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SHAMBHALA Sanctuary INFORMATION
- Directions & Party Info
- Plan Enough Travel Time & Gas
- Dealing With The Gate (NEW INFO on confirmation numbers!!)
- Sanctuary Location & Site Map
- Camping & Parking
- Opening Meeting (VERY IMPORTANT!!), (Updated to Thursday 11:30am)
- Training & Useful Info
- Shift Schedule & Reporting For Duty
- Questions & Emergencies
1. DIRECTIONS & PARTY INFO
Please read the PARTY INFO on the Shambhala website. The same info will also be emailed to you separately for your convenience.
2. PLAN ENOUGH TRAVEL TIME & GAS
The turn-off from the highway onto the farm road that takes you in to the Shambhala site is narrow, bumpy and a few kilometres long. Depending on what day you arrive, it may take several hours to crawl along the farm road in the line-up of cars going in through the gate (Wednesday bad in the afternoon/evening, Thursday bad especially afternoon/evening, Friday bad during the day). Unfortunately there is no fast-track entry for staff and volunteers.
Leaving is faster but it can still take an hour or two to get out if you leave at peak times from Sunday afternoon to Monday night.
So please plan ahead …. HAVE ENOUGH GAS IN YOUR CAR for it to idle for four hours in (yes it may take that long! – especially on Thursday) and crawl for two hours out. Expect to spend anywhere from 2 to 4 hours in the line-up and factor that in to your travel plans.
3. DEALING WITH THE GATE
You are all OFFICIAL SHAMBHALA FESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS and your names will be in the VOLUNTEER DATABASE.
(NEW!!) This year there are no confirmation numbers: all you need is the email address you used to create your shambhalastaff.com volunteer profile account plus a piece of photo id to prove you are that person.
When you arrive, let the gate know immediately that you are volunteers with the Sanctuary/First Aid. Please also have ID ready to identify yourself to the staff there and your ticket confirmation number. Note they reserve the right to search all cars entering the site so please be discreet.
Make sure you GET A VOLUNTEER WRISTBAND not a regular one! The volunteer wristband will get you free coffee and snacks. Please keep your wristband because they check them on the way out. Really!
Volunteers can arrive and camp on site as early as Monday August 4, and leave as late as Tuesday August 12. The gate officially opens Wednesday for people who pay a $20 surcharge, and Thursday for general tickets. Any non-volunteers traveling with you will likely have to pay the surcharge if you arrive before Thursday but VOLUNTEERS DO NOT PAY ANYTHING.
If you are going to be arriving Monday or Tuesday and there will be non-volunteers with you then please let me (Warren) know in advance. I have checked with the organisers and there should be no problem for the non-volunteers to get in but we do need to know about this in advance. Also this has to be within reason, i.e. one or two is OK but if you are the only volunteer in a busload of 4 or 6 non-volunteers then there might be some difficulties. In any case, please let us know in advance if this applies to you and we will do our best to smooth the way forward.
If there are any problems at the gate, please ask the gate staff to radio the Production Office or First Aid and ask for Alex (Head of First Aid) or Warren (Sanctuary/Harm Reduction).
4. THE SANCTUARY LOCATION & SITE MAP
The Sanctuary is located in the “City Centre” area where the vendors and Main Stage are, and is tucked in a clump of huge trees behind First Aid and the Production Office.
Click here for a map that shows a big red cross where the Sanctuary and First Aid are.
Note also the locations of the “camping area for us”, “fence” and yellow spot with a “P” on it for parking – they are referred to in the directions below.
5. CAMPING & PARKING
Please feel free to camp anywhere you like. There are many quiet areas along the river and at the far end of the site opposite to the entrance – keep driving as far as you can go and the sites are along the road and between the road and the river to your left (all the treed space to the left and lower left of the Labyrinth (was Portal) and Village stages. Be advised this can be quite a long walk from the stages and even further to the central camp area.
There is a specific area that has been used by some First Aid and Sanctuary volunteers off to the side of the site in an area marked “out of bounds”. It is a shady, wooded area fairly close to the central areas of the camp but in a pretty quiet spot. This can be a nice spot to camp if you arrive early enough to "take charge" of the area - it's advisable to tape this area off with caution tape if you do decide to camp there. This area is circled in orange on the attached map – note that it is across the pink site boundary line.
