Festival crew and volunteer scheduling, step by step

List every area that needs people: bar, entrance and ticket scanning, security, cloakroom, awareness, info point, parking, build-up and teardown, runners. Then estimate the headcount per area and hour. Bars and entrances peak at different times: the entrance when doors open, the bar a few hours later.

Some positions need qualifications, such as a security licence, first aid or a hygiene briefing for food service. Note them per position, so only people who have them end up on those shifts.

Shift length decides how many people you need and how tired they are at the end. Six to eight hours with planned breaks is a common choice. At busy positions, overlap shifts by 15 to 30 minutes, so handovers happen without a queue.

Plan build-up and teardown separately. They need different people, start earlier and often run longer than the event itself.

Ask your crew which days and times they can work before you build the plan. Assign people with the right qualifications first, then spread the hours, so the same few do not end up with every shift. Keep a reserve list: on festival days, some people will not turn up.

For employees, the German Working Hours Act (ArbZG) sets the limits. Collective agreements can allow deviations, so check which apply to you. The rules that matter most at events:

• 01Up to 8 hours of work a day, extendable to 10 hours if the average over six months stays at 8 (§ 3 ArbZG)
• 02A break of at least 30 minutes after more than six hours of work, 45 minutes after more than nine (§ 4 ArbZG)
• 03At least 11 hours of rest between two working days (§ 5 ArbZG)
• 04Stricter limits for minors under the Youth Employment Protection Act (JArbSchG), including on night work

Employees are entitled to the statutory minimum wage, which usually changes at the turn of the year. Mini-jobs have a monthly earnings limit tied to the minimum wage. Short-term employment is limited to three months or 70 working days per calendar year (§ 8 SGB IV).

For mini-jobbers and short-term staff, start, end and duration of each day's work must be recorded no later than seven days after the day of work (§ 17 MiLoG). The same applies to all staff in some sectors, among them catering and security.

Many festivals work with volunteers who get a ticket, meals or a small allowance. Whether someone counts as a volunteer or an employee depends on the actual arrangement, not the label. If helpers are paid more than their expenses or work under instructions like staff, employment and social security law may apply. Clarify the status with an adviser before the season.

Publish the plan in one place and ask everyone to confirm their shifts. Send a briefing before the event: where to report, who leads the shift, what to wear and how to clock in. On the day, a check-in at the start of each shift shows who is missing while there is still time to call the reserve list.

1. Arbeitszeitgesetz (ArbZG), § 3: working time
2. Arbeitszeitgesetz (ArbZG), § 4: breaks
3. Arbeitszeitgesetz (ArbZG), § 5: rest periods
4. Mindestlohngesetz (MiLoG), § 17: recording working time
5. Schwarzarbeitsbekämpfungsgesetz (SchwarzArbG), § 2a: sectors with stricter duties
6. Sozialgesetzbuch IV (SGB IV), § 8: mini-jobs and short-term employment
7. Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz (JArbSchG)

This guide is a practical overview and does not replace legal or tax advice.