The Victorian Seniors Festival is a major state-wide festival for Senior Victorians. The Festival runs from 1–31 October every year, with free and low-cost events right across Victoria.
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing coordinates the Festival and works closely with local councils across the state.
This annual festival returns on 1 October 2024 and will feature:
- live and local events across the state, delivered by local councils, community groups and clubs
- eight days of free public transport for Victorian Seniors Card holders from 6 to 13 October 2024
- a range of major events held throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria:
- Celebration Day at Federation Square on Sunday 6 October
- Town Hall Dances at Melbourne Town Hall on Monday 7 October and a new Club Broadway event on Tuesday 8 October
- ACMI Seniors Film Festival from 7 to 13 October
- Country Concerts series delivering live entertainment across regional towns in October
- Aged Care Tour, taking the magic, music and fun of the festival to aged care residents across Victoria from October to December.
DJ Dan Murphy, host of Club BroadwayVictorian Senior of the Year Awards
The Festival also 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 Citizen 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 LGBTIQ community
2017
In its 36th year, and under the theme Get social, 158,000 seniors attended around 2,570 events
2018
A year of extraordinary growth in the number of events and the overall audience to 180,740 attendees at 2,955 events
2019
Produced as a six month long virtual festival the Victorian Seniors Festival Reimagined – including video and audio content by 146 performers with 164,298 page visitations
2020
The Victorian Seniors Festival Reimagined returns with video and audio content
2021
Victorian Seniors Festival celebrates 40 years with a hybrid festival, including audio content and in-person events returning after two years
2022
Victorian Seniors Festival celebrates 40 years
2023
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