Words by Louis Harrison

Walking towards The Timberyard, Ability Fest’s home, in the belly of the industrial streets of Port Melbourne, just before three felt like a moment you could put on a postcard, or perhaps a stubby holder.

The sun was out for just a brief moment before the sky opened up to reveal the deluge of rain it had stored for the very moment gates opened in true Melbourne/Naarm fashion.

Things to love about Ability Fest in the past, including the Glitter Bar, the tactile silent disco, the sensory room and the many accessibility considerations inked into the blueprint of the festival, made a return with one key difference:

This year was going to be more intimate and much more electronic, and DJ-inspired.

Kicking off the day on the Main Stage, **Robert Baxter** warmed up the crowd with their live set. Robert has such an incredible stage presence, a unique sound and a love for their craft.
From their shorts, crop top and leather trench coat to their dancing and captivating performance style, you couldn’t help but crave more than the 25 minutes they had command of the stage.

**Daine** brought their signature emo-trap-hyperpop sound to the stage alongside their high-energy dance moves. Each song of Daine’s is writhing with emotion and textured production that creates an out-of-body experience when hearing it live, complete with vox effects.

There are times you can really feel how much the artist is enjoying playing their set, and that couldn’t be more true that watching **Surusinghe**.
Her set was bursting with dynamic sounds that rattled the inside of your skull in such a way that made your thoughts knit together to form one single capitalised word. DANCE.

**Cooper Smith** took over the Main Stage decks next. There is something so special about being able to watch someone’s career flourish the way Cooper’s has over the last couple of years.
Being in the room with so many people who admire him for his DJ skills, but also his journey as a young person with cerebral palsy.
Cooper Smith has an infectious zeal for DJing; the audience can’t help but jump along.

Naarm-based certified Rave Angels **Blusher** dove into their DJ set, armed with a trove of bangers, dance moves and a bubble machine.
If that wasn’t enough, firing off right away with Tove Lo and SG Lewis’ song ‘Heat’ was a pretty good indication we were in good hands.
Bathed in pink, green and purple lights, Jade, Lauren and Miranda steered the audience through an electric set with energy that you could feel in your chest.

There are few words that can eloquently sum up **Brent Honey**, but the first that comes to mind is passionate.
There was something a little unpredictable, a little adventurous and a lot cinematic about his set.
From the sweater coming off mid song, Brent swinging his arms in the air with pure joy, the headbanging stage-goers, to the cascade into the finale of ‘Love Is In The Air’, Brent held this set with love amid a party of people dancing with him.

**Kito** followed with a darker electronic sound, which turned the warehouse into a nightclub just in time for sunset.
Playing ‘take your vibes and go’ and ‘Pump Up the Jam’ had the room in a chokehold for Kito, her polished sound and effortlessly cool vibe.

**Logic1000** hit the stage next with her bouncy-electric sound to lighten the night. There was something especially intimate about her set.

One second, you’re drawn in by the softness of the vocals overlaying the beat, the next, your mind is transported by something experimental in the production of her songs that catches you slightly off-guard.

All at once, you’re immersed in the beat and carried by the production.

The penultimate set for the Main Stage was **Ollie Lishman’s**. This is where the night truly began to feel like a party.
The vibes were high, the stage was full of eager festival-goers who had been invited up to dance, and the music pulsed through your body to the point you don’t know where the song began, and your heartbeat stopped.

At long last, **PNAU** had his moment on stage to close out the 2026 Ability Fest with his DJ set. All arms were in the air. If the dance party had already started, PNAU were going to see it through! The feeling was nothing short of electric in the warehouse as the night waned and the vibes soared higher and higher.

Ability Fest has a way of making everyone feel seen, heard and loved in a profound way.

Experiencing the joy that radiates in the warehouse as so many people are packed into it - people dancing, singing, moving their bodies, and just feeling with the people around them is an incredibly intimate and moving part of the party that Untitled Group and The Dylan Alcott Foundation have been able to achieve.

The best thing about Ability Fest is being able to see people of all walks of life with various access needs able to come together to enjoy music. Really enjoy it.

It’s about the person in a wheelchair who wouldn’t usually get to see their favourite artist play because their view is blocked, being able to access music via accessible viewing platforms.

It’s about the person who usually says no to live music events because they know there wouldn’t usually be a sensory room, being able to attend knowing the space has their needs considered in the design.

It’s about the person who can’t hear the music but still wants to come with their hearing mates, being able to enjoy the sets too via captioning and AUSLAN interpretation.

It’s about all the people with visible or non-visible disabilities being considered when their access needs usually wouldn’t be.

Ability Fest proves accessibility shouldn’t be an afterthought; it should be woven into the design of the space as much as the lineup and the location are.