Observations: Volunteering is a labour of love at Festinho

With prices hovering around the £100 mark, festival tickets don't come cheap. But there is a festival which invites its young guests to volunteer to help create their own event and enjoy the results.

With an eclectic bill of UK bands, the Suffolk-based Festinho has built itself from a tiny garden party under the name of Mini Chill to its current 2,000-strong gathering.

Rather than just being assigned the role of stewarding, or of a roadie, carting around equipment, young people under 25 have the opportunity to be much more directly involved in the lead-up to and the final weekend event. Some put on bands, while others help out with event management, staging, and catering, but all are responsible for the resulting laid-back event which includes The Cinema Cottage, capoeira, pedal-bikes powering light installations, samba drumming, yoga, and trapeze cabaret acts. And Festinho even promises plenty of clean toilets and hot showers. Furthermore, all profits raised go to charity, the ABC Trust, which helps Brazilian children and young people on the streets.

Festinho takes place from 4 to 6 September at Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk (www.festinho.com)