Ability Fest 2021

Overview

Australia's most inclusive music festival is back for 2021 — with a killer lineup in tow. Run by sports and TV legend Dylan Alcott and Untitled (the entertainment group behind Beyond The Valley and Pitch Music & Arts), Ability Fest caters to everyone, regardless of gender, disability, age or race. It also won Best New Event in Concrete Playground's Best of 2018 Awards.

With Ability Fest, Alcott has set out to both normalise disability and help boost inclusivity across all areas of the music industry. With 20 percent of Aussies living with a physical or intellectual disability, Ability Fest is such an important part of each year's calendar and will hopefully open the door for more all-inclusive festivals.

After being cancelled in 2020, this year's addition of the festival will take place on Saturday, November 27 — and will convert Alexandra Gardens into a fully accessible and COVID-safe venue fitted with elevated viewing platforms, quiet zones, pathways and AUSLAN interpreters.

The massive 2021 lineup for the event includes indie and pop stars Cub Sport, Alex the Astronaut and Eves Karydas; hiphop mainstays Illy and JK-47; and fan-favourite DJs What So Not, Peking Duk, Nina Las Vegas, Ebony Boadu and Dena Amy.

Since 2017, the Dylan Alcott Foundation has raised more than $300,000. This year's Ability Fest will kick that number up a fair bit higher, with 100 percent of proceeds from ticket sales going back into the foundation. This will then be used to offer mentoring, scholarships and grants to young Australians living with disability.

Presale tickets are available from 6pm on Wednesday, August 11, with general tickets on sale from midday Thursday, August 12.

Alex Drewniak

ABILITY FEST 2021 LINEUP:

Alex The Astronaut
Benson
Cub Sport
Dena Amy
Ebony Boadu
Eves Karydas
Illy
Inkrewsive
Jk-47
Motez
Nina Las Vegas
Peking Duk (Dj Set)
Rudely Interrupted
Stace Cadet
Sumner
Sunshine
What So Not

Images: Kate Shanasy, Jayden Ostwald and Alex Drewniak.