Adelaide’s hotels are nearing full and the airport is already under strain. DJs? Booked. Grass neatly mown from Glenelg to the Adelaide Hills. The pie floaters, ready to reheat.

The AFL returns to South Australia for the second iteration of Gather Round starting on Thursday, as it seeks to establish a major date on the Australian sporting calendar and tap into the growth in sporting-lifestyle crossovers.

The league’s first so-called festival of football was held last year, and a deal with the South Australian government reportedly worth $15m annually was extended until the end of 2026. The state has claimed last year’s round generated $83m in economic activity and all nine of this year’s matches have sold out.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said plans are already being made to expand attractions next year. “What you’ll see over the next couple of years is looking at different venues and looking to innovate and continue to grow what’s a really successful and great concept.”

This year organisers have added a concert, a food and wine festival, a state league representative game and a new ticketing system designed to maximise attendance at the Adelaide Oval double header on Saturday.

Following the Collingwood v Hawthorn match on Sunday at Adelaide Oval, rock band Jet and rapper Baker Boy will play at the adjacent Oval No 2. There are activation zones in Norwood and Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills as well as the main footy festival site in the CBD. And the Norwood Food and Wine Festival has been revived for this weekend and runs on Sunday.

The fan-friendly, off-field offerings highlight a growing incursion from sporting entities into the festival space. The Australian Open tennis tournament has expanded in recent years and now offers spectator experiences such as a court-side bar. Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said in January, “I can proudly say that we’re shifting the paradigm even for the fan experience”.

Melbourne’s Formula One Grand Prix has attracted crowds of hundreds of thousands to its range of commercial activations and hospitality around the Albert Park circuit. LIV Golf’s Adelaide event last year introduced a so-called party hole, which is set to expand this year. “I think what we’re seeing now is that our fans, they want something that’s bigger than the footy games as well,” Dillon said.

But not all have fully embraced the change. Similar to complaints around the Opening Round, which saw northern clubs host this season’s initial fixtures, some believe Gather Round gives an advantage to Port Adelaide and the Crows.

“The bottom line is it’s an extra travel for the non-Adelaide clubs, and one less travel for the two Adelaide teams, so they should be playing each other,” Brisbane Lions board member Leigh Matthews told 3AW this week. “But like many things, that seems to have been overlooked.”

The AFL is undertaking a competitive balance review this year, and Gather Round will be considered in discussions. But given its early success its future beyond 2026 is almost certain, in South Australia or elsewhere.

The concept to hold a competition’s entire round in one city is not new. The UK rugby league competition Super League introduced Magic Weekend in 2007. It reached Australia when the NRL introduced its own Magic Round in 2019. Super Rugby’s version began in 2022, and the A-Leagues have adopted their own Unite Round.

This year Mt Barker will host an extra match, with both West Coast v Sydney on Saturday and Sunday’s expansion derby between the Suns and the Giants to be held at the Adelaide Hills venue. There is no longer a double header held at Adelaide Oval on the Sunday, and extra effort has been made to ensure Saturday evening’s matches are watched by the largest crowd possible.

Fans who leave after the Fremantle v Carlton afternoon clash can hand their tickets back. Others can buy them for $10 to access to the Western Bulldogs v Geelong game starting 7.40pm local time, and the money goes to the Children’s and Women’s Hospital. The Presets will also perform during the break between matches.

The AFL is hoping fans fill the stands, but don’t spill onto the playing arena. Adelaide has a recent history of pitch invaders, including two teenagers at last year’s April Showdown, and another individual in a Crows v Cats game last month. The latter incident attracted a lifetime ban on Wednesday, with the sanction eligible to be reviewed after five years.

“We’re going to have nine sellout games over the weekend and 99.99% of our fans just come here and have a great time and we’ll see that around the city this week,” Dillon said. “We’ll just continue to increase the security and increase the police presence.”

Gather Round schedule

Thursday, 4 April
Adelaide v Melbourne, Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm ACDT

Friday, 5 April
Brisbane v North Melbourne, Norwood Oval, 4.40pm ACDT
Port Adelaide v Essendon, Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm ACDT

Saturday, 6 April
SANFL v VFL representative game, Glenelg Oval, 12.40pm ACDT
Sydney v West Coast, Mount Barker, 1pm ACDT
Carlton v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval 3.50pm ACDT
Geelong v Western Bulldogs, Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm ACDT

Sunday, 7 April
Gold Coast v Greater Western Sydney, Mount Barker, 12pm ACST
Richmond v St Kilda, Norwood Oval, 2.50pm ACST
Collingwood v Hawthorn, Adelaide Oval, 4.40pm ACST