The 2008 Boston Folk Festival will be held the weekend of September 13-14. On Saturday, September 13 from 6PM to 9PM will be the Songwriting Contest Finals concert and on Sunday, September 14 will be two stages of great entertainment from 11AM to 7PM. Volunteers are the "heart and soul" and "nuts and bolts" of the Boston Folk Festival.

Requirements of Volunteers

The Boston Folk Festival is a 99 percent volunteer operation. Just about every aspect of the festival is run by volunteers. Volunteers conduct themselves in such a way to improve the festival experience for volunteers and festival-goers alike. Volunteers may earn free admission to the festival by performing volunteer shifts.

The formula we use is: if you work 4 hours on Sunday, September 14 during the festival, you receive free admission to the festival on Sunday. If you work 6 hours on Saturday, or Sunday doing setup or cleanup, you receive free admission to the festival on Sunday. If you work 8 hours in advance of the festival, you receive free admission to the festival on Sunday.

If you are interested in also volunteering for the Songwriting Contest on Saturday please indicate this on your application in the "Additional Comments" box.

Some super-volunteers (we call "crew chiefs") head up major areas of work. The average volunteer takes an assignment under the direction of a Crew Chief.

Volunteer Orientation Session

Festival volunteers are invited to attend an orientation session the week before the festival. This is especially important for new volunteers. The orientation meeting allows everyone to get "on the same page" and to meet the festival crew chiefs and fellow-volunteers. This year, the meeting will be on Tuesday, September 9 at 7PM (room to be announced).

Application process

• Applications for volunteers for the Boston Folk Festival will be accepted beginning July 15, 2008..
• All applications received by August 15 will get preference in assignment over those received after that date. The assignment process begins on August 16 and if you applied by the August 15 deadline, you can expect to hear your assignment proposal within a week or two.
• The volunteer coordinator will negotiate with you on a day and time for your volunteer shift and an assignment. Please be flexible! The volunteer coordinator is fitting together a giant jigsaw puzzle of assignments and volunteers. If you reject your assignment proposal, it may make it more difficult to fit you in.

To apply, fill out the volunteer application site.. If you have problems using the online application form, click here.

•••Contact information•••

Festival Volunteer coordinators: Woodie and Elaine Lackey
e-mail: volunteersbff@prodigy.net
phone: 617-287-6900

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