AFL reveals new parade as 2027 Gather Round dates are confirmed

The AFL has locked in the dates for 2027’s edition of Gather Round, with the festival of football set to line up with multiple states’ term 1 school holidays.

The league confirmed on Wednesday morning the event would run from Thursday, April 8 to Sunday, April 11, with a new parade planned for the first time on the Friday afternoon.

The festival entails all clubs playing in Adelaide, typically taking place in either round 4 or 5 and attracting about 265,000 fans throughout the weekend.

It has generated more than $400m for the South Australian economy since its inception in 2023.

AFL chief Andrew Dillon said Gather Round had “become a marquee event on the AFL calendar”.

“The event continues to deliver outstanding results on and of the field, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans and generating record economic benefits for South Australia,” Dillon said.

“We look forward to once again creating a festival of footy atmosphere across the week, including the new players’ parade, and sharing more details on the fixture and Gather Round activities in the months ahead.”

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said the festival had “become the economic juggernaut of major events”.

“It’s become a powerful platform for South Australia to tell its story to the rest of the nation, for local businesses to connect and find new opportunities for growth,” he said.

“Having dates locked away for school holidays next year means football fans across the country can start planning their trips.”

The festival will line up with school holidays in Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory and partially line up with students’ time off in South Australia, NSW, Western Australia, ACT and Tasmania.

Gather Round was also announced as staying in South Australia until at least 2029 back in June.

Originally published as AFL reveals new parade as 2027 Gather Round dates are confirmed