Cheltenham Festivals

Festival internships

Festival internships

Many thanks to everyone who expressed an interest, or applied for, an internship in 2010.

Our festival teams were overwhelmed by the huge numbers of applicants so we hope that those who were not selected managed to find a suitable placement in an area of their interest.

Our 2010 internship programme is now full and we are beginning to plan ahead for 2011. We will be following a similar process of recruitment next year and full details will be on the website from December this year so please continue to keep a look out.

Great opportunities — at Cheltenham Festivals

Working with Cheltenham Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals for up to 3 months. An opportunity for students or recent graduates to be part of a highly professional events team organising four of the most prestigious festivals in the UK. We are looking for enthusiastic, hard working, organised individuals who enjoy the challenge of working in a dynamic environment.

Leading up to the festival

  • create artwork for all festival staff and artist passes
  • assist in the organisation of festival transport ie vehicle hire, organisation of parking permits etc
  • prepare daily event boxes
  • help distribute comp tickets
  • create and make all signage relevant for festival
  • updating databases when necessary

During the festival:

  • running the information desk
  • distribution of all festival passes
  • checking and tidying the VIP room and dressing rooms
  • taking messages in the festival office
  • assisting event managers on individual events: furniture, refreshments, ticket sales, seat reservations, Q & A sessions, sound check, signing etc
  • if applicable assisting with driving guests between station, venue and hotels

Please note that these are non remunerative internship opportunities. Cheltenham Festivals is working towards equal opportunities and is a registered charity.


Contact us

Contact Helena Bibby here at Cheltenham Festivals for further information, call Helena on 01242 775196 or use our postal address.

Cheltenham Festivals,
109 Bath Road,
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire,
GL53 7LS

Don’t forget to check our blog regularly for all news about volunteering and internships.


What our interns say — Hannah

“Friends and family have had a fairly vague picture of what being an intern entails, and variety is the main word which comes to mind when trying to explain what my workload involves.”

Hannah writes more on our festival blog…


What our interns say — Zivile

I came to Cheltenham Festivals to do an internship which was required to complete my MA at Humboldt University of Berlin. As a press and marketing intern, I was fully enrolled in the promotion of the festival by the most engaging staff, and my roles ranged from marketing distribution to writing stories for the website and making podcasts. I had a chance to interview authors and celebrities whom other people might only dream to have an autograph of.

“…my roles ranged from marketing distribution to writing stories for the website and making podcasts. I had a chance to interview authors and celebrities whom other people might only dream to have an autograph of.”

The funny thing is that before I ever came to Cheltenham Festivals for an internship, I had often imagined literature festivals as the gathering of two poets and reading their manuscripts to one another in a dim candle light. What I saw, however, was different from what I could have ever imagined, and being able to contribute to the tremendousness of this festival from inside turned it into an experience I will never forget.


What our interns say — Judith

I joined Cheltenham Festival for a 3 months’ internship with the Literature Festival in 2007. I was overwhelmed by the great team spirit and the brilliant atmosphere which made working for the Festivals a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

“I was overwhelmed by the great team spirit and the brilliant atmosphere which made working for the Festivals a thoroughly enjoyable experience.”

The team made a great effort to involve me actively in the stunning task of organising a 10-day Festival, giving me my own projects to work on and patiently answering all of my questions. I made lots of invaluable experiences during these 3 months, both on a personal and professional level, learning so much about the Arts, event management and team work. In fact, I enjoyed myself so much that I couldn’t resist and came back after finishing university to work on the next Literature Festival!

I could only advise anyone who has a genuine interest in the Arts, wants to be part of a great team and is willing to work hard, to join Cheltenham Festivals for an internship.