In other volunteer-for-free-stuff news, here’s a chance to see Panorama for (almost) free. On Friday, the first-ever Panorama festival kicks off on Randall’s Island, bringing New York a new music destination from the folks behind Coachella. The three-day affair features headliners LCD Soundsystem, Kendrick Lamar and Arcade Fire with lots of other great acts supporting them, including Flatbush Zombies, The Julie Ruin, The National, Sufjan Stevens and a parade of sunburnt music fans hopefully not wearing any cultural appropriating festival gear. Tickets start at $125 for single-day passes or $369 for a three-day pass, which is a hefty tag if you’re one of those people who considers summer music festivals the subprime mortgages of concerts.
But there is a way to go for free (sort of) if you’re willing to work for it: Clean Vibes Labor of Love is looking for volunteers to help pick up all your beer cups and discarded molly bags during Panorama. Put in 15 hours of work and you will get your three-day pass covered, though there is a slight catch.
Labor of Love needs people to commit to working three three-hour shifts, one for each day of the event. Your shift time might vary depending on the music schedule/needs of the crew, but you can choose at least one band you don’t want to miss. Shifts run throughout the scheduled events, with post-show shifts that go until 4am, and after-festival clean up shifts that run 10am-6pm Monday and Tuesday (lunch is provided). Go here to sign up.
Now, here’s the rub with this: First, there’s a $20 application fee. Second: You still have to buy a three-day pass for $369; after you complete your shifts, you don’t get a refund but rather a payroll check from the organization for the hours you worked. This means you’ll have to wait for a check/direct deposit, and with taxes and whatnot, your net amount might be slightly lower than what you paid for the pass, though you’ll certainly save a lot of money on that three-day pass.
So it’s up to you to decide if picking up trash in the hot sun for 15 hours is worth a free-ish festival pass. But both LCD and Kendrick put on a hell of a show, just sayin’.
To get more info or apply, go here.