Midsumma Volunteer Hub

When do Volunteer Applications Close?
At Midnight on Friday, 4th December 

What does a Volunteer at Midsumma Festival do?
Volunteers are the foundation and ambassadors of our festival, and Midsumma Festival would simply not be possible without you!  

As a volunteer, you can choose to volunteer work in as many of our events as you want. This could include: 

• Midsumma Carnival (Sunday, 17 January 2027 at Alexandra Gardens) 

• Midsumma Pride March (Sunday, 31 January 2027 at Ian Johnson Oval, Fitzroy Street & Catani Gardens, St Kilda) 

• Victoria’s Pride Street Party (Sunday, 7 February 2027 at Gertrude St & Smith St, Fitzroy) 

• Our Midsumma Presents suite of events (various dates and locations) 

You can read more in-depth details about our major events by navigating through the tabs below. We also have a variety of volunteer positions available, with everything from site bump in to information tents to artist liaisons. We have written a brief overview of each of the roles below under “Position Descriptions”. 

What happens next?
Once you have submitted your volunteer application, we will read through it and send you an email to confirm your participation in Midsumma Festival, 2027. After that, Beck will take some time to onboard you onto Deputy and assign you shifts based on your preferences. 

When will rosters be available?
The first round of shifts will be published during the week ending 13th December. We do try our best to get your shifts to you as early as possible, so you can plan your summer. Please bear with us as sometimes coordinating our 500+ volunteers requires care and finessing. 

I’ve volunteered in previous years and have a preference for what role I want to do. Who do I contact about this?
For any shift preferences, please email Beck at [email protected], and she will endeavour to roster you onto your preferred shifts. 

I have access requirements that mean I may need a position with limited mobility. Can I still volunteer?
Absolutely! Midsumma Festival is designed with the varied needs of our diverse community in mind. There is a space in the application where you can tell us more about your access requirements, or you can get in touch with Beck via email, phone or video at [email protected] to discuss your needs. 

When will the Volunteer Briefing take place?
Date: Thursday, 7th January 
Time: 6pm-8pm 
Location: TBA

The volunteer briefing will also be livestreamed and recorded, so you can watch it after the briefing if you’re unable to attend live. 

Volunteers are the face of Midsumma’s celebrations. You’ll be a part of the team that welcome attendees, collect donations, help navigate crowds, and make sure everyone feels comfortable, informed and knows where to go and what to expect. 

There are plenty of roles on offer. The roles will vary depending on the event's requirements. 

We are seeking volunteers in the following areas: 

Team Leaders 
Working closely with the Volunteers Coordinator, Team Leaders will oversee a group of volunteers across many different departments and events during the festival. This role will entail a higher level of responsibility and be integral to assisting volunteer operations. 

Bump In 
Be a part of our bump in crew! Bump in involves getting the site ready for the events. This includes setting up signage, marquees, tables & chairs, traffic/parking barriers, picking up and distributing equipment, assisting all stallholders, and making sure the site looks perfect before attendees arrive. The roles available to bump in shifts include Site Bump In, Bars, Stalls, and Signage. 

Bump Out 
Much like bump in, volunteers working in bump out shifts will work behind the scenes alongside our Production Staff to pack down all event sites. The roles available for bump out shifts include Site Bump Out, Bars, Stalls, and Signage 

Information Tents/Welcome Team 
Volunteers operating at the Information Tents or as members of the Welcome Team will welcome visitors and support patrons by providing answers to questions regarding the festival site, where things are located, the program, lost property, how to donate and more. 

Merchandise Tent 
On event day, Midsumma will be offering a collection of PRIDE accessories, branded merch, and sale of artworks. As a volunteer at the Merchandise Tent, you will assist in the selling of merchandise. 
 
Volunteer HQ 
Volunteer HQ is where all volunteers start and end their shifts. Requires checking in all volunteers and distributing the correct accreditations and 2-way radios if required. 
 
Artist Check-In Tent 
Assist Artists and Performers by providing wayfinding instructions to Family Precinct, Mainstage and Picnic Stages. 
 
