do I have to pay volunteers?

No, volunteer work is unpaid. You may give an untaxed volunteer allowance as long as you stay under the maximums. For 2026 that is indicatively a maximum of 5.75 euros per hour (aged 21 and over), 220 euros per month and 2,200 euros per year. If you go over, it can become taxable. That is why many festivals opt for a ticket, food and drink instead of cash. Check the amounts with the Belastingdienst (the Dutch Tax Administration).

Are my volunteers insured during the festival?

Often partly, through the collective volunteer insurance that many local authorities have taken out via the VNG (the Association of Netherlands Municipalities). That covers things like liability and accidents, but usually as a top-up to an existing policy. Check with your local authority whether your volunteers are covered and whether you also need an event or liability insurance. This is indicative, so check it case by case.

How do I make a good volunteer roster?

Split your festival into zones, decide the staffing at peak and quiet moments for each zone, and build shifts with a start and end time around that. Provide breaks, a clean handover between shifts and a small reserve for drop-out. A roster that runs live and where volunteers check in on arrival gives you an overview on the day of who is there and who is missing.

How do I make sure volunteers come back next year?

Retention starts with the first impression: a warm welcome, a clear briefing and good care. Afterwards, keep track of who took part and how it went, ask for feedback, thank people personally and stay in touch in between. Give returning volunteers priority for the best shifts. That is how you build a core group that knows your festival.

What do I put in a volunteer sign-up form?

Keep it short: name, age and contact details, availability per day and part of the day, preference for a zone or task, and relevant experience or certificates such as first aid. Also ask about dietary requirements and shirt size for catering and clothing. Send a confirmation after every sign-up, so people know they are taking part.

Volunteers for your festival: recruiting, scheduling, retaining

Q: From what age may volunteers help out and serve alcohol?

Helping out is allowed young in many places, but separate rules apply to alcohol. Under the Dutch Alcohol Act, volunteers may serve alcohol from age 16, and anyone under 16 may not work in the area where alcohol is served. Volunteers behind the bar must have completed a Responsible Alcohol Service instruction (the Dutch IVA). Selling to people under 18 is never allowed.

Why volunteers are the engine of your festival

Most festivals would not exist without volunteers. Scanning tickets, pouring beer, putting up fencing, keeping the site clean and pointing visitors in the right direction: it is work that is almost impossible to make add up on paid rates, but that still has to happen. Volunteers make your programme possible and at the same time shape how welcoming your festival feels, because they are often the first face a visitor sees.

That does not make volunteers free labour, but people who give you their spare time. Anyone who takes that seriously reaps the rewards. A festival that recruits its volunteers well, deploys them clearly and looks after them properly builds up a core group that returns every year and already knows the site. That saves you a mountain of work the next edition.

This guide walks through the whole journey, from the first call-out to the thank-you email afterwards, including the rules you cannot get around in the Netherlands.

Recruiting volunteers: where to find them and how to reach them

Start early. Count on three to six months before your festival takes place, so you can calmly match, screen and build a roster without having to plug gaps at the last minute. Recruiting volunteers is partly a matter of reach and partly of an attractive offer.

These channels work best in practice:

Your current volunteers. Whoever helped out last year is your best recruiter. A personal invitation from someone who knows the work does more than any advert.
Your own channels. Put a clear call-out on your festival site and socials, with a form where people can sign up straight away. The lower the barrier, the more sign-ups.
Volunteer centres and platforms. Local volunteer centres, national volunteering initiatives and job boards reach people who are actively looking. Just make sure to offer a concrete role with a clear set of tasks.
Clubs and training courses. Sports clubs, community initiatives and vocational or higher education courses (events, hospitality, technical) often supply groups who want to come along together.

Be honest about what you ask and what you offer. Say how many shifts you expect, how long they last and what is in it for people, whether that is a festival ticket, food and drink or simply a fun day with a group. A vague call-out attracts vague sign-ups.

Sign-up and screening: from interest to confirmed crew

Signing up should be easy, but you do want to know enough to place someone well. Keep the form short and only ask what you actually use:

Name, age and contact details. You need age for roles with a minimum age, such as behind the bar.
Availability. Which days and parts of the day someone can do, and how many shifts they want to work.
Preference and experience. Would someone rather be at the box office, in hospitality, on the build-up or as a host? Does someone hold a first aid certificate, emergency response training or experience with technical work?
Notes. Dietary requirements for catering, a size for the crew shirt, and whether someone wants to be placed with a group.

Send a confirmation after every sign-up. That way the volunteer knows it worked and you keep the contact warm. For some roles an extra check pays off: for security, box office, first aid and work involving underage visitors you want to know who you are dealing with, and sometimes a Certificate of Good Conduct (the Dutch VOG) is appropriate. For larger groups, plan a short meet-and-greet or information evening, so you explain how the day runs in one go and immediately see who is enthusiastic.

