Bar staff, concession support, event crew, admissions and team leaders for festivals, outdoor markets and light trails. Hand-picked, briefed on the site plan, and paid properly, on a published hourly rate with a four-hour minimum.
Festival bars are high volume, cash and card, often outdoors and often short of space. Our bar staff set up to the bar manager's plan, pour accurate measures at pace, apply Challenge 25 on every serve, keep the bar front clear and change over kegs and stock when told. Concession support means working on a food or drink stall run by the concession operator, on their tills and to their food safety rules. At markets and light trails we staff bars, stalls, admissions, wayfinding and the exit queues.
Crew build the site, dress the areas, move furniture and fencing that does not need a certificate, turn areas round between days and strip the site at the end. Admissions scan tickets and fit wristbands. Everybody is briefed on the site map, the emergency plan, the welfare points and who to call before the gates open.
We do not supply SIA-licensed security or door supervisors, and we refer that to a licensed partner. We do not supply bars, stock, tills, equipment or accreditation, and we do not operate concessions ourselves. We only supply plant operators or anyone working at height when they hold the certificate the job needs, and we tell you honestly at booking if we cannot fill it. Bar staff, crew, stewards and admissions are Core tier at £25.00 an hour ex VAT, team leaders are Skilled at £28.00, and a bar or site supervisor is Lead at £34.00.
Every person on our books has been interviewed by us, has had two references checked, has passed a right-to-work check before their first shift and has worked a paid trial shift alongside a senior member of our team. Anyone handling food or drink holds Level 2 food safety and allergen awareness, paid for by us. Supervisors hold Level 3.
For festival work we ask about outdoor and high volume experience at interview, and we brief the site plan, emergency procedures, welfare arrangements and suitable clothing in writing before the first shift. Accreditation and wristbands come from the organiser, and we send names in time for them to be issued. For multi-day jobs away from home, accommodation, travel and a £20 per person per day meal allowance are shown in the quote at cost.
They are our people, engaged on PAYE zero-hours terms, and they choose which shifts to accept. So the person who turns up wanted the shift. They are paid every Friday, from £14.00 an hour plus holiday, and they are paid for the hours booked even if you send them home early.
Every person is briefed twice before your event: once in writing 48 hours out, with the venue, door, transport, uniform, service style, allergens and your on-site contact, and once by phone three hours before start. They photo check-in on arrival. If anyone is not right, tell us in the first hour and there is no charge for them.
If you want to work these shifts yourself, see how we take people on.
These are starting points we use when we build a quote. They are general guidance, not a rule. Stewarding numbers for public events should come from your event safety plan and risk assessment, and your licensing authority may set them. Bar numbers depend on the length of the bar, the drinks list and how people pay. Tell us the brief and we will build the team around your plan.
| Service | Guidance only |
|---|---|
| Festival barBeer, wine, spirits, card payments | 2 to 3 per serving point at peak |
| Concession supportFood or drink stall | Set by the concession operator |
| AdmissionsTicket scanning and wristbands | 1 per 300 to 500 arrivals an hour |
| Build and break crewSite set-up and strip | Agreed from the production schedule |
| StewardsQueues, walkways, car parks | Set by your event safety plan |
| Team leaderBar or crew team | 1 per 8 to 10 staff |
Festival bar staff, crew and team leaders are charged at the national rate everywhere outside the M25. The only uplifts we apply are for London, the festive period, bank holidays and New Year's Eve, and they are printed below. Expenses for working away are shown as their own line, at cost.
| Tier | We pay them | You pay us |
|---|---|---|
| CoreBar staff, waiting, runners, kitchen porters, event crew, stewards, cloakroom, admissions | £14.00 + 12.07% holiday | £25.00 |
| SkilledCocktail bartenders, baristas, fine-dining and box waiters, hosts, brand ambassadors, team leaders | £16.50 + holiday | £28.00 |
| LeadSupervisors, event managers, chefs de partie | £20.00 + holiday | £34.00 |
| Senior chefSous chefs, head chefs | £24.00 + holiday | £40.00 |
Every client booking carries the same five guarantees, written into our terms of business.
Written, itemised, ex VAT, 8am to 8pm every day. Three hours outside that.
Your account manager's mobile is on the booking confirmation, answered on any day we have people working.
Anyone not right? Tell us in the first hour. No charge for them and a replacement on the way.
New clients get one person for one four-hour shift free on their first booking. See what you are buying.
Names confirmed within two hours of booking. If we cannot fill a position we say so at booking, never on the day.
No. Security and door supervision need an SIA licence and we refer that to a licensed partner. We do supply stewards, admissions, cloakroom and event crew, working to your event safety plan.
No. We supply the people. The bar, stock, tills, licence and equipment come from you or your bar or concession operator, and our team works to their rules and their premises licence.
Yes. We can send the same people for the whole run. Where they are working away from home, accommodation, travel and a £20 per person per day meal allowance are shown in the quote at cost.
Yes. Bars, admissions, stewards and crew for markets and trails are a normal booking. From 1 December to 2 January the festive uplift of £3.00 an hour applies, as printed on the rate card.
The shift goes ahead unless you cancel it. We brief suitable clothing in writing, and cancellation is free more than 48 hours before the start, 50% between 24 and 48 hours and 100% inside 24 hours.
Yes. Booked hours are paid hours, and we brief transport home as part of the shift.
Four hours per person per shift. There is no minimum number of people.
See the whole rate card and the instant estimate, or start a full quote. Looking for shifts yourself? Work with us.
Your brief lands with Tasmyn or Liam, not a queue. A written quote within 60 minutes (8am to 8pm) and a call if anything needs clarifying. A named mobile is given to every client at booking.
Every person paid through our PAYE payroll, so you carry no status risk. Right-to-work checks before day one. Employers' Liability £10m, Public Liability £10m. Certificates with your first confirmation.
Keep them. Use us for the shifts they cannot fill, or the ones that matter most. Overflow is where most first clients start.
Short on people for a big weekend? We supply overflow to other agencies on the same published terms.