FESTIVAL ASSISTANTS: ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL 2026
Are you interested in learning about how arts festivals are run and working with us on this year’s event? We are offering a free one-day training session followed by a paid role working on our 2-day Ensemble Festival weekend.
Ensemble Festival 2026 takes place from July 25-26 in the heart of the Royal Docks, bringing an explosive mix of circus, theatre, live music, dance, and outdoor performance. The festival is produced by Certain Blacks, an arts development organisation based in East London. The company supports the work of diverse artists from many different cultural, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, life experiences and life choices and is supported by The Royal Docks.
For further information about Ensemble Festival 2026, visit www.certainblacks.com
Role: Festival Assistant
Dates:
- Thursday 16th July between 10:30 – 16:30 at Expressway London (1 Dock Rd, London E16 1AH) with a free lunch provided.
- The festival dates are the 25th and 26th of July 2026
Fee: £14.80 per hour (London Living Wage)
Application deadline: Monday 6th July 2026, at 10:00 am
Interviews: Friday 10 July 2026 between 9:00 am and 11:00 am (15-minute online interviews for shortlisted applicants).
To Apply
- Please complete the application form here: https://forms.gle/EnJa7H5d9TdvBU488
- Please fill out our Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form: https://forms.gle/uoYqVQxDvx7rfTDa9
Before applying, please ensure you are available for the training day on Thursday 16 July and can commit to at least two festival shifts on 25–26 July 2026. We ask that you apply only if you can genuinely attend the dates and shifts you selected in your application.
Person specification
We are looking for people who are:
- Interested in festivals, live events, arts and culture
- Enthusiastic, reliable and keen to learn
- Comfortable engaging with a wide range of audiences, artists and festival staff
- Able to work collaboratively as part of a team
- Confident communicators with a friendly and approachable manner
- Interested in creating welcoming, inclusive and accessible experiences for audiences
- You must be over 18 and have the right to work in the UK.
Training details
The training session will take place between approximately 11am-4pm on Thursday 16th July at Expressway in the Royal Docks with a free lunch provided.
Training topics will include:
- How festivals are planned and delivered
- The different roles involved in making a festival happen
- An introduction to this year’s Ensemble Festival programme
- Supporting artists and working with the public at an outdoor event
- Creating a welcoming and accessible experience for audiences
- Collecting audience feedback and understanding why it matters
- Practical information about your Festival Assistant role, including communication, teamwork and festival procedures
Festival details
The festival takes place over two days – Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th July, from 12pm-8pm.
- Shifts will be 5.5 hours on each day (staggered from 9 am-9 pm), ideally consisting of one opening shift and one closing shift.
- Shifts will be paid at the London Living Wage rate of £14.80 per hour.
If you have any questions about the application process, please email Nassy Konan at festivalproducer@certainblacks.com. Further info about the company and festival www.certainblacks.com
ABOUT CERTAIN BLACKS
Certain Blacks is a diverse-led arts development organisation based in Newham, East London. The company supports the work of diverse artists from many different cultural, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, life experiences and life choices. The company produces two annual festivals, pop-up and partnership events operating across a range of art forms, including live art, music, theatre, circus, digital and music. Long-term relationships with artists and arts organisations, venues, festivals, and promoters are core to the company’s mission of securing lasting investment in diverse work for touring and performance in the UK and beyond.
Certain Blacks is a Company Limited by Guarantee; its non-profit objectives are:
- Support the creative development and promotion of diverse artists.
- Challenge assumptions about their work and the audiences that see it.
- Support and develop platforms where diverse work can be experienced, including outdoor festivals, in regional and national venues and digitally.
In April 2023, Certain Blacks became an Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisation and will receive regular funding until March 2028. The organisation is part of the artistic directorate of Without Walls, a national commissioning network for Outdoor Arts and regularly works in partnership with The Royal Docks and the London Borough of Newham.
Further information can be found at www.certainblacks.com
ABOUT OUR RECRUITMENT PRACTICE
Certain Blacks is committed to being a truly inclusive organisation – from our Trustees and team members to our audience and participants. We treat all job applications equally, regardless of race, age, disability, gender identity or gender expression, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, or any other equality characteristic. We particularly encourage applications from groups who are underrepresented in the cultural sector, including working-class people, disabled people, and people from Global Majority backgrounds.
Our organisation has a flexible and adaptive environment that allows our small, dedicated team to flourish. We are open to discussing the possibility of remote working, flexible start and finish times. We will explore this with candidates at the interview stage.
As a Disability Confident Committed employer, Certain Blacks will offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria.
