Accessibility & Inclusion

COMPANION CARD

If you hold a current and valid Companion Card, your carer may accompany you on the day for free. If you have purchased a ticket online, you do not need to purchase an additional ticket for the carer accompanying. On the day, show your SMASH! ticket and valid Companion Card to SMASH! Staff. They will then verify and provide your carer a free pass.

Parents and carers of children not in the Companion Card program will need to purchase a separate ticket.

Assistance Animals

Assistance animals are welcome inside the venue at SMASH!. Any other animals that do not perform a service or are not trained to do so (such as pets) will not be permitted into the venue. An owner must be able to provide reasonable proof of training if requested by venue staff.

If the assistance animal needs to be taken outside of the venue to relieve itself, notify one of our friendly customer service team members who will direct you to the nearest outdoor area.

Outdoor areas include any grassed area, except children’s playgrounds, including Tumbalong Park and the ICC Sydney Forecourt in between Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre and across from ICC Sydney Administration Office.

TRANSPORT

Located in the heart of Darling Harbour, ICC Sydney is easily accessible by public transport, including light rail, ferry, and train; it is only a 10 minute walk from Central and Town Hall train stations. Secure car parking is available and conveniently located within the Darling Harbour precinct. For more detailed information please see Getting to ICC Sydney.

Car

  • ICC Sydney has two car park facilities located within the Exhibition Centre and ICC Sydney Theatre, comprising a total of 826 car spaces. Both are wheelchair accessible with ramps and lifts.
  • Car parks are 24 hours and can be accessed via Darling Drive, Sydney.

Public Transport

Train

  • A short walk from Central or Town Hall will take you directly to Darling Quarter, Tumbalong Park and Sydney Visitor Centre. Town Hall and Central Stations are a 10-minute walk from ICC Sydney.

Light Rail

  • The Light Rail travels right through a number of Darling Harbour stations including ICC Sydney’s stops, Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre. The Light Rail starts at Central Station in the CBD and travels to Dulwich Hill in the inner west.

Bus

  • ICC Sydney has its own bus stop. Bus routes 389 and 501 stop at Harris Street near Allen Street – a 10-minute walk from ICC Sydney.

GETTING AROUND THE VENUE

ICC Sydney Convention Centre is an accessible venue with lifts and ramps to all attendee areas. You may need to find a SMASH! Staff member or ICC Security to help you access some lifts. For further Accessibility information for ICC Sydney, please visit their website.

PARENTS AND CARERS

A Parent’s Room will be available within the venue. Pram and stroller parking is unfortunately not available.

Getting in to the Event

If you need some additional assistance getting in to the venue, please speak with one of our friendly team members who will be able to assist you. They will be holding signs for accessibility assistance, and will take you to a dedicated area to queue and wait on the day.

Sensory Spaces

SMASH! is proud to be able to bring back our Sensory Spaces for 2025. For any attendee who is feeling overwhelmed and needs a space to rest and recharge, our Sensory Spaces can help accomplish this and allow everyone to enjoy their SMASH! weekend, their way.

In the main halls, look out for the Batyr Sensory spaces, complete with Bean Bags to recharge your batteries and speak with the Batyr team about Mental Health awareness and activities to assist in becoming a Mental Health advocate.

If you need a quieter space, take the lift to Level 3 where you will find two spaces:

  • Daybreak - A quiet space, brought to you by Headspace Bankstown, is a place to come to and relax and recharge if the social battery has depleted. Mental Health professionals will be on hand to assist if you need to talk to someone or you are feeling overwhelmed.
  • Starry Night - Our dark space, brought to you by Headspace Bankstown. If you are feeling sensory overload and need a dark space to chill, come in to this area and our team will be on hand to assist.

Both of our sensory areas are monitored by our Medic teams at 1300 Medics in case things get a little too much.

JEDI Knights

Our passionate volunteer team have been code-named the JEDI Knights, led by their dedicated JEDI Master.

JEDI stands for Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

We welcome all into our spaces without prejudice, irrespective of race, beliefs, preferences, pronouns or abilities. The team are trained in Mental Health, the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme and First Aid.

If you notice rebel forces not being inclusive, let any one of the team know, and we will get the JEDI team on to it as quickly as possible!

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme

SMASH Incorporated has signed up to the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme, supporting people with disabilities that may not be so obvious to the casual observer.

Many people with a disability use or carry something – whether that’s a wheelchair, guide dog, hearing aid or white cane – that visibly indicates what the disability might be. But other disabilities, such as autism, dementia, mental health issues or learning difficulties, are not so obvious.

Under the Hidden Disability Sunflower scheme, people with such disabilities can choose to wear a lanyard bearing a sunflower logo as a subtle way of letting others know that they may require additional support, assistance or a bit more time.

Find out more about the Sunflower here.

First Aid

If you need First Aid for any reason throughout the weekend, look out for the friendly Medical Team at 1300 Medics who will be able to assist you. You can identify them by their Dark Blue uniform, with 1300 MEDICS written on the back.

People with Colour Blindness

For those individuals with Colour Blindness, we have introduced dedicated colours to our Staff and Crew shirts this year, to allow them to be easily identifiable to everyone.

More Information

If you require assistance on the day, please approach one of our volunteers or our Information Desks.

Feedback

SMASH! welcomes your feedback on making our convention accessible to all attendees. Please send your suggestions via our Contact page and we will do our best to improve on suggestions.

SMASH! thanks the Sydney Festival for their example in communicating accessibility information.