• Registration Form

Volunteer

ONLINE REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED!  Any registrations submitted after 8:00 PM will not be received.
We have sufficient volunteers for all afternoon shifts.  If you still wish to volunteer for the Evening, please come to the Volunteer Headquarters located in the lobby of the NC Museum of History between 7:00 and 9:30 Saturday evening.

We need as many as 400 volunteers to help make First Night Raleigh possible every year! Read the volunteer job descriptions listed below and use the VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION FORM to sign up online. We need assistance all day and all night to make First Night happen.  Every volunteer who commits at least 2.5 hours to First Night will receive a FREE First Night Raleigh 2012 pass to enjoy the festival following your volunteer shift.

Children’s Activities Helper
“The Children’s Celebration” takes place from 2:00-6:00pm on December 31 and is practically an event in itself.  Helpers work before and during the Children’s Celebration to set up, usher and assist with the hands-on craft activities.

“The People’s Procession” Assistant
The People's Procession takes to the streets at 6:00 to mark the beginning of the Evening Celebration.  Assistance is needed to organize and help coordinate participants.  Procession assistants also help the Paperhand Puppet Intervention with the movement of giant puppets, including Rhea.  Most shifts last from 4:30-7:00pm.

Button Checker / Usher
Check for admission buttons at a site entrance, aid in crowd control at a specific site, and be available to the public for general event information.  Most shifts last approximately 2.5-3 hours both early and late evening.  We especially need button checkers for our later shifts, but don't worry you'll be done by 11:00.  We don't want you to miss the countdown!

Audience Surveyor
Are you an outgoing person who doesn't mind talking to strangers?  We need you to survey our audience members.  You’ll pass out surveys, answer questions, or collect surveys around the festival or at a specific venue.  Audience surveys are a valuable tool that we need to measure the festival's growth and the demographic information of our festival attendees.

Volunteer Check-In Assistant
Help check in volunteers at “Volunteer HQ,” located in the lobby of the NC Museum of History.

Production Assistant
Assist a site manager with production needs such as set-up and breakdown, and with hospitality for their performers.

First Night Raleigh Ambassador
For those seasoned First Night volunteers, this assignment is perfect for you!  You will be a walking information booth.  Help direct patrons to sites, provide general First Night information, and help make visitors feel welcome in Downtown Raleigh.  A familiarity with downtown and with First Night is helpful.  Attendance at a pre-event meeting in the week prior to First Night is required.

Site Manager (must be pre-approved)
Manage the backstage area and supervise the set up and break down of a venue.  As the “stage manager,” the site manager is also responsible for supervising the operation of the stage, which includes keeping the schedule on time and welcoming the performers.  Some experience helps but is not necessary.  Site managers are required to attend one pre-event meeting in the week prior to First Night and make a 6-8 hour commitment on December 31.


Office Assistant
Starting in early December and right up through the event, our office gets busy and we need support preparing materials and putting together mailings.  We would like volunteers to commit a full morning or afternoon on any day leading up First Night.

Ready to help?  Sign Up ONLINE now!