The AFL announced today that Essendon will take on Melbourne at Adelaide Oval in Gather Round on Saturday 11 April at 12:45pm local time (1:15pm AEST).
Gather Round will take place in Round 5 of the 2026 Toyota Premiership Season from Thursday 9 April through to 12 April.
The Bombers took on the Dees in Gather Round's maiden year in a high scoring battle at Adelaide Oval, where the Dons took home the win by 27 points in 2023. The Bombers also snagged the win against Melbourne this year by 39 points at Adelaide Oval, making 2026's match-up one not to miss.
BECOME AN ESSENDON MEMBER TODAY
The Festival of Footy is set to be another blockbuster week in 2026, coinciding with the middle weekend of school holidays in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia and the first weekend of school holidays in South Australia and New South Wales.
Round 5:
Essendon v Melbourne
Saturday 11 April
12:45pm local time (1:15pm AEST)
Adelaide Oval
