Scroll down to volunteer

NWMF25 Volunteer Sign Up

Thank you for volunteering for Noisy Water Mural Festival 2025, a free, all-ages event from August 15th-17th at the portal container village in Bellingham, WA. ALL VOLUNTEER SHIFTS THAT EXTEND BEYOND 9 PM REQUIRE YOU TO BE AGE 21 OR OVER. Thank you for your understanding. Please email all questions to volunteer@paper-whale.com

Role Descriptions Below:

Event Setup:
Want to peek behind the curtains and see how the magic happens? Help us set-up Noisy Waters Mural Festival and bring this event to life! Producing an event of this scale takes a LOT of work, and setting up the event down is the creative key to ensuring all of the following pieces flow smoothly: that the murals get painted and that attendees are able to enjoy a transformed festival space for the weekend. Hang lights and signs, set up the bar, decorate the tents and help us ensure everything finds its proper place.

First Aid:
Are you First Aid certified and ready to serve in one of the most essential roles of the festival? The top priority at Noisy Waters is safety. You'll enjoy live art, music, DJs, Saturday’s upcycled fashion show, and evening black-light painting while remaining alert and ready to assist attendees who may need medical support. Thank you in advance for keeping us all safe!

Kids/Teens Wall:
Support creativity and community by helping lead our Kids/Teens Wall—a free, open painting space where youth of all ages can contribute to a collaborative mural. You’ll assist young artists, help manage materials, and keep the space both fun and safe. Be ready to get messy and have a blast while inspiring the next generation of muralists!

Greeters / Gate:
Be the welcoming face of Noisy Waters! Greet attendees at one of our two festival entrances with warmth and helpfulness. In this role, you’ll answer questions, share festival info, and help direct guests. You’ll also help enforce a key rule: no beverages may enter or leave the festival. Friendly and personable volunteers who can stand or sit on a stool are perfect for this position.

Artists Gallery / Gift Shop Sales:
Manage sales at our Artists Gallery & Gift Shop located near the main entrance. You’ll sell prints and merchandise from muralists, promote Noisy Waters gear, and help check in participants for our daily spray paint workshops in this dynamic role. Volunteers will use a simple point-of-sale (POS) system, keep the booth organized, and answer attendee questions (you’ll have a festival map to help).

Token Sales:
Festival artists are competing for a chance to win Prize Walls—opportunities to paint large-scale murals in Bellingham after the event. It’s up to the community to decide who wins! Encourage attendees to support their favorite artists by purchasing voting tokens for $1 each. While people are welcome to donate more than $10, they can only receive a maximum of 10 tokens for voting. This role involves operating a simple point-of-sale (POS) system at the central token booth or around the festival and engaging with festivalgoers to keep the excitement going!

Aloha Care/TZW (Towards Zero Waste):
Think of this as festival hospitality meets sustainability! Aloha Care volunteers keep artist and volunteer lounges tidy, refill coolers with cold drinks, water the plants, and manage trash, compost, and recycling. You’ll also help supply artists with fresh buckets of water for painting and safely remove dirty water to our operations zone (with the help of a wagon). You are vital to our goal of a low-waste, well-cared-for event!

Pour Patrol (21+):
Help keep our beer and alcohol garden safe and fun! Pour Patrol ensures no beverages come in or out of the festival, makes sure people are only entering/leaving the festival from official entrances, and supports the bartending team as needed. After 9 PM, the festival becomes 21+, so many of these shifts support evening operations by monitoring the beer garden at night. Help us keep the party responsible and vibrant!

Take Down/Event Strike:
Help us wrap up the magic on Sunday! Event strike is a crucial step in sustaining the festival for years to come. Volunteers assist with tasks such as breaking down infrastructure, carefully moving murals, loading trucks, and packing up materials in an organized and safe way. We aim to leave the site better than we found it—join us to close out the weekend with teamwork and celebration.