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Volunteer with UAFest 2026

UAFest runs entirely on volunteer energy. Give a few hours, meet your community, and help make the whole day happen.

Sign up to volunteer
A large group of UAFest volunteers in matching red festival t-shirts posing together on the outdoor stage at Riverside Park during UAFest 2025.
Why Volunteer

Be part of something genuine

Meaningful Work
Every shift you take on goes straight into a festival that's free and open to everyone who shows up.
Meet Your Community
Work shoulder-to-shoulder with neighbours, newcomers and lifelong Lanark County residents — people you'll be glad to see again next year.
A volunteer photographer preparing to document a community event

Photo & Video

Help the community remember the day

Photograph the details people miss while the festival is moving: volunteers at work, artists backstage and neighbours meeting for the first time.

Apply for Photo & Video
100%
Volunteer-run — no paid staff
13
Volunteer roles to choose from
3
Festivals built by volunteers, and counting
8,000+
Guests welcomed by the volunteer team since 2023
What You Get
Meal & Refreshments
Volunteer T-Shirt
Hours Letter
Returning Volunteer Perks

Details for each are confirmed with your team lead after you apply.

Roles

Find the role that fits you

Setup & Teardown
Help build and break down the festival site.
Hospitality & Info
Welcome guests and answer questions at the info booth.
High need
Kids' Zone Helper
Run games and activities for younger guests.
Market & Vendor Support
Help vendors with setup, breaks and questions.
Stage & Sound Crew
Support performers and the technical team backstage.
Parking & Traffic
Guide visitors and vehicles safely on site.
First Aid Support
Certified first aiders supporting the on-site medical tent.
High need
Translation & Interpretation
Bridge English and Ukrainian for guests, vendors and performers — a genuinely high-need role at a bilingual festival.
Social Media
Post live updates and behind-the-scenes moments during the festival.
Photo & Video
Capture the day for the festival's gallery and recap content.
Community Outreach
Help spread the word before the festival — connecting with local groups, schools and businesses.
Logistics
Coordinate supplies, deliveries and equipment moves throughout the day.
Cleanup Crew
Keep the grounds tidy throughout and after the festival.
Don't see your role?Tell us what you're good at
Roles in Action

What volunteering actually looks like

See the full gallery →
A teen volunteer in an embroidered blouse helps a young girl in a pink apron mix batter at the Cookiddoo booth in the Kids' Zone.
Kids' Zone Helper in action
A volunteer wearing a '1st Ukrainian Fest Lanark County' t-shirt stands with a woman in an embroidered vyshyvanka dress in front of a heritage textile and flower display.
Community Outreach & heritage display
Two volunteers smiling at the Buduchnist Credit Union sponsor booth, with folk-art paintings displayed behind them.
Market & Vendor Support
A large group of UAFest volunteers and team members on a forest hike outing together.
The team, even off festival grounds
This year's team

The people you'd be joining

UAFest is 100% volunteer-run. This is the organizing core behind the 2026 festival.

Olga Ialovenko
Olga Ialovenko
Festival Director & Lead Organizer

Financial-literacy educator and certified Rotary trainer — the steady hand behind festival day at Riverside Park.

Anna Tkachenko
Anna Tkachenko
Co-organizer

Ottawa-based entrepreneur and owner of bridal boutique ALICE, originally from Cherkasy, Ukraine.

Maksym Stepanenko
Maksym Stepanenko
Co-organizer · Marketing & Digital Lead

Leads the festival's marketing and digital platform, plus the year-round UAFest.Business, Capital and Network projects.

Olga Ostafiichuk
Olga Ostafiichuk
Concert & Cultural Program Director · Festival Host

Olga leads UAFest's concert and cultural program from end to end: coordinating performers, music, dance, stage flow and the Ukrainian traditions that give the festival its heart. She hosted the 2024 and 2025 festivals with Mike Rynzak and continues to shape the program with the wider cultural team.

Yuliia Bobrovnyk
Yuliia Bobrovnyk
Sponsorship & Partnerships Coordinator · Visual Designer

Yuliia is one of the organizers who turns UAFest plans into visible, partner-ready work. She coordinates sponsorship and partnership relationships, contributes the festival's visual design, and supports project administration, grant work and design for the Rushnyk of Unity – Rushnyk of Victory Pan-American Tour.

You don't need to speak Ukrainian or know the dances — just show up ready to help. That's how most of our crew started too.

— The UAFest organizing crew
Festival Day

A typical shift

Morning
Morning Setup
Help raise tents, set up signage and stage the zones.
Festival Day
Your Shift
Time in your chosen role, scheduled with your team lead.
Evening
Evening Teardown
A last push together to close down the site.
Apply

Sign up to volunteer

It only takes a few minutes to apply — and it helps us build the whole day around real people who genuinely want to be there.

Primary language *
Level in this language *
Available to help before the festival dates? *
I have transportation to the festival in Carleton Place *
Best way to contact you *
Areas you'd like to help with (optional)

Optional. Your application is read either way.

Volunteer FAQ

No experience needed for most roles — we pair newer volunteers with returning team leads.

Comfortable closed-toe shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are recommended.

Age requirements vary by role — the volunteer team will confirm what's right for you when you apply.

Perks vary by role and shift — your team lead will confirm the details after you apply.

Shift lengths vary — the volunteer team will work with you to find a schedule that fits.

Yes — Translation & Interpretation is one of our roles, and it's especially valuable for helping guests, vendors and performers connect across languages.

Have a different question? See the full FAQ.

Other ways to help

Donate instead →·Just get festival updates →

Ready to join UAFest 2026?

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