The AFL is pleased to announce that the 2026 ‘Gather Round ... A Festival of Footy’ will take place from Thursday, 9 April through to Sunday, 12 April, with the fixture to be announced later this year.
The 2026 event will coincide with the middle weekend of school holidays in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia and the first weekend of school holidays in South Australia and New South Wales. It will also be the round of matches after Easter.
The 2025 Gather Round – which marked the third year of the event – was the biggest yet, with a record crowd and economic growth generated, and saw AFL premiership points played for in the Barossa Valley for the first time.
A total of 269,506 fans attended the nine matches played across Adelaide Oval, Norwood Oval and Barossa Park, with 36 per cent of attendees being interstate visitors.
The AFL engaged consultancy IER to generate an economic impact report from the 2025 Gather Round, with the Total Economic Contribution for this year’s event being $113.9 million – up 24% on the total contribution of the 2024 event ($91.6M) and 36% on the total contribution of the inaugural event in 2023 ($83.5M).
More visitors are set to experience the Barossa Valley region in 2026, following the success of the first-ever AFL premiership matches played at Barossa Park during this year’s event, which generated $4.87 million in direct expenditure for the region.
The research also indicated this year’s event created 241,613 visitor nights in South Australia – 26% more than last year – and saw interstate visitors spending on average 4.7 nights in the state.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said he was excited to return to South Australia for Gather Round next April.
"This year’s Gather Round was another incredible success with almost 270,000 fans attending across the four days of matches – our highest Gather Round attendance yet – and we are excited to do it all again in 2026,” Dillon said.
"The timing of the event, in line with school holidays, has worked well the past three years and announcing the dates for next year’s Gather Round now will allow fans to organise their travel and accommodation early, especially considering roughly a third of attendees each year have come from interstate.
"Planning for 2026 Gather Round and how we can make it even bigger and better is already underway, and we look forward to being able to share more details, including the fixture, later in the year."
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said:
"Gather Round continues to be a stunning economic success for our state, generating a record $113.9 million in economic activity and bringing tens of thousands of visitors to our state to stay and experience all we have to offer.
"This growth trajectory is testament to the continued investment and innovation we have worked hard to deliver in partnership with the AFL.
"But it’s also due to the support of footy fans, South Australians and visitors who have embraced Gather Round unlike anything else.
"We’re thrilled to welcome Gather Round the weekend after Easter in 2026.
"The timing coincides with school holidays in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, and we’ll be encouraging visitors to stay as long as possible."
As the Official Airline Partner of the AFL & Gather Round, Virgin Australia is focused on offering value and choice for footy fans travelling to the event.
To book your flight to 2026 Gather Round, visit www.virginaustralia.com
Official Accommodation Partner ALL Accor offers fans access to a variety of options to suit all tastes and budgets with over 10 hotels and apartments across Adelaide. Travelling fans can choose from brands like Sofitel, Pullman, Peppers, Ibis and more. Visit ALL.com to book, plus unlock a special member rate by joining Accor’s loyalty program, ALL, for free.