Bar
Help out at the fabulous bars at Midsumma Carnival. You will require a valid Victorian RSA to fulfill this role. 

Wristbanding Warrior
Distribute wristbands to anyone over 18 years of age who wishes to visit the Midsumma Bars at Carnival and Pride March. Also includes being stationed outside the fences of the bar area ensuring that only those with a wristband can enter the bar area. 

Stalls HQ 
Assist all stall holders at Midsumma Carnival and Victoria Pride’s Street Party with wayfinding, stall set up, equipment distribution and stall locations. 

Eco Team 
The Eco Team will encourage patrons to recycle properly and separate food/organic waste to limit the likelihood of contamination. Volunteers in this role will also act as the face of Midsumma Festival and assist patrons with questions, wayfinding, surveys and donations. 
 
Accessibility Champions 
Welcome and assist patrons with accessibility needs arriving and leaving Midsumma’s events, as well as throughout the day. Answer any specific questions regarding accessibility and make sure everyone is enjoying the events. 
 
Fly Squad 
Fast and full of fun, being a part of the Fly Squad requires you to assist with areas that require the most attention at the time. 
 
Survey Superstar 
Survey Superstars are required to welcome attendees and participants and ask for their time to fill out a brief survey or collect donations from patrons with our Donation Buckets. This helps us improve Midsumma’s future events.  

Office & Project Administration 
Periodically, there will be a need for volunteers to assist with office administration. This can include, printing, photocopying, and laminating as well as organising signage, stationary, and other office equipment, and usually takes place in the Midsumma office prior to event days. 

Audience, Vehicle & Wave Marshals 
Marshals make sure the Pride March runs smoothly all the way from Ian Johnson Oval to Catani Gardens. Your role will assist in escorting waves and groups down the marching route and communicating on radio with other team members. These roles help manage the safety of both audience and participants and are integral to the event operations. 

March Participant Check In 
Check in all the participants who are part of the Pride March. This includes signing them in, distributing wristbands, crowd control, keeping the space clean and safe, and answering participants’ questions. 

Green Room & Artist Liaison Assistant 
Green Room & Artist Liaison Assistants will assist Stage Managers in collecting artists and helping them with their items to the stage or the Green Rooms, ensuring the artists arrive on stage on time and keeping Green Rooms stocked up with food and refreshments for artists. 
 
Low Sensory & Elders Space
The Low Sensory space at Victoria Pride’s Street Party is offered to anyone who’s experiencing sensory overload and would like a space to take a break. It also runs to provide space for local Elders. As a volunteer located here, you will assist staff in keeping the space tidy, refreshing the catering and keeping an eye over the needs of those who access the space. 
 
Pride Window Assistant 
Pride Window Assistants will help either with setting up or taking down the window stage decor and assisting artists across various venues’ windows in the Smith St & Gertrude St precinct. 

Front Of House 
Working within our Midsumma Presents venues, Front of House Volunteers responsibilities include scanning tickets, general wayfinding, queue management and seating venues.

Midsumma Carnival anchors the opening weekend every year, launching the three-week Festival with a full-park takeover beside the Yarra River on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD, in Alexandra Gardens. In 2027 we’ll be back from 11am till late on Sunday 17 January 2027. 

Event Day: Sunday, 17th January 2027 

Event Operating Hours: 11am 9pm 

Event Location: Alexandra Gardens, St Kilda Road 

Bump In Shift Dates: Wednesday 13th – Sunday 17th January 

Bump Out Shift Dates: Sunday 17th January

Midsumma Pride March summons a chorus of voices from across our queer communities and makes them visible; embodying a raucous, shared song that tells us we're here, we've got each others' backs, and we're not going anywhere. Everyone is welcome to come and watch the parade go by! 

