NEWS
EVENTS
Hosting at Chilled in a Field 2013
Other | Wednesday 4th September 2013 | Ewan
For many people, going to festivals is about becoming part of an enormous gathering. However, there are good sides and bad sides to large numbers of people all using the same space and facilities. Some festivals are much, much smaller, catering to only a couple hundred of people. One such festival is called Chilled in a Field and is an off-shoot of a rave in Vauxhall called Planet Angel.
Last year I worked at Chilled in a Field as part of the Hosting Crew and also in the Tea Tent. This year I went back for another go. It had been a whole year since I took part in a yearly gathering of friendly, fun-filled people in a field somewhere in Kent. I hadn’t forgotten all the incredible memories of last years “Chilled” which involved getting drenched in a water-fight with the kids, playing volleyball, making a paper windmill and pinhole camera in the arts and crafts tent, as well as many more vivid memories that made me think - “This is fantastic. I need to do this every year!”
My roles this year were much the same, as being a responsible Host and making sure everyone was having a good time and taking care of odd jobs around the campsite was a task that I was well-suited to. It’s one of the roles at Chilled in a Field where you have to have a level of sensibility and responsibility because you are in charge of making sure everyone is partying and having fun in a safe environment. My other responsibilities in this role consisted of replacing bins that were full, collecting rubbish and making sure the facilities in the loo’s were stocked up.
These may not seem like the most glamorous jobs to be doing at a festival but someone has got to do them and I get a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that I’m doing something important, that other people’s festival experience is more enjoyable because of my hard-work. Being a Host doesn’t mean you are not allowed to have fun however! In fact, the coordinators at Chilled insist that part of doing the job properly is to make sure you are having fun and enjoying yourself.
We are also encouraged to talk, chat and play with people and the kids on sight. Being open and friendly is another essential requirement for this role. You need to be able to talk to people to know if everyone is alright, that everyone is feeling happy and nothing is worrying them or disturbing them. A good host will always spot someone who looks like they’re feeling a bit lonely, a bit lost, or even a bit too inebriated.
If this all sounds like it’s a very demanding, stressful and bothersome job then I’m not describing it correctly. It is important, but there is no pressure in getting something wrong or forgetting to do something. I think one of the greatest feelings of working at Chilled in a Field is feeling like part of the crew or even like part of a family. We make Chilled in a Field happen, we make it as best as it can be and I think we do an amazing job. Not just the Hosts, but the Kitchen crew, The Rigging crew, the Tea Tent, the co-ordinators and everyone that works at Chilled deliver an experience that I think is probably very different from the usual festival experience.
- Ewan Phillips
