Home › Get Involved › Volunteers ›

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Festival Office?

  • The Writers Festival Office is in Festival House, at 1398 Cartwright Street on Granville Island just east of the Waterfront Theatre.
    • This is also the location of the Writers Festival Box Office, where tickets for the Festival can be purchased up to one day in advance.

How do I know when I’m assigned and what shifts I’m working?

  • You will be contacted regarding your committee assignment(s) and shift schedule by early October.
  • You will be contacted by email if you have provided us with an email address, so please check your email regularly during September and October.
  • In most cases, a Committee Captain, a volunteer who assists the Volunteer Manager with scheduling and contacting volunteers pre-Festival, will be getting in touch with you. This volunteer is often in a supervisory position during the Festival.
  • You will be scheduled based on the availability and committee preferences you noted on your registration form, and with your skills and our needs in mind. Please let us know as soon as possible if your availability changes, and/or if you purchase tickets to events.

What are the usual shift times?

  • Shift times vary depending on the committee. They start as early as 8 am (even on Saturday and Sunday) and often run until (and occasionally past) midnight.
  • When you are contacted with your shift times, please make sure you tell your Committee Captain if it is difficult for you to arrive for an early shift or stay for a late one.
  • When agreeing to shifts as scheduled, you must take responsibility for getting yourself to and from Granville Island safely.

Does the Festival provide food for volunteers?

  • Snacks, coffee, tea, and water available all day and evening during the Festival week at the Volunteer Lounge. If you are on shift over a meal-time, please bring food to keep yourself going.

How can I get a copy of the Program?

  • The Program guide for 2010 will be available online in September. The printed version will be available at the Festival office and at most libraries and bookstores in the Lower Mainland.

Can I work some volunteer hours before the Festival starts?

  • Yes! We need volunteers with daytime weekday availability in our office to answer the phone and help with mailouts, other administrative tasks and with program guide distribution. These jobs start late August/early September and carry through the Festival week.
  • Volunteers who work all of their hours prior to the Festival are asked to serve more than the 12 hours we require of Festival week volunteers. Administration volunteers will usually work 4 or 5 shifts, of 3 to 4 hours each, prior to the Festival and one during Festival week. Distribution volunteers will usually work a total of 20 – 25 hours in September and early October.
  • Transportation volunteers, who drive authors to and from the airport and often drive authors to and from interviews during the Festival week, can often work many hours before and/or after the Festival, freeing up time to take in events.

Where can I park?

  • Parking is limited! If possible, park off-Island or arrive by bike, on foot, by bus or False Creek Ferry.
  • There is free, 3-hour maximum parking in some parts of Granville Island. Please note new pay parking regulations in some lots. It often takes a while to find a parking space on Granville Island, and you may end up a short walk away from where you are working, so please plan accordingly.
  • If you have a shift that is longer than 3 hours, we do have a LIMITED number of parking passes that you can borrow for the duration of your shift. You can get those passes from the reception volunteer, 9 am to 4 pm daily.
    • Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • After 7 pm, parking is free and good until 7 am, even in the covered parking lots!
  • There is also a parking lot at Lamey’s Mill Road and The Castings, about a five-minute walk east off the Island.
  • If you get a ticket or if your car is towed, we cannot reimburse you.
  • We do not give out bus tickets.
  • False Creek Ferries are free for volunteers with a badge during the Festival, from October 19-24.

Can I see events while I’m on shift?

  • In many cases, yes! If you are scheduled at a specific event, especially in Catering & Event Hospitality, Founts of Festival Wisdom, Front of House, Author Escorts (Hospitality), Booksales & Signings, and Production, you are in a good position to watch while you volunteer.
    • If you are scheduled in other capacities for an event, arrangements can sometimes be made through your supervisor and the Front of House Manager for you to watch all or part of the event.

Can I see events when I'm not on shift?

  • Volunteers scheduled for a minimum of 12 hours receive one ticket to a Festival event, through the Volunteer Ticket Request form posted on-line later in September.
  • Volunteers who want to see events that have available seating can ask for tickets at the event Box Office by showing their badge to the Box Office person and signing up on the venue waitlist. Tickets are released for available seats to badge-holders in the order they sign up.
  • Please note: Volunteers are only guaranteed entry to events with available seating and the venue Box Office makes the final decision about the number of badge-holder seats available.
    • If standing room is available, Stage Managers and Venue Front of House Managers determine the number of people who may be able to stand at an event, if any.

Questions?

  • Contact Volunteer Manager Kathryn Fowler by email or by phone at 604.681.6330 ext101.

Thank you!