Scheduling volunteers: teams, zones and a volunteer roster

Scheduling volunteers starts with the question: where do I need how many people, and when? Split your festival into teams or zones and think through the staffing at peak and quiet moments for each zone. A commonly used breakdown:

Technical and stage (load-in, soundchecks, stagehands)
Hospitality (bar, food, box office and token sales)
Safety and hosting (entrance, wristbands, wayfinding)
Build-up and break-down (fencing, tents, site, cleaning)

Then build a volunteer roster with concrete shifts. A shift has a start and end time, a zone and a number of places. Spread the shifts across the day so nobody stands for eight hours straight, and allow for a break and for the handover between shifts. Count on some drop-out: a portion of those who sign up do not turn up on the day, so plan a small reserve.

This is exactly where standalone spreadsheets start to creak. In festival.productions volunteers sign up through a form on your festival site, after which you assign them to zones such as technical, hospitality, safety, build-up and break-down. The shift roster shows for each shift who is on, with a check-in on arrival and a catering count so the kitchen knows how many meals that shift needs. Everyone sees the same current version, instead of an emailed file that no longer matches reality halfway through the day.

The briefing: making sure everyone knows what to do

A good briefing saves you questions all day. Before their first shift, give volunteers a short, concrete rundown of what they need to know, and repeat it at check-in on the day itself.

The task. What you are going to do, where you stand and until what time.
The basics. Where the toilets, the crew tent, the first aid post and the food are, and where you may take a break.
The contact person. Who your team lead is and how to reach them if something comes up.
The limits. What you do and what you specifically do not do, for example with a drunk visitor or a medical incident: do not solve it yourself, call the right person.

Have volunteers report to a fixed point when they arrive. That way you immediately know who is there, who is missing and who you still need to replace. A short, clear briefing gives people a sense of control, and that shows in how they deal with visitors.

Care and appreciation: why people come back

Volunteers work for free, so you have to give the appreciation back in another way. That starts with getting the basics right: enough food and drink, a dry place to shelter, a recognisable crew shirt and a badge that gets them in somewhere. A volunteer who is hungry or does not know where to go does not feel part of the team.

Arrange catering to match the staffing. Count per shift how many people are eating, so nobody is left on an empty stomach.
Give something worthwhile. A festival ticket, access to the programme outside their shifts or a small gift makes a difference.
See people. A team lead who drops by, a compliment and a genuine thank-you weigh more than a goodie bag.
Close with a thank-you. A personal email or a drink afterwards lets people leave with a good feeling.

First impressions count most. Someone who feels welcome and well looked after on their first shift is the volunteer you will see again next year.

The requirements: insurance, age and compensation

Alongside the organising, there are rules to keep in mind in the Netherlands. The amounts and details below are indicative; always check them with your local authority and the Belastingdienst (the Dutch Tax Administration), because they change and can vary from case to case.

Insurance. Many local authorities have taken out a collective volunteer insurance policy, often through the VNG (the Association of Netherlands Municipalities). That covers things like volunteers' liability and accidents, but usually as a top-up: an own or other policy takes precedence. Check with your local authority whether your volunteers are covered and whether you need a separate event or liability insurance.

Age and alcohol. Under the Dutch Alcohol Act, volunteers may serve alcohol from age 16, but anyone under 16 may not work in the area where alcohol is served. Volunteers behind the bar must have completed a Responsible Alcohol Service instruction (the Dutch IVA); that certificate is free to obtain via an e-learning course, and you keep track of who holds it. Selling alcohol to people under 18 is never allowed anyway.

Compensation. A volunteer allowance is untaxed as long as you stay under the maximums. For 2026 these indicative limits apply:

A maximum of 5.75 euros per hour for volunteers aged 21 and over, and 3.40 euros per hour for anyone younger.
A maximum of 220 euros per month.
A maximum of 2,200 euros per year.

If you exceed one of these limits, the whole allowance can become taxable. That is why many festivals do not pay out in cash, but with a ticket, food and drink and a small gift. Even then it is smart to know what does and does not count as compensation.

Retaining volunteers for the next edition

The cheapest volunteer is the one you already have. Someone who took part last year knows the site, understands how things run and needs less explanation. Retention is therefore just as important as recruitment.

Keep your records. Note who took part, in which zone and how it went, so you can approach them specifically next year.
Ask for feedback. A short evaluation afterwards shows you take their opinion seriously and gives you concrete improvements.
Reward loyalty. Give returning volunteers priority for the best shifts or a slightly better ticket.
Stay in touch. A new year's greeting or an early announcement keeps your community warm until the next call-out.

See your volunteers as a group that grows and moves with your festival, not as loose hands you scrape together again each year. That way you build a team that, after a few years, keeps the festival running half by itself.

Recruiting and scheduling volunteers for your festival.