Written by Dan Howse

Anyone who has been to a music festival can tell you that a lot more people are involved in providing the festival than just the musicians.  While the bands, artists and other performers naturally get the spotlight, the people holding that spotlight in place are just as important.   So are the people providing setup, cleanup, security, merchandising and all aspects of the event.  

While many festivals choose to hire their own help or outsource to professional security, being the kind of grassroots, community driven initiative that Hillside Inside is, the vast majority of this work is done by volunteers.

This year, Hillside Inside will receive contributions from about 275 volunteers.  There are 25 different areas for volunteers to get involved in, from pre-production to post-production and all sorts of staging, security, customer service and cleaning help in between.  Volunteers during the event are required to donate four hours of their time while volunteers involved in the pre or post-production are required to donate twelve.  In exchange for their help, volunteers receive access to the show, a tee shirt and a 10 per cent discount on Hillside Inside merchandise.

So just how important are the volunteers?  Well, to help put things in perspective, Hillside Inside, which is a not-for-profit group, employs only four full-time staff.  That makes the volunteers essential to running the event without prohibitive costs.  A ticket to Hillside Inside only costs 75 dollars.  While that might seem a little steep for one concert, the beauty of a festival is that you aren’t simply getting one act.  This year’s line-up features eleven different acts, headlined by folk legend Ani DiFranco.  So, for those mathematically challenged arts students out there like myself, that works out to less than $7 an act.  Factor in the intimate accommodation that the Sleeman Centre provides, and concertgoers are left with a steal.

However, the advantages of a volunteer based festival go beyond financial incentives.  The sense of community provided by the volunteers is one of the things that make Hillside Inside such a wonderful experience.  Volunteer coordinator Jesse O’Donnell explained that while the event could be run without volunteers, it just wouldn’t be the same. 

“I’m sure we could [run the event without volunteers],” O’Donnell said. “But it would be a much different atmosphere.” 

While O’Donnell herself is one of the four full-time employees on the Hillside committee, she has done volunteer work in the past and understands the importance of it in building a communal atmosphere.  To help gain a better understanding of this, O’Donnell referred the Ontarion to Amanda Gryzwacz, the Hillside Inside Tech Help Crew Co-ordinator.

While Gryzwacz is new to the responsibilities of being a coordinator, she is not a rookie altogether.  With a music and performance background, Gryzwacz volunteered at last year’s Hillside Inside.  

“Last year I was asked to help kind of last minute,” Gryzwacz said.  While some organizations can be exclusive, Hillside Inside wasn’t one of them.  “Everyone welcomed me with open arms,” Gryzwacz added.  As one of the co-ordinators this year, an aim of Gryzwacz’s is to make sure everyone feels as welcome as she did last year. 

“Being a volunteer is a wonderful experience,” Gryzwacz said.

 For her, bridging the gap between performer and concertgoer is a special privilege. 

“I just love music,” Gryzwacz said, “and I love the feeling of helping to bring a show together.”

Local music promoter Spencer Shewen echoed Gryzwacz’s sentiments. 

“Volunteering just creates a family atmosphere,” he said.

  Shewen, who has volunteered for both Hillside and Hillside Inside, said that this feeling is not limited to the volunteers.

“For both participants and attendees, volunteering creates a special feeling that just makes a show that much more special,” he said.  

If volunteering sounds like something you’d be interested in, log on to www.hillsidefestival.ca.  While all volunteering spots for this festival have been filled, positions for the summer event go up in April.  In the meantime, don’t forget to say a special thanks to your volunteers at Hillside Inside, this Feb. 6.

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