Sign up to volunteer at Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) 2025 and become part of a vibrant volunteer programme where you can develop your skills and meet fantastic like-minded people.
BLF volunteers learn and develop valuable skills, build lasting connections that could lead to future opportunities, and gain a boost in self-esteem and confidence.
“Volunteering at BLF has opened my eyes to the available opportunities that are out there.” – Festival Volunteer
Exciting roles and responsibilities
As a volunteer, you can take on a variety of roles, getting first hand experience of how all aspects of festival work together.
- Festival Runners: A fast paced and varied role, supporting our Production Team with the day-to-day operations of the festival.
- Workshop Assistants: Assisting in our creative workshops, supporting visitors to create art pieces to be proud of.
- Accessibility Chaperones: Assisting and advocating for those with accessibility requirements, such as assisting guests around the festival site.
- Venue Assistants: Interacting with people from all walks of life, ensure that visitors of the festival are having a fun, safe and organised experience.
- Guest and Green Room Assistants: Helping with the care of high-profile speakers, festival partners, publishers and members of the press.
- Stage Assistants: Seeing how the festival experience unfolds from backstage – supporting our Events Team to prepare festival speakers for their events, assist with stage set up and ensure the event runs smoothly.
Whether you’re scanning tickets and greeting visitors at the door, getting creative as a Workshop Assistant, or taking essential items from A to B, our volunteers have an incredible impact on the festival’s success.
“I’ve enjoyed every part of my volunteering experience, from meeting new inspirational individuals to getting to witness what an incredible asset BLF is to Bradford.” – Festival Volunteer
“I found the festival volunteers brilliant – super friendly and helpful.” – 2024 Festival Visitor
A dedicated and diverse community
During BLF 2024, 126 volunteers dedicated over 1,500 hours of their time; an incredible show of support from the BLF community! We’re proud that our volunteers are not only committed to the festival, they are passionate about celebrating Bradford as a city. With Bradford celebrating its year as City of Culture 2025, this is a fantastic time to get involved with BLF, one of the UK’s top three largest literature festivals.
“Proud to be a Bradfordian. Impressed with the performance and professionalism of staff and volunteers. Great atmosphere.” – 2024 Festival Visitor
In 2024, our volunteers spanned generations and were from many walks of life, with 64% coming from ethnically diverse backgrounds. 40% of volunteers were aged 16 to 24, 36% aged 25 to 49, and 24% aged 50 and over.
“Volunteering gave me the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds, engage with the public, and see a variety of world-class speakers, academics and artists.” – Festival Volunteer
Whether you’ve got two hours to spare, a couple of days, or even a couple of weeks, our flexible volunteering opportunities can fit alongside your schedule.
“Volunteering alongside skilled and friendly people really made the experience worthwhile.” – Festival Volunteer
Bradford Literature Festival 2025 will take place Friday 27 June – Sunday 6 July 2025.
Signing up to be a volunteer takes only a minute – all you need to provide is your name, contact details, and a brief outline of any previous experience or interests you have. Follow the link below to sign up and become part of the BLF Volunteer Programme this year.
Volunteer at BLF 2025