Volunteering is an awesome way to develop new skills, get free stuff, help people, and enrich your travel experiences. As soon as I found out that the Iceland Airwaves music festival takes volunteers, I wanted to do it.
It was even more awesome than I imagined.
If you’re interested in volunteering at Iceland Airwaves, I’ve outlined my experience here, from application to post-festival. I’ve also included a tips section with my best advice for anyone considering volunteering at Iceland Airwaves. Let’s rock!
ABOUT ICELAND AIRWAVES MUSIC FESTIVAL
Iceland Airwaves is a four-day music festival held every November in Reykjavik, Iceland. It’s different from other festivals in that it has multiple venues all over the city. All the venues are indoor and include the National Theatre of Iceland, Harpa Concert Hall, a church, a hostel, rooftop bars, dive bars, community spaces, record stores, even bookshops.
Iceland Airwaves has been a major catalyst for bringing Icelandic music to the world for the past 20 years. Now-famous Icelandic artists like Sigur Rós and Of Monsters And Men have been part of the lineup. The festival doesn’t really have headliners any more – rather, they host a wide range of talent. This gives the festival a wonderful egalitarian feel, where artists are equally valuable regardless of their age or how well-known they are.
The artist lineup is mostly Icelandic, with some international acts from Scandinavia, Europe, the UK, and US. The other cool thing about the festival is that the artist mix is 50/50 male/female. This is very different from other festivals, such as Coachella, which has only had 3 female headliners ever (one of whom was Icelandic rock goddess, Björk). Iceland Airwaves organizers said it was easy to book it this way because there were so many talented female artists to choose from.
WHY VOLUNTEER AT ICELAND AIRWAVES?
Two reasons: the experience and the perks. It’s something you can put on your CV that can help you get volunteering or work opportunities in your future. It’s also a great way to meet interesting people from all over the world, including artists, locals, and fellow volunteers.
The biggest perk though, is that you get a free ticket to the festival in exchange for two 8-hour volunteer shifts. The festival is four days long, so the volunteering time commitment is small in exchange for free access to the whole festival. You also get a free t-shirt and a sandwich for each shift.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Sometime in July or August I happened to see a post by Iceland Airwaves that volunteer applications were now open. Their website has a page specifically for volunteers. It outlines the volunteer roles available, the application process, and what you get in exchange for volunteering. It has a link to the application and also an email address you can contact if you still have questions.
The application was pretty straightforward. They asked if I had previous festival work experience. I don’t think you need to have experience, it just helps them determine which role might be best for you. The application describes the different roles and you put down your top two choices.
When I clicked “submit” on my application, it said it had been submitted, but I didn’t get an email notification. Two weeks later, I emailed the info address to ask when we might know if we were accepted. I didn’t receive a response to this email. Two weeks later, I received an email saying I had been accepted and what my role would be. So, don’t worry if you don’t get emails right away – it’s hard to organize 150 volunteers and you just need patience.
BEFORE THE FESTIVAL
Once you are accepted as a volunteer, you need to purchase a volunteer ticket. After the festival, the ticket is refunded if you completed your shifts. This helps ensure that volunteers will come to the festival and fulfil their volunteer roles.
A few weeks before the festival, the volunteer coordinator created a Facebook group for the volunteers. It was very useful as she could post information and instructions to all of us. Lots of volunteers also use the group to get to know each other, asking if anyone wanted to split accommodation or go on a tour before the festival.
A week before the festival, I received an email informing me of the days and times of my shifts. I also received a pdf volunteer handbook, which had detailed instructions about where to go, what to do, rules, and FAQ. It was very useful for getting a sense of how it all works. And knowing my shifts ahead of time allowed me to plan my days better.
The night before the festival, the volunteers got together for a happy hour. It was an optional event but I’m glad I went to it. I met people who were working the same shifts as me, so when I arrived to work I already knew some of my team.
MY EXPERIENCE VOLUNTEERING AT ICELAND AIRWAVES
I was on the Accreditation Team, meaning that I issued wristbands to artists, press, VIPs, and general admission. Everyone, including artists, buys their ticket online and when they get to the festival, they come to accreditation where I check their ID, scan their ticket, and give them a wristband and other goodies (backstage passes, drink vouchers, t-shirts, goodie bags). I really enjoyed handling the artists line because I got to meet all of them (and see their drivers licenses – haha!)
Accreditation was held in Reykjavik City Hall, so I had a nice, heated, indoor workspace. I worked two 8-hour shifts: the first from 11:30 am – 7:30 pm and the second on the next day from 2:30 pm – 10:30 pm. These were awesome shifts because I had the nights free to go to shows (which go until 3 a.m.) and I had the last two days of the festival completely free.
At the beginning of each shift, all the volunteers meet and pick up a sandwich and bottle of water for the shift. I was allowed to take a 30-minute break during the shift and smaller breaks too if I needed it. The work wasn’t hard and there were plenty of senior festival organizers around to answer questions and help solve problems. The work was fun and my shifts flew by.
TIPS FOR VOLUNTEERING AT ICELAND AIRWAVES
Now that I’ve been through the process, I have some advice for anyone volunteering at Iceland Airwaves:
- Apply as soon as the applications open. The Iceland Airwaves website will say the exact date volunteer applications open – usually in early August.
- Book your accommodation as far in advance as possible. Demand and prices will be sky high during the festival and Iceland is expensive to begin with. I booked my hostel 3 months in advance.
- Book accommodation in the city centre so it’s easy to get home after the shows (which go until 3 a.m.) I booked a hostel outside the city centre because it was cheaper but I missed many of the late shows because I didn’t want to be walking back to the hostel alone in a secluded area in the middle of the night.
- Save sightseeing for days before or after the festival. I thought I would sightsee during the day and go to shows at night. In reality, I was busy during the day with my shifts and attending off-venue shows, so I had no time during the festival to go on any tours or explore the city.
- See as many shows as possible! You have a free ticket – why not get the most out of it? I didn’t know any of the artists so I just dropped in to random shows and discovered some incredible artists who are now my favourite music.
Volunteering at Iceland Airwaves 2018 was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to do it again! Maybe I’ll see you there?
