Accessibility

VENUE ACCESSIBILITY

Ballarat

The festival takes place in Victoria Park, a large grassed open space. We have done our best to utilise hard ground where possible however as the festival site is largely grass, the terrain may be uneven and difficult to navigate in some places. 

The weather can have a huge impact on ground conditions at this site. During wet weather, some parts of the site may become muddy, and in hot, dry weather some parts of the site may also become dusty. 
You can find plenty of images of the park and surroundings here. We encourage you to have a look and plan for what accommodations will help you best navigate the festival site.

Newcastle

The festival takes place at Foreshore Park, a large grassed open space. There is a mixture of existing cement and compact gravel paths throughout the site. We have done our best to utilise these paths where possible, but as the festival site is largely grass, this does mean the terrain may be uneven and difficult to navigate in some places. 

The weather can have a huge impact on ground conditions at this site. During wet weather, some parts of the site may become muddy, and when there are strong winds coming in from the bay, there may also be a cold breeze. 

You can find plenty of images of the park and surroundings here. We encourage you to have a look and plan for what accommodations will help you to best navigate the festival site.

Sunshine Coast

The festival takes place at Kawana Sports Precinct, a large grassed open space. There is a mixture of existing cement and compact gravel paths throughout the site. We have done our best to utilise these paths where possible, but the terrain may be uneven and difficult to navigate in some places. 

The weather can have a huge impact on ground conditions at this site. During wet weather, some parts of the site may become muddy and in hot, dry weather, some parts of the site may also become dusty. 

You can find plenty of images and information about the precinct and surroundings here. We encourage you to have a look and plan for what accommodations will help you best navigate the festival site.

If you hold a valid National Companion Card and purchase a General Admission ticket to Strummingbird, you will receive a complimentary ticket for your companion or carer. You’ll need to purchase the paid ticket to the event through Moshtix as usual and then follow the below steps: 

1. Once your order is confirmed, go into your Moshtix account, under Manage My Tickets and select ‘Get Help With This Order’
2. On the help form, follow the prompts for accessibility and companion card
   • Select ‘I’d like help with my order’ as the category, and for the Topic, select ‘I need help with accessibility or a companion card’. For the subtopic, select ‘I need help booking with a companion card’
3. In the message section, please provide your Companion Card number and Expiry.
4. Once verified, Moshtix will issue a complimentary Companion Card ticket to match the paid ticket to the email used for your original purchase.

If you need to bring in prescription medication to the festival, you’ll need to make sure it’s in its original packaging with the dispensary label matching the name on the ID of the ticket holder. Please bring your medication through the accessible lane on the day and have it ready to be inspected upon entry. We advise only discussing your medication with the team on the accessible entry lane. If you are talking to security or front entry staff, please ask them to direct you to the accessible entry point.

If your medication needs to be refrigerated, please see the staff at the medical tent once you have entered the festival and they can store it for you.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition which you’d like us to know about, please complete our Strummingbird Accessibility Request Form.

There will be elevated viewing areas at the Wildwing Stage and Saloon Stage. These viewing areas are intended for those in wheelchairs or with permanent and/or severe mobility impairments, and one accompanying person. Space within these areas is strictly limited and cannot be held or reserved. If you would like to request access to the accessible viewing areas please complete the Strummingbird Accessibility Request Form.

There will be a dedicated accessible drop-off and pick-up area at all 3 locations.

In Ballarat and the Sunshine Coast only we will also have dedicated areas for accessible parking available for patrons with a Mobility Parking Scheme permit. Unfortunately we don’t have accessible parking available in Newcastle.

As these spaces are limited, please complete our Strummingbird Accessibility Request Form prior to the festival to request a spot. Once capacity is reached, we won’t be able to offer additional parking spaces, but the accessible drop-off and pick-up zone will still be available.

If you don’t hold a Mobility Parking Scheme permit, we unfortunately can’t guarantee access to the accessible parking area due to limited capacity. 

There will be accessible bathrooms available across the festival. These locations will be marked on our event map. 

If you require access to accessible toilets or priority access to toilets, please complete our Strummingbird Accessibility Request Form.

We understand and recognise the need to take a break from the sights, sounds and senses of a music festival and will have a quiet space at the festival for those who require it. If you have bought a ticket or are considering buying one, and you would like to utilise this space at the festival, please complete our Strummingbird Accessibility Request Form.

To access the quiet space, you will need to wear your Hidden Disability sunflower lanyard or Strummingbird Quiet Space wristband. If you don’t own a sunflower lanyard, you can purchase one here or register to pick up a wristband through our Strummingbird Accessibility Request Form.

Assistance and support animals, such as guide dogs, hearing dogs and medical alert dogs, are welcome inside Strummingbird. If you’ll be attending with your assistance animal, please let us know in advance by completing our Strummingbird Accessibility Request Form.

Strummingbird is proud to be a part of the global Hidden Disabilities Sunflower network. The Hidden Disability Sunflower is a tool to voluntarily share that you have a hidden disability. By wearing a Sunflower, you’re just letting our staff know that you might need extra help, understanding, or just more time. Our security and event staff team at Strummingbird are trained to recognise the Hidden Disability Sunflower and assist where needed.

What is a hidden disability? While some of us experience a disability that is visible, many of us have a non-visible disability that is not immediately apparent to others. These can be temporary, situational or permanent. They can be neurological, cognitive and neurodevelopmental as well as physical, visual, auditory and including sensory and processing difficulties. They also include respiratory, rare diseases and chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes. For more information on Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, head to https://hdsunflower.com/au/