Event Day: Sunday, 31st January 2027 

Event Operating Hours: 10:30am – 3:30pm 

Event Location: Ian Johnson Oval, Fitzroy Street and Catani Gardens, St Kilda 

Bump In Shift Dates: Friday 29th January – Sunday 31st January 

Bump Out Shift Dates: Sunday 31st January

Victoria’s Pride Street Party returns to Melbourne’s iconic Gertrude and Smith Street precinct for a huge celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride, progress, love and community. Take over the streets with us for a full day of live music, fabulous performances, queer art, community, culture, DJs, delicious food and local stalls, with plenty to discover from morning and into the night.

Bring your chosen family, your actual family, your friends and your favourite people. Whether you’re here to dance, discover something new, support local queer creatives or simply soak up the Pride, everyone is welcome. It’s the perfect way to close out your Midsumma Festival season: one big, joyful, unapologetically queer celebration in the heart of Fitzroy.

Victoria’s Pride is an annual statewide celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride, visibility and connection, delivered by Midsumma in partnership with the Victorian Government. Come for the culture. Stay for the party. Take over the streets with us. 

Event Day: Sunday, 7th February 2027 

Event Operating Hours: 12pm – 9pm 

Event Location: Gertrude Street & Smith Street, Fitzroy 

Bump In Shift Dates: Wednesday, 3rd February – Sunday 7th February 

Bump Out Shift Dates: Sunday 7th February

• If you are approached by any Media, you should not comment. Instead, direct their enquiries to the Marketing team or Claire.
• If you take any snaps on the day, make sure you #midsumma
• Please do not alter the t-shirts in any way, as you are a key part of the Midsumma brand.

Midsumma Festival engages with a wide range of communities. You will come across audiences, artists, and contractors who have different life experiences from you.

It's important to be sensitive and respectful in the way you talk to people. We want Midsumma Festival to be a safe environment for everyone and that starts with us.

For those interested, Expression Australia has created the Midsumma Auslan Hub.

The hub contains all the Auslan videos, downloadable fact sheets, and other useful information specifically designed for Volunteers.

Audio Description: Through the use of a headset or with support from describer guides, audience members can listen to a description of the visual aspects of the event during appropriate breaks in the dialogue. Not all the events listed make use of headset technology. Some events are supported by describer guides and/or embedded self descriptions.

Tactile tours (touch tours) allow patrons who are blind or have low vision to have a hands-on experience of the work. Tours usually commence 30 to 60 minutes prior to a performance’s starting time, and they are often ticketed, so attendees are sometimes known in advance.

Auslan interpreted services provide equal access to arts and entertainment for people who are Deaf.

Assistive Listening: Patrons receive a handheld receiver and headphones, which amplify a live audio feed captured via microphones positioned in the theatre.

Relaxed Performances are designed to create a safe and welcoming environment for people who have particular sensory or processing needs, or anyone who would benefit from seeing a performance in a relaxed environment.

English No Barrier: English skills are not required to participate fully in these events.

Wheelchair access varies from venue to venue. Midsumma relies on accurate information being provided by the more than 100 venues that are part of the Festival. We recommend that audiences contact the venue to confirm wheelchair accessibility and enquire about accessible parking.

Open Captions (OC) are when the captions are displayed so that everyone in the audience can see them. Closed Captions (CC) are when captions are relayed to audience members' individual devices, so only those that have requested the service can read the captions.

100 % Visual Rating: No sound, music or dialogue (e.g. an art exhibition) so Deaf or hard of hearing audiences can engage fully with the event

75% Visual Rating: Some sounds and minimal dialogue, or dialogue is subtitled so Deaf or hard of hearing audiences have a closer to full engagement with the event

Low Visual Rating: Sound, music or dialogue is essential to fully experience the event (e.g. a music concert or mostly non-subtitled dialogue) so Deaf or hard of hearing audiences can have some but not full engagement with the event

• Our Major Events: Midsumma Carnival, Pride March, and Victoria’s Pride Street Party have their own pages on the Midsumma website with detailed information about Access at these events. It will help you to read this information prior to arrival, and to have it ready to refer to on your phone, in case needed.
• On the day of the event, if you want assistance or have a question about access, please contact our Access Coordinator Josh on 0419 682 064. It’s Josh’s job to support you on the day and he wants you to call him!
• If any patrons have feedback about access and inclusion at Midsumma, please suggest that they complete our Disability Access and Inclusion form. To access that at our Major Events, they will be able to scan a QR code at the Information Tents, or they can access it from the Contact Us page on the Midsumma website. 

