Shift work for event staff
Event work comes in bursts: weekend matches, summer festivals, conference season and Christmas events. Staff often work for several agencies at once, shifts can start before dawn or finish after midnight, and payment can arrive weeks later.
How your pay works
- Event work is usually irregular hours, so your holiday builds up at 12.07% of the hours you work. Some agencies pay it as an extra amount on each payslip.
- Shifts often overrun when crowds leave. Time you're required to stay is working time.
- Travel to a festival site isn't usually paid, but travel between venues during a working day can count as working time.
- Camping or accommodation provided at festivals can't be charged to take your pay below the minimum wage, beyond a small daily accommodation offset.
- Payment timings vary a lot between agencies, so knowing which gigs are still unpaid matters.
What to keep a record of
- Each event: venue, agency, call time and finish time
- Breaks, and any overrun
- Travel and expenses
- Holiday pay, if paid separately
- Which gigs are still unpaid
Get started
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Common questions
Do event staff get holiday pay?
Yes, if you're a worker or employee. On irregular hours it builds up at 12.07% of the hours you work, and some agencies add it to each payslip.
My event finished late. Should I be paid for the extra time?
Yes, if you were required to stay. Record your real finish time, not the rota time.
I work for several event agencies. How do I keep track?
Log every gig with its agency, hours and rate, and mark each one paid when the money arrives. That way you can see at a glance which agency still owes you.