Volunteer
Free entry for the whole gathering, all meals, and a camping spot if desired (BYOT). You work roughly 6 hours a day on the days you are on, and the rest of the time is yours.
$50 refundable deposit.
Apply
December 31, 2026 - January 3, 2027
Help us hold it
A gathering like this is made by the people behind it. We are looking for around thirty of them - to build it, welcome people in, decorate the space, and take it all down again.
Apply to join the crew
The invitation
Music Temple is not a festival with a crew hired in. It is a gathering held by a group of people who care how it feels.
Crewing means you work a handful of shifts across the four days, and the rest of the time you are simply here. In the Shala. At the fire. In the river. At the ceremony at midnight with everyone else.
Most of the work is ordinary. Checking people in at the gate. Keeping the grounds clean. Sitting with the children while their parents go deep. Carrying a cable to the stage. Answer questions and help orient people. Building altars and help make the space beautiful. It is what makes the rest possible.
You are not staff. You are part of it.
Three ways to join
Half trade
A half-price ticket, a camping spot, and meals on the days you work. A lighter way in if you want to be part of it without a full commitment.
No deposit - your ticket is the commitment.
ApplyGathering crew
Accommodation, meals, Café Cora credit, access to what is happening at Awake, and your ticket to the gathering. Around 20 to 25 hours a week. For a small handful of people.
Where you might land
You tell us what you are drawn to and what you are good at. We build the schedule around that where we can.
Gate and box office
Welcoming people in, checking tickets, wristbands, pointing people to their camping spot. The first face of the gathering!
Info point
The desk everyone comes to with a question, and a hand for anyone who needs one
Kids zone
A parallel programme for the children, running every day
Decoration and altars
Building the spaces that hold the ceremony
Build and strike
Tents, structures, camping and parking, and taking it all down again
Production and stage
Supporting sound, artists and the running of the Shala
Vendor village
The food and craft market
Media
Photo and video, for those who bring the eye and the gear
What you receive
- Free entry to the full four days, or half price on the Half Trade
- 2 meals per day across the days you are on site
- A camping spot if desired (BYOT)
- Full access to everything when you are off shift
- The people. Most of our crew come back, and most of them come back for each other.
What we ask
- 01The hours you signed up for. We build a schedule around what you told us, and other people rely on it.
- 02Orientation on 30 December. On site, in person. This is where you meet your team and walk the land. No orientation, no wristband.
- 03Sober on shift.
- 0418 or over, for every role.
The $50 deposit comes back to you within two weeks of the gathering, once your shifts are done. We hold it because one no-show on New Year's Eve is felt by everyone.
The Gathering Crew
Four weeks on the land
Before a gathering can happen, someone has to build it. For a small handful of people, we are offering something longer and quieter than a festival shift.
You would arrive around the middle of December, when Awake is still just Awake. Over the next two weeks you would help make it into something - clearing and preparing the camping area, going through storage, building seating, prefabricating decoration, helping with scheduling, and all the last-minute things that will occur. Then the gathering happens, and you are in it. Then everyone leaves, and you help put the land back together.
Around 20 to 25 hours a week. In exchange, you live here: accommodation in shared rooms, some meals, credit at Café Cora, access to what is happening at Awake while you are with us, and your ticket to the gathering.
This is for people who want the whole arc, not just the four days. It suits someone with time in December and January, who likes to get involved in shaping and building the gathering: working with their hands, flexible and an all-rounder, takes on responsibility, and has a feeling for what needs to happen.
We are looking for three or four people. If that is you, say so clearly in the form.
Apply for the Gathering CrewHow it works
- 1
Apply
Fill in the form. It takes about ten minutes. Tell us which tier, what you are drawn to, when you can be here, and whether you'd rather give your hours before/after or during the gathering.
- 2
We talk
We read every application. If it looks like a fit, we will be in touch from late October for a short conversation.
- 3
Confirm
We send you an offer with your tier and dates. You accept and pay your deposit, and your place is held.
- 4
Arrive
Your shift schedule comes around the first of December. Orientation is on 30 December, and then we begin.
Questions
Do I need experience?
For most areas, no. For the kids zone, build, and media, yes - and we will ask you about it.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
It helps enormously, especially at the gate and the info point. It is not required everywhere.
Can I come with a friend or a partner?
Yes. Tell us in the form and we will try to schedule you together, though we cannot promise it.
Can I bring my children?
Yes. The kids zone runs every day. Tell us ages in the form so we can plan.
What if I can only come for part of it?
Tell us your real dates. Build and strike are the hardest days to fill, so if those are what you can do, you are especially welcome.
Will I miss the gathering if I am working?
No. That is the point of the design. Shifts are capped at eight hours, nobody works two back to back, so there is plenty of room to enjoy the program and connect.
What if something changes and I cannot come?
Tell us as soon as you know. We hold a waitlist and we would much rather hear early than be short on the day.
See you at the fire
Applications are open until mid-November or until spaces fill. We will read every one.
Apply to join the crew