We are always looking for volunteers at Cambridge Festival.
Thousands of people visit the Cambridge Festival each year to discover the ground-breaking research that takes place here. We simply could not deliver events on this scale without the help of our volunteers who donate their time, energy and expertise to the festivals.
Volunteering can help you gain a range of skills such as teamwork, evaluation, effective communication, crowd management and many more.
When and where will you be needed?
The Festival takes place in March/April every year.
On weekdays we need volunteers to be able to support us between 5pm and 9pm.
On weekends volunteers are usually required between 9am and 5 pm and are usually needed volunteer for the whole day.
The role is based at University and partner organisation sites. It is in and around Cambridge and will be accessible by public transport.
What activities will you be involved in?
Assisting the public with site directions, greeting attendees, ticket checking, managing queues.
Supporting Question and Answers sessions by taking a microphone into the audience.
Supporting Festival staff, venue staff and event speakers to run the event.
Assisting with set-up at the venue such as putting up Festival banners, flags and notices.
What can you gain from this opportunity?
Engagement with high-profile organisations.
Supporting sharing of up-to-date research with the public.
Access to high-profile, stimulating Science, Arts and Humanities events.
Making a difference to those attending events.
Is there an induction and training? Is there a Uniform?
Information sessions take place ahead of the Festival to answer your questions and to help you decide if you would like to volunteer. These usually take place each year in January.
Risk assessments and briefing documents are sent out ahead of events. We ask that you read these in advance and confirm you have read them when you sign in on the day of the event.
You will receive an induction, including a health and safety briefing, on the day of the event.
All volunteers are asked to wear a Festival T-shirt during a volunteering shift to help attendees identify you as a point of information.
Who do I report to?
The event coordinator will greet you at each event, this will be a member of Staff from the University of Cambridge Public Engagement Team. They will give you clear information as to what you are required to do. They will also provide you with a venue health and safety briefing.
What are we looking for?
Friendly, approachable people with good listening skills.
An empathic nature.
Ambassadors for the University
Ability to travel within Cambridge by public transport, on foot or by cycle.
Sound like you? Get in touch at cambridgefestival@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Volunteer to contribute an event to Cambridge Festival
We'd love to hear from you if you would like to contribute a talk or activity to the Festival. You can find further details of how to offer your event on the Festival coordinators page, or to discuss your event idea with the Festival team, please contact: cambridgefestival@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Other volunteering opportunities
The Cambridge Festival is the Public Engagement team’s most regular opportunity for volunteering. If you are looking for opportunities outside of March/April or more regular volunteering with the University of Cambridge, please check out the University of Cambridge Museums’ opportunities.
The Careers Service has a comprehensive list of local, national and international volunteering opportunities, as well as advice on how to present volunteering experience when job hunting. Some of these opportunities are specifically for University students, while others are available to anyone.
Volunteer to support Research
Many areas of the university need participants to take part in studies and research, for example, the Autism Research Centre, Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Cambridge Psychology and the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.
You can also join the Patient and Public Involvement Panel at Cambridge University Hospitals.
Civic Engagement
If you would like to know how the University of Cambridge is working with the wider region and how you can get involved, please visit our Civic Engagement pages.