February 27, 2023
Our festivals showcase theatre, spoken word, visual art, dance and music by local and international artists. This year we’re excited to take over a brand new space, turning the former Scottish Widows building on Dalkeith Road in Edinburgh into an explosion of performance, music and art.
Hidden Door Festival is a volunteer-led festival and we need your help to make it happen. Our volunteers are the public face of Hidden Door; helping our artists, contributors and audiences, and supporting the festival behind the scenes.
We’re looking for friendly faces to help us with a range of tasks and activities before, during and after the festival, including:
Hidden Door couldn’t happen without the dedication, energy and enthusiasm of our amazing volunteers. Some 200 volunteers got involved in Hidden Door at the old Royal High School, our last festival, doing everything from pulling up weeds and helping out with preparations to greeting the public and supporting our artists. Our diverse and supportive community of volunteers are one of our greatest assets – passionate about the arts and the festival.
We’ll have different shifts available to suit your availability, including:
Let us know which dates you’re available for in the sign-up form below – any combination is fine!
If you’d like to know more, you can come along to our Volunteer Open Meeting at Leith Arches, from 7pm on Wednesday 5th April. We’ll tell you more about volunteering with Hidden Door and the roles available. You don’t have to attend this event to get involved, but it’s a chance to meet the team, ask any questions you may have, and hopefully sign up for some shifts! If you can’t make it, you can still register your interest in volunteering and we’ll email you everything you need to know.
If you’re interested in being part of the team, please register your interest by filling in the following form, letting us know a little bit more about yourself and your availability.
In the meantime, if you’d like to get in touch with the Volunteering Team to understand more about what’s involved, please email volunteer@hiddendoorarts.org.
In return for your time and commitment, volunteers can attend our festival events for free and get involved in a hugely exciting, creative and rewarding event.
As a volunteer you will have the opportunity to:
Plus we’re a charity so you’ll have fun whilst also helping a worthy cause!
I volunteered for Hidden Door just after moving to Edinburgh – I met so many great people and it really helped me settle into the city and find new pals!
Jess, Volunteer
We work hard to be a diverse and inclusive team and festival, and we warmly welcome people from all backgrounds. If you’re not sure if we’re the right fit for you, please do get in touch and give us a chance to tell you more. Equally, if you have any particular requirements that would help you to take part, do let us know.
We welcome volunteers from all walks of life. We believe that Hidden Door is for everyone and we are taking positive action to help people who are discriminated against or at a disadvantage, who have particular needs, a disability, BPOC+, those from diverse ethnic communities and all those who feel they are not commonly represented in the arts sector. If you can help us with this mission, we are especially keen to hear from you.
Offering to volunteer at Hidden Door having a visual impairment, I had many trepidations but they were met with understanding and compassion. The inclusive community that is Hidden Door welcomed and encouraged the best out of me. I felt so at home in the festival.
Elliott – volunteer
Whether you are a couple of colleagues or a group of 50, corporate volunteering with Hidden Door can be a great way to give something back, enjoy new experiences, break down barriers between teams or just have fun. Drop us a line at volunteer@hiddendoorarts.org to find out more!