Organised by The Dylan Alcott Foundation & Untitled Group, Ability Fest aims to use music as a platform to normalise disability by encouraging everyone – regardless of the level of ability, gender, or race – to come together in celebration of live music.

Production is an essential element of event accessibility. From Auslan interpreters to viewing platforms, Ability Fest has a certain magic in the air that partially comes from the production department stepping up to the plate to overcome some distinctive challenges to allow everyone to enjoy the show equally.

This year, Gig Control implemented live captioning on the screens of the main stage. Captions give audiences a unique way of interacting with the artist on stage, allowing for a deeper understanding of the performance. These captions were used for interviews in between performances, too.

Gig Control takes lessons learned from Ability Fest and tries (where applicable) to apply these learnings to other events. As we see a shifting landscape towards event accessibility, Gig Control prides itself on being at the forefront of this new frontier.

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