Who doesn’t love a good music festival? Especially one in the middle of the mountains in New Zealand?! One problem though-you’re a backpacker and don’t want to spend $130-$250 USD because you’re on a budget right? Well this is a great time to volunteer for a musical festival! At most festivals you’ll work about 4-5 hours a day in exchange for free camping and your ticket. Most music festivals offer over 25 different jobs you can choose from and it makes for a super fun and learning experience. Here are just a few perks of volunteering at a music festival as a backpacker.
1. OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT A BEAUTIFUL PLACE
Rhythm and Alps Music Festival is located in the Cardrona Valley and it was somewhere I would have typically just drove by on my way from from Queenstown to visit Wanaka or vice versa. Instead I got to spend 4 nights in this stunning valley.
2. WATCH IT ALL COME TOGETHER
If you’ve been to a music festival before you know you just show up and it’s like the playground was here all year. But what most people don’t know is how much time and effort goes in to setting up a music festival. Here is a picture of the area before and then a few hours after people started to arrive.
I also pulled this awesome picture from their website of it after it all came together.
3. NEW WORK EXPERIENCE
Like I mentioned earlier there are so many jobs that are needed to successfully put on a music festival. I have worked music festivals before so they had me help the volunteer coordinator the first day. But after that my role was all over the place because at some point I was checking cars before they came in, then I was checking ID’s, then I was handing out condoms so ya know wherever they needed me!😂 But I also had friends who scanned tickets the whole time and others who put together the VIP section.
4. VISIT BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS BEFORE OR AFTER
The Cordrona Valley is right in between Wanaka and Queenstown and they are both amazing places! Obviously this is close to this specific music festival but most festivals will most likely have cool surrounding areas to visit. Check out more about my must do’s in Wanaka HERE and in Queenstown HERE.
5. MEET NEW FRIENDS
The best part of this festival was meeting some incredible people! These babes were something else and in the last two years I have met up with eight of them! Some I have stayed at their homes when visiting their country, or we’ve met up in other countries and met up at other events.
And this babe right here is the reason I volunteered at this music festival in the first place and we’ve traveled to four countries together since! Nothing better than that.
If you are ever in New Zealand for New Years absolutely make it down to Rhythm and Alps and if ya do email me because I still have a contact for volunteering with them!
If you are looking for a new experience volunteering at a music festival is something you should look into. Have you volunteered at a music festival before? Comment below !