6. OPENING MEETING (Correction to day)
VERY IMPORTANT: please attend the OPENING MEETING ON THURSDAY AT 11:30 AM in the Sanctuary. The meeting will be for TWO HOURS.
We will explain to everyone the operations of the Sanctuary, how we will be working with First Aid and Security, the radio protocol, the record keeping we need to do, shift handovers, and refresh you about legal obligations and what to do regarding sexual assault and suicide (VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION !!). There will also be short introductions from the head of Security and head of First Aid and a brief overview of the emergency protocol in case of a serious disaster such as a fire or extreme weather. IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAKE THIS MEETING!!
If you cannot make the opening meeting, please let us know in advance so that we can make alternate arrangements to bring you up to date with this crucial information. Many thanks.
7. TRAINING & USEFUL INFO
Almost all our volunteers this year either have previous experience and/or have been trained. As the festival has become more and more organised and the Sanctuary has become a key component of the safety net provided for festival goers, it has become necessary that all volunteers are properly oriented and trained.
Here are some links to psychedelic crisis support info. Please take a moment to look this information over – especially if you have not volunteered with us before or completed a training. No fear!! The work is so simple yet so deep and valuable.
8. SHIFT SCHEDULE & REPORTING FOR DUTY
The shift schedule is posted here. The shift schedule will be posted in the Sanctuary and will be emailed to everyone in advance too. Please check the schedule to make sure you know when your shifts are.
An hour overlap between shifts is allocated but (puts on Mom’s voice) this does not mean you have an hour’s grace on the starting time m‘kay! Please be considerate of your fellow volunteers and ARRIVE PROMPTLY for your shift – the sooner the shift handover is completed, the sooner the retiring shift can leave. If everyone plays nicely on this point then all of our shifts may actually be slightly shorter than advertised…thank you for your cooperation :)
Please FEEL FREE TO CHANGE, TRADE, SPLIT or rearrange your shifts as needed as long as you ensure that the shift you were allocated is fully covered and that you meet your obligations of two shifts. Please update the shift schedule posted in the Sanctuary with any changes that you have arranged. Thanks.
On SPLIT SHIFTS, each person who starts a shift is responsible for finishing it if your split does not turn up. Hope this doesn’t seem too strict but by keeping our commitments it makes it more relaxed for all the other volunteers on your shifts.
One person on each shift will be the designated SHIFT LEADER who will be responsible for making sure volunteers sign in and out, that the records are maintained, and who will be the key point person for contact with First Aid, Production and Security.
ROVING will be done by volunteers taking turns to leave the Sanctuary area and go out on patrol. The number of rovers will be determined by the workload at the Sanctuary as a shift unfolds. Each shift team is free to decide however they would like to share the roving duties. Roving can be really fun and a great way to check out what is going on during your shift so share nicely. We ask that Rovers check in back at the Sanctuary IN PERSON at least once an hour.
GOOD RECORD KEEPING is really important. It may seem like a chore but it is crucial for us to keep track of our guests and their needs, and to be able to show the Shambhala organizers how much the Sanctuary contributes to the event. These records are also critical documents if anyone gets hurt or sues the festival (or tries to sue us). It is also the evidence that MindBodyLove uses to try to influence how health care dollars are spent and to bring more resources to our scene to improve health and safety.
Your cooperation in keeping the best records we can is hugely appreciated and more valuable than you can imagine. Thank you thank you for your diligence in advance.
9. QUESTIONS & EMERGENCIES
If you have any questions or concerns, please email me or phone me (Warren).
If anything comes up for anyone before the event that means you might need to cancel or change your shifts, please let me know as soon as you have any warning so that we can re-arrange the schedule.
So many thanks to you all for volunteering your time and energy to this wonderful project. We are going to have an excellent time up there and I think many of you will be surprised at how much our presence at Shambhala is appreciated and helps keep the whole event saner, safer and healthier for everyone.
love and safe travels Warren