• Universal access symbols are included next to each event as they are listed online or in the printed program. This tells the audience, at a glance, what service provisions are available at each event.
• Before you arrive, check which access services are being provided (for eg. Auslan interpretation, Audio Description and/or Tactile Tours, Relaxed Performances)? This will help you prepare some communication strategies, and prepare for certain Front of House procedures (see below points).
• On arrival, check in with the Front of House manager or Team Leader if any patrons have requested any access services, and if there’s anything that you can do to assist.
  On arrival, Familiarise yourself with any audio description or assistive listening technologies an audience member may collect from you upon arrival. Make sure you understand the process for handing these items out pre-show, and collecting them post-show. Can you help set it up, ready to be handed out?
• Is there a lockout procedure? Are late-comers allowed entry?
• On arrival, have a look around the venue and take note of: steps, ramps, hand rails, accessible and/or inaccessible routes (including entrances and exits), accessible bathrooms, nearest green/grassy areas (for dog guides and service animals).

Please be aware: dog guides and service animals are legally permitted to go anywhere an audience member is allowed to go.

Do use ‘person first’ language: Person with disability, wheelchair user, person who is blind or has low vision, person who is d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing, person of short stature

Do NOT use language of deficit: Handicapped, person who can’t walk/ hear/ speak/ etc, wheelchair bound, the blind/deaf, deaf and dumb, crazy, slow, crippled, special, inspiring.

• When communicating, remember to state your name and your role at Midsumma.
• If it appears necessary, ask “Would you like assistance with…?” rather than assuming that help is required.
• Speak directly to the person rather than to the person with them.
• Use a normal tone of voice.
• It’s OK to let a person know you are having difficulty understanding them; try asking yes or no questions.

• If you are communicating with a person who is Deaf and you don’t know Auslan, it is appropriate to offer written communication as an alternative (via a notes app on your phone, or handwritten notes).
• If you are calling out an order number to let someone know their food is ready, a person who is Deaf might not realise. Be prepared with a visual communication system, or to leave your point of service to get their attention.
• If communicating with a person who is blind, it is appropriate to say things like “I’m holding the EFTPOS machine in front of you.. Oh, it’s a little to the left”, “Would you like me to read the menu to you”, “You are second in the line”, etc.
• Never take hold of a blind person’s hands or body and move them to where you want them to be. If a person would like assistance with wayfinding, you can ask “How can I best assist you?” or “I’m ready to assist but I haven’t done this before: how can I best guide you? What information do you want from me as we move through the venue?”

Our major events are high-sensory environments that may become overwhelming for people with particular sensory needs. If someone seems overwhelmed (this can look like: crying, rocking, lying on the ground, or not speaking), the primary goal is to protect their dignity by supporting them to regulate themselves:

• Create physical space around them
• Do not touch the person
• Do not speak to them or provide any new information
• If you can identify factors in the environment that may have contributed to an individual feeling overwhelmed (e.g. heat, noise, crowds), you may be able to offer an alternative to help with self-regulation (e.g. placing a bottle of water, or something cold, near the person).

Eventually, the person will regulate their breathing and behaviour and may begin communicating and processing new information.

Midsumma does not expect you to be an expert in access and inclusion.
We don’t expect you to get it all right.
It’s OK to make mistakes, or to not know the answers. We are all learning, and will never stop learning.

Some people use the phrase ‘access is attitudinal’. What this means is that, if people have an attitude of learning, or have a desire to be accessible and inclusive, then whatever problems that arise can be worked out. Sometimes, it’s really unhelpful to us to feel like we have all the answers. Doubt can be useful!

If, at the end of the shift, you can say that you’ve:

been yourself and kept things real
been respectful and flexible
tried to keep in mind the diversity of people that attend Midsumma events

then you can feel proud. You have done a good job!