Ability Fest will return to Melbourne this weekend with a full line-up of electronic acts and a renewed focus on making live music accessible to everyone.
The festival, founded by Dylan Alcott AO, will take place at the Timber Yard in Port Melbourne and is expected to draw thousands of music fans across two stages.
Deputy Premier and Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC Ben Carroll joined Alcott and TAC chief executive Tracey Slatter ahead of the event, which is now in its seventh year.
More than 20 Australian acts are set to perform, with names including PNAU, Logic1000, Ollie Leishman, Kito, Brent Honey and Daine.
The Victorian Government has provided $650,000 in support through the Community Support Fund and the Transport Accident Commission.
Ability Fest has built its reputation around creating an event where accessibility is part of the planning from the beginning rather than something added later.
The site includes elevated viewing platforms, quiet zones, sensory areas, Auslan interpreters, live captioning, accessible bathrooms and BindiMap navigation technology. Free companion tickets are available for carers, while a dedicated assistance dog area has also been set up.
One of this year’s features is the return of the tactile silent disco, supported by the TAC. Festival goers can use haptic vests or straps that vibrate with the music, allowing people with hearing impairments to take part in the experience.
Carroll said Ability Fest was helping raise expectations for how major events should be designed.
“Ability Fest is setting the standard for what inclusive events should look like. Accessibility should be built into events from the ground up,” he said.
Alcott said support from the Victorian Government and the TAC had helped keep the event open to a wide audience.
“Accessible events are not a niche, they are a necessity, and this support keeps Ability Fest within reach for everyone in our community, disability or not, to come together and enjoy live music in our awesome state,” he said.
He said the tactile silent disco had become one of the festival’s standout attractions.
“A highlight is the vibrating haptic vests on offer so festival goers can feel the music even if they cannot hear it,” Alcott said.
“Everyone deserves to attend major events, and we are very proud to show the industry what an accessible and disability inclusive event looks like, so they can do some of, if not all of the things at their next event too.”
Slatter said spaces like Ability Fest could play an important role in helping people stay socially connected.
“Road trauma can have lifelong impacts, which is why creating inclusive, welcoming spaces like Ability Fest is so important, helping people stay connected, engaged and part of the community,” she said.
The festival arrives at a time when conversations around accessibility at public events are becoming more common, particularly in the live entertainment sector.
Advocates have long argued that accessible facilities should be standard practice rather than a special feature, especially at large-scale festivals and sporting events.
Ability Fest has often been held up as an example of how organisers can make changes that allow more people to attend without separating them from the wider crowd.
Festival organisers say this year’s event is expected to continue that approach while keeping the focus on music, atmosphere and community.
Tickets and further information are available through the Ability Fest website.
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