Be part of something special!
VOLUNTEER 2026
Applications are now open:
11-31 March
Thank you for your interest in joining the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival 2026 (BRWF) volunteer team!
Each year we are delighted to have an amazing team of volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to create a dynamic Festival for our readers and writers. BRWF greet people with a friendly smile, answer questions about the program, keep our queues orderly and the authors on time. For most attendees, our volunteers are the face of the BRWF. The extraordinary work of our volunteer team is a major part of the BRWF success.
In 2026 we will be conducting the Festival at the Bellingen Memorial Hall, St Andrew’s church and grounds, and across the road in Maam Gaduying Park.
Volunteer rosters are decided according to the times and dates you are available, the type and number of shifts you prefer and the roles you are interested in doing. The Volunteer Application Guide (available as a download) will explain what you can expect from your time as a volunteer, what tasks you might be doing while on shift, and what we are looking for in your application.
It is important that you read and understand the Volunteer Application Guide as this will assist you in filling out the Application Form.
Any queries, please email:
Volunteer Application Guide
GENERAL INFORMATION
Volunteers:
• must be over 18
• are expected to be available to work approximately 8–10 hours over the three-day event
• will not receive any financial compensation from the BRWF
• are responsible for their own transport to and from the BRWF
• must attend a Volunteers Orientation Day
• will have their photo on their volunteer lanyard
• are covered by BRWF’s Public Liability Insurance
• will be required to sign on and off a daily register each day they volunteer at the Festival
The BRWF is held at the Bellingen Memorial Hall, St. Andrews Church and surrounds and across the road in Maam Gaduying Park in the town of Bellingen on the NSW North Coast on Friday 5, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026. The following venues will be part of this year’s Festival:
- Main Hall, Bellingen Memorial Hall
- Studio, Bellingen Memorial Hall
- Book Warehouse Bookshop, St. Andrew’s Church
- Fringe Marquee, Maam Gaduying Park
- Green Room, Uniting Church Hall
By the start of the Festival, all volunteers should be familiar with the layout of the Festival. You will be provided with a map and information about the venues, a tour of the Festival area, and instructions for your arrival.
Volunteers will sign in at the Green Room within the Uniting Church Hall and then disperse to a specific location within walking distance.
Volunteers are required to wear their lanyard and closed-in shoes while on their shifts. Some volunteers will be required to wear a high-vis vest.
BRWF requires volunteers at various times throughout the Festival. If you are particularly interested in performing a particular role, remember that consistent availability over consecutive days will be of most help to the position.
There are three shifts per day:
MORNING: 8 am – 1 pm
AFTERNOON: 1 pm – 5 pm
EVENING: 5 pm – 10 pm
Shift start and finish times may vary as each venue has different requirements. Most shifts are 4-5 hours. Your roster will specify the exact shift times required of you on the day.
A light meal will be available before or after your shifts only. You will be asked to specify any dietary requirements at the end of the application form.
Every volunteer must nominate at least 3 shifts (though you may like to do more) and 3 types of volunteer roles on their application form.
Every volunteer will be rostered to do a minimum of 2 shifts.
In the week leading up the Festival, volunteers may be required to help with transportation of authors to and from schools and to their accommodation. There are also other tasks such as preparation of welcome material, program distribution, lanyards for volunteers, authors and committee members, and site management activities.
The compulsory volunteer orientation day will take place from 9.30am-12.30pm on Saturday 30 May 2026 at the Uniting Church Hall, Bellingen.
It is important that ALL VOLUNTEERS attend the orientation day so that they are spatially aware of and prepared for, their duties during the Festival even if they have attended any orientation days for previous Festivals.
The team will be briefed on general Festival information by BRWF committee members, taken on a tour of the Festival venues, given a full safety briefing and then, after a short break, a more detailed view of the systems relating to our volunteer team this year.
Please Note: non-attendance at Orientation Day means you may not be able to volunteer. While it is understandable that an emergency or unexpected event might prevent a prospective volunteer from attending the orientation, if you miss Orientation Day, your participation in the Festival is not guaranteed.
All volunteers will be given a welcome kit and a lanyard to wear which identifies them to the general public.
The lanyard provides entry for the volunteers to all non sell-out Festival events.
Volunteers will have access to the Green Room and will be provided with a light meal either before or after their shifts.
VOLUNTEER ROLES
It is recommended that you remain open to perform multiple roles as this increases your chance of being given a roster. If you are happy to help with whatever is needed then please select all boxes on the application form and consider yourself a star!
If you have particular skills or experience that would suit a certain role, please note this on the application form.
Please note that on Friday 5 June there are no morning or afternoon shifts for Usher Team Leader, General Usher at venues, Ticket Sales, Information Officer, Conduct Visitor Surveys or Floater.
Please note this role requires you to be available during the day in the week leading up to the Festival and the day after the Festival. You will need physical strength and stamina. Tasks involve assisting the Site Manager with the placement of signs around the venues, set up of Festival flags, unpacking chairs, locating and emptying garbage bins, assisting unloading of book boxes for Book Warehouse Festival shop.
Please note this role requires you to be available during the day in the week leading up to the Festival. The BRWF Schools Program will be run in the week leading up to the Festival. The program involves schools in the Coffs Coast Region including Macksville, Nambucca, Dorrigo and Woolgoolga, not just Bellingen. Volunteers will drive authors involved in the Program to and from their accommodation and the schools they are visiting. Volunteers will need to use their own cars and have comprehensive car insurance.
