(L-R) Adelaide player Josh Worrell, Port Adelaide player Erin Phillips, Zoe Bettison MP and AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers ahead of Gather Round. Picture: James Elsby

THE AFL and South Australian Government have today announced a four-day festival as part of Gather Round… A Festival of Footy.

The Pepsi Max Footy Festival will run from Thursday 13 April to Sunday 16 April and will be held at Elder Park and Pinky Flat precincts, both within walking distance of Adelaide Oval.

The four-day festival will be full of FREE activities and entertainment for all ages, with an exciting new attraction: a 150m long zip line where fans can race each other over The River Torrens.

All nine matches of Gather Round… A Festival of Footy will be shown live on the big screens, and AFL and AFLW players will be appearing throughout the festival to meet and greet fans.

There will be live music and entertainment on the footy festival live stage accompanied by roaming performers, along with some of South Australia's best local vendors, food trucks and licensed bars with Pinky Flat a designated 18+ zone.

For footy families and budding superstars, the NAB AFL Auskick Fun Zone at Elder Park will be the place to be with free skills stations, photo moments, and giveaways.

Other free activities include the Telstra Tracker, Chemist Warehouse Skills Warehouse, Maccas Kick 2 Kick Zone and Maccas Captain's Card Photobooth, Coles Healthy Kicks fitness course, rebel Goal of the Year and activations from Toyota, Accor, AFL Max, and more.

AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial, Kylie Rogers, said the Gather Round Footy Festival was a celebration for fans.

"In partnership with the South Australian Government, we are thrilled to be welcoming footy fans to the Pepsi Max Footy Festival," Ms. Rogers said.

"More than 150,000 fans are expected to attend Gather Round matches, and now every South Australian will be able to join the festivities at the live sites.

"We are proud to bring the best of both the AFL and local SA vendors to provide four days of free activities for footy fans of all ages to soak up the atmosphere of Gather Round. I'd like to thank our partners, especially Asahi Beverages, for the support in bringing this festival to life."

(L-R) AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers, Zoe Bettison MP, Port Adelaide player Erin Phillips and Adelaide player Josh Worrell at the Gather Round announcement. Picture: James Elsby

In Australia, PepsiCo’s range of drinks, including Pepsi Max, are manufactured and distributed by Asahi Beverages.

"Footy is a wonderful platform for Asahi Beverages and Pepsi Max to connect people and special moments, and fewer are set to be more special than the inaugural Gather Round with the whole AFL game coming together," Asahi Beverages Group Chief Growth and Strategy Officer Brian Phan said.

"What we love most about the Footy Festival is its appeal to everybody from first time footy fans to the tragics. Asahi Beverages' multi-beverage portfolio includes some of Australia's most-loved drinks with something for every AFL fan, whether they’re watching the game at home, in the pub with mates or at the ground itself."

Attributable to Zoe Bettison MP:

"Our State's visitor economy is not too far away from reaching its pre-COVID record high of $8.1 billion with this year's events expected to directly inject around $400 million into the state's economy.

"The key reason we fought so hard to secure Gather Round was to showcase our state to the rest of the country, and with more than a third of tickets sold interstate and overseas, we're on track to do that.

The bumper events calendar continues to boost visitation and spending across Adelaide and regional South Australia.

Major events are vital for the state, attracting visitors to South Australia who will fill hotel rooms, restaurants, pubs and clubs and create and sustain jobs in our tourism, arts and events industries post-covid.

Beyond this, major events do a fantastic job of telling South Australia's story through media and broadcast coverage, bringing communities together creating a wonderful sense of pride and contributing strongly to brand South Australia.

This festival will be a wonderful way for all South Australians to engage with Gather Round, and for visitors to our state to see just how well Adelaide puts on a show.

Events are back and bigger than ever in 2023 and we can't wait to show the world what our state has to offer."

Josh Worrell and Erin Phillips at the Gather Round announcement on April 4, 2023. Picture: James Elsby

Pepsi Max Footy Festival opening hours: 

Elder Park

  • 10am: Thursday 13 – Saturday 15 April
  • 9:30am: Sunday 16 April

Pinky Flat 

  • 12pm: Thursday 13 – Saturday 15 April
  • 11am: Sunday 16 April

Gather Round Ticketing Update:

In more exciting news for fans, the AFL has also announced the release of additional tickets three of Gather Round's sold-out matches, the Thursday night clash between Adelaide and Carlton, and Saturday's doubleheader at Adelaide Oval between Essendon and Melbourne, and Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs.

There is also an additional release of tickets for the twice sold-out match at Adelaide Hills between Brisbane and North Melbourne.

The final tickets will be released at 12pm, Wednesday (ADL time) via Ticketek or www.afl.com.au/gatherround

Tickets for all matches at the Adelaide Oval and Norwood Oval are still available for Club & AFL Members and the general public via Ticketek. All competing club access members will get free entry to their club’s match, while non-competing members and general public tickets are capped at a single price of $30 for adults, $20 concession (15- 18 years old), and kids (under 15) are FREE at all matches.

Tickets are not tiered or classified, so prices are capped for all matches in any seat in the venue and for all matches at the Adelaide Oval multi-day discounted passes will be available.

For more information, visit the Gather Round website.