{"id":2287332,"date":"2026-02-18T12:57:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T12:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2287332"},"modified":"2026-02-18T12:57:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T12:57:34","slug":"ability-fest-confirms-2026-return-relocates-to-new-melbourne-venue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/ability-fest-confirms-2026-return-relocates-to-new-melbourne-venue\/","title":{"rendered":"Ability Fest Confirms 2026 Return, Relocates To New Melbourne Venue"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Taking over a venue like The Timber Yard \u2013 a space known for world-class electronic acts \u2013 shows that accessible events can compete at the highest level,&#8221; explained Dylan Alcott.<\/p>\n<div><\/p>\n<p><span>Ability Fest 2024<\/span><span>(Credit: Kelsey Zafiridis)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"artist-callout\" href=\"https:\/\/themusic.com.au\/artist\/GWgDDg8MDTI\/ability-fest\" x-data=\"sbLink\" x-bind=\"bindingsLink\"><img class=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.themusic.com.au\/images\/standard\/Artists\/2407-ability-fest-supplied.250x250.webp\" alt=\"More Ability Fest\" style=\"--ratio: 250\/250;\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span>Ability Fest<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Australia\u2019s premier accessible and inclusive music event, <strong>Ability Fest<\/strong>, returns this year\u2014taking over a new venue in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p>Founded by Paralympic gold medallist and 2022 Australian of the Year <strong>Dylan Alcott AO<\/strong>, Ability Fest returns on Saturday, 11 April, with a fresh venue and format, brought to life in partnership with <strong>Untitled Group<\/strong> and supported by the federal government\u2019s live entertainment initiative, <strong>Revive Live<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This year, Ability Fest will be held at The Timber Yard in Port Melbourne. Still to come? A back to its roots, all-electronic line-up.<\/p>\n<p>Ability Fest 2026 will charge $60 for tickets. The accessible and previous purchaser pre-sale opens on Wednesday, 25 February, at 10 am AEDT, followed by a general pre-sale at 12 pm AEDT\u2014<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/drop.cobrand.com\/d\/AbilityFest\/af26-signups\">sign up here<\/a> for pre-sale access. <\/p>\n<p>General ticket sales will be available on Thursday, 26 February, at 12 pm AEDT. You can find more ticketing information on the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abilityfest.com.au\/\">Ability Fest website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s more than 5.5 million Australians <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/statistics\/health\/disability\/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings\/2022\">living with disability<\/a>; if we\u2019re not designing spaces with us in mind, we\u2019re excluding more than one in five people from fully participating in our communities,\u201d Alcott explained.<\/p>\n<p>He continued, \u201cAbility Fest has always been about proving that accessibility and incredible experiences aren&#8217;t mutually exclusive; they&#8217;re essential. We want to show that accessibility at large-scale festivals isn\u2019t just possible, it&#8217;s achievable.<\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"newsletter-signup \">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>Don&#8217;t miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhether it\u2019s a field, a warehouse or any space between, we\u2019re building the blueprint for what inclusive events should look like. Taking over a venue like The Timber Yard \u2013 a space known for world-class electronic acts \u2013 shows that accessible events can compete at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nicholas Greco<\/strong>, Managing Partner at Untitled Group, added, \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to be part of Ability Fest\u2019s return and to help bring the festival to a new venue and format this year. We\u2019re looking forward to bringing this event to life with an electronic line-up while continuing the festival\u2019s strong focus on accessibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crafted with inclusion at the forefront, Ability Fest features elevated viewing platforms, quiet zones, sensory areas, AUSLAN interpreters, and live captioning. The events also include dedicated parking and pick-up\/drop-off zones, accessible bathrooms, a designated area for assistance dogs, free companion tickets for carers, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Since the festival\u2019s 2018 launch, 100% of proceeds have gone to the <strong>Dylan Alcott Foundation<\/strong>, which funds programs for young Australians with disabilities. Ability Fest has raised over $1.5 million for the foundation to date.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Ability Fest Melbourne 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Saturday 11 April &#8211; The Timber Yard, 351 Plummer Street, Port Melbourne VIC 3207<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Time: Doors open at 2 pm, and the event ends at 10 pm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source themusic.com.au \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Taking over a venue like The Timber Yard \u2013 a space known for world-class electronic acts \u2013 shows that accessible events can compete at the highest level,&#8221; explained Dylan Alcott. Ability Fest 2024(Credit: Kelsey Zafiridis) Ability Fest Australia\u2019s premier accessible and inclusive music event, Ability Fest, returns this year\u2014taking over a new venue in Melbourne. 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