This role is primarily undertaken in the months and weeks leading up to the Festival. It can include distribution of brochures to outlets in Coffs Harbour, Sawtell, Urunga, Dorrigo, Valla, Nambucca, Macksville; creation of lanyards for volunteers, authors and committee; preparation of author welcome packs and distribution to accommodation.
Many authors will be arriving to the region via air transport into Coffs Harbour Airport. Volunteers will meet authors at the airport baggage collection area. They will carry a BRWF sign. It is a good idea to read up on the authors being picked up so that you can be familiar with what they look like and their particular area of literary interest. Many authors are billeted within the community, so volunteers will need to be familiar with where they’re staying.
When taking authors to departures, collection times will be designed to ensure authors get to the airport at least an hour before their flight departs. Some will need to leave straight after a session and will have their bags with them. Volunteers will need to use their own cars and have comprehensive car insurance.
Some authors are billeted within the community. Most billet locations are within walking distance of the Festival site. Volunteers will be required to drive authors to and from their accommodation and the Festival site. Volunteers will need to be familiar with where they’re staying. Volunteers will need to use their own cars and have comprehensive car insurance.
This position will lead the usher teams on each shift. This will include briefing ushers before each shift, designating specific usher roles to volunteers, overseeing and managing attendee queues to ensure smooth ingress and egress at the venues, liaising with MCs and ensuring there are enough ushers to facilitate each session.
Volunteers will be given specific training for this position at the Orientation Day.
Ushers work in small teams to check event tickets and ensure a smooth changeover between events.. They also ensure there is fresh drinking water and clean glasses on the stage for authors, rearrange chairs on the stage if required, check for lost items and clean up any rubbish left in the venues.
The box office is located at the front of the Bellingen Memorial Hall where Festival goers can collect programs and be assisted in purchasing tickets online. Volunteers will not handle any financial transactions, cash or otherwise. Volunteers will need to be IT savvy.
Volunteers will need to be available in the week leading up to the Festival for specific ticketing training.
If you wish to take up this role, please indicate on your application that you are available in the week leading up to the Festival.
The Green Room is the headquarters for all volunteer shifts at the Festival.
Catering for authors, presenters and volunteers is located in the Green Room. All volunteers will check in here each day. The Green Room catering assistants will primarily assist in the kitchen which caters to all authors and volunteers. A willingness to prepare and serve food is essential for this role.
Volunteers will spread out among the Festival goers to ask them to download a short survey. This work allows BRWF to apply for funding, program events relevant to Festival goers, and improve our customer experience across the Festival.
The Information Officer will be providing a friendly welcome to patrons and helping them with their general enquiries. They may be the first personal contact a patron has with the festival and will need to present a smiling face and a warm welcome.
The Fringe Assistant will be providing assistance to the Fringe Festival Coordinator in Maam Gaduying Park. This may include removing rubbish, setting up and taking down chairs and tables.
Floaters are very important: they are often asked to assist multiple teams throughout a shift, helping when there is an unexpected surge in crowds, or replacing another volunteer when they get called away, or when a crucial task for BRWF staff needs doing very quickly.
Floaters can offer assistance anywhere, to anyone, and so will provide much needed support at challenging times.
Note: this is not a ‘spare’ position, but rather, one that is quite crucial to the smooth operation of our team!
AFTER APPLICATIONS CLOSE
Your roster will be built after applications close at midnight on Tuesday 31 March 2026. As the rosters are determined by availability, we cannot guarantee that all applicants will receive a roster, though you will stand a better chance of success if you are open to a broad range of roles, shifts and dates. Ultimately, your availability determines your eligibility for a volunteer position.
We will begin the roll out of the rosters on or by Friday 8 May 2026 and all volunteer applicants will have heard from the BRWF whether successful or unsuccessful in their application by this date.
Please ensure you reply to all emails from [email protected], the Volunteer Coordinator, and confirm your roster as soon as you receive it. If at any time you are no longer available for one or all of the shifts allocated to you, please let the Volunteer Coordinator know as soon as possible so that we can change your roster.
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BRWF believe there is a strong link between volunteers’ satisfaction and the success of the Festival. We know that providing clear information about your role as a volunteer will help you enjoy your time with us. In order to better prepare you for your role as a volunteer, we will:
- Introduce the different volunteer roles to you in this document
- Email you information about your shifts once rosters are complete
- Provide further information and relevant training at the Orientation Day
- Have the Volunteer Coordinator to guide you while on shift
In return for your commitment to volunteer throughout the Festival, we commit to taking all practical steps to ensure we deliver a volunteer program that is both engaging and rewarding for you to participate in. We promise to:
- Be reliable in our dealings with you
- Build rosters that are balanced
- Provide useful information and training in your role
- Give you clear instructions in a friendly and respectful way
- Recognise the value of your efforts
- Provide you with a safe working environment
- Respect your feedback
- Help you to enjoy your time at the Festival with us
- Provide you with entry to Festival events
THANK YOU
We appreciate that you are considering offering your time to the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival.
BRWF is one of the largest regional literary Festivals in Australia. It remains one of the most inviting and friendly Festivals to attend, for both audiences and authors alike. This is, in part, due to the commitment and friendliness of our wonderful volunteer team. We look forward to another eventful Festival and hope you will choose to join us as a BRWF volunteer in 2026
Volunteer Form
If you would like to apply for a volunteer position with the Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival in 2026, please fill out this form.
