The Victorian Seniors Festival is a major state-wide festival for older Victorians. The festival runs from 1–31 October every year. The festival delivers a range of free and low-cost events for older Victorians. The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) coordinates the festival.
Learn more about the Victorian Seniors Festival.
Victorian Senior of the Year Awards
The festival includes the annual Victorian Senior of the Year Awards. These important awards celebrate the contributions and achievements of older Victorians who share their skills, experiences, time and energy with our community.
For more information visit the awards page.
A brief history of the Victorian Seniors Festival
The State Government established Senior Citizens Week
1983
Free public transport provided to all retired people over 55 during Senior Citizens Week
1984
First festival multicultural concert staged at Melbourne Town Hall
1990
Victorian Seniors Card launched and used during 1991 Senior Citizens Week
1991
Introduction of 8 days of free public transport during the festival for all Victorian Seniors Card holders
1997
Victorian Senior Citizens Week became the Victorian Seniors Festival
2002
The Victorian Seniors Festival moves to October to align with International Day for Older Persons
2006
Introduction of the Festival Hub at Melbourne Town Hall
2007
Introduction of the Celebration Day at Federation Square
2007
Victorian Seniors Festival celebrates 30 years
2012
Number of Victorian Seniors Festival events surpasses 2,500 for the first time
2014
The festival partnered with All the Queens Men to present the Coming Back Out Ball, a celebration of Victoria's older LGBTIQA+ community
2017
In its 36th year, and under the theme 'Get social', 158,000 seniors attended around 2,570 events
2018
Festival audience reached 180,740 attendees at 2,955 events
2019
Victorian Seniors Festival Reimagined produced as a six month long virtual festival. Video and audio content featured 146 performers
2020
The Victorian Seniors Festival Reimagined returned with video and audio content
2021
The festival celebrated 40 years with a hybrid festival featuring audio content and in-person events
2022
The festival theme ‘Explore. Engage. Evolve’ encouraged older Victorians to stay curious and connected by exploring new activities, meeting new people, and changing how we think of ageing
2024
Older Victorians enjoyed over 3,000 events statewide inspired by the theme 'Connect, Create, Celebrate'. Ukulele players and line dancers from across the state featured in the fun of Celebration Day at Fed Square
2025
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