Frequently
asked questions

Sleep At The ’G is MCM’s flagship fundraising event where compassionate people come together to support over 7,600 young Victorians who, every night are without a safe place to call home. It’s a fun event to raise money and awareness for a serious issue.

Yes, for one night you’ll sleep at one of the world’s most famous stadiums. Funds raised from your one uncomfortable night sleeping at the MCG will go towards providing comfort and security for young people without a home.

Registrations closed at 11:59pm on Monday 12th May.

Homelessness is usually a result of other forms of disadvantage building to a crisis. Family violence, abuse and mental health are the major drivers into homelessness for young people. But once they become homeless, they face even more dangerous situations; sleeping rough, in unsafe housing, couch surfing and many others that leave them vulnerable to danger and risks. The longer homelessness lasts, the harder it is to rebuild a life.

Without the support of organisations like MCM, a young person can become further entrenched in long term-homelessness, increasing trauma and poverty, losing all hope of reaching their full potential. We know that 50% of adults experiencing long-term homelessness were homeless as young people. Breaking this cycle is vital to give young people their best chance of a better life.

On our website, over here.

Our event program and the Sleep At The ’G Sleepers Guide are available to read here.

Gates will open at 5:00pm. The Welcome to Country and event commence at 6:30pm.

We recommend you arrive between 5:00pm - 6:00pm to allow ample time to enter, get your sleeping spot, get settled and head out to the stands for the official start of the event.

Gates will close at 8:00pm Thursday night and re-open at 5:30am Friday morning. Pass outs will be allowed.

Gate 2 re-opens at 5:30am on the Friday morning after the event and you will be able to grab a breakfast snack and coffee on your way out.

You'll find a copy of all the tickets you purchased in your account under the ‘dashboard’ tab. Make sure you log in to your profile to download and print your tickets before 15 May.

A valid ticket is a condition of entry. If someone else purchased tickets for you, ask them for your copy.

For safety and security reasons, all individuals must be 15 years or older on the day of the event.

Children between the ages of 15 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult, over the age of 18 and supervised, at all times. One adult can bring up to two children to the event.   

As Sleep At The ’G is MCM’s flagship fundraising event, participants are not entitled to refunds of registration fees should their circumstances change and they cannot attend the event. Please see our Terms and Conditions regarding ticketing conditions.

Sleeping on the playing surface is not permitted.

There is plenty of space for everyone inside the MCG on Level, B1. Our volunteers will help you find the right place to bed down for the night. If you have a large team, please arrive early, so that your team can get settled. If you are attending with under-18s, you will be offered a place in the ‘Families Only’ sleeping area.

You can leave at any time, of course, but for security reasons you will not be allowed to come back inside without a pass out. You can leave through the turnstile near where you entered at Gate 2.

No passouts will be provided to anyone aged 15 to 17 years old unless accompanied by an adult who they attended with and over the age of 18.

The MCG security provider is SECUREcorp, who have generously supported Sleep At The ’G at every event. MCG security will be scanning your entry ticket, and all patrons will be subject to security wanding prior to entering the stadium. All bags and belongings will be searched so you will need to adhere to MCG Conditions of entry.

This is a public gathering, with over 1,000 sleepers anticipated to attend the event. No secure lockers will be available, so we can’t guarantee your belongings are safe if left unattended. We recommend you bring limited valuable personal items and keep any valuables on you at all time. Please take responsibility for your belongings at all times.

Ensure you bring the below items with you for easy access and an enjoyable night:

Your ticket - without it you can't enter.

Sleeping, camping, or yoga mat - if you want an extra layer of warmth to sleep on (only single sizes are permitted). We will not be providing any bedding.

Pillow – for a little extra comfort.

Sleeping bag/blankets – it's normally a chilly night, so you'll need to keep warm!

Warm clothing – Melbourne autumn nights can get cold. You won’t be out in the elements but you should bring some warm clothes. It's a perfect opportunity to wear that onesie.

Empty water bottle – we will have taps available so you can refill.

Snacks - have a good stash of your favourite sweet and salty snacks.

Games - card and board games, puzzle books and any similar activities you can enjoy playing with others.

Toiletries – while there are no showers, don’t forget your basic toiletries for your night away.

No power points are available, which means you won't be able to plug-in any electrical items.

Please bring your phone fully charged and a self-sufficient charging source, like a portable phone charger (if you have one). A few charging stations will be available on the night. Ask for the locations of these charging stations at the event.

This is an alcohol free event. No alcohol may be brought into the venue. Glass containers, cans and knives are not permitted. These will be confiscated and you may be refused entry. Make sure you understand the MCG Conditions of Entry prior to arrival.

You CAN bring with you:

• An empty re-usable drinking bottle to fill at the water stations inside
• Any non-alcoholic drinks in sealed plastic bottles
• Any food you wish to eat during the night, although there will be some food available.

As great as it would be to be able to freshen up in the morning, unfortunately, there are no showers available for public use.

Wouldn’t that be cool? We’d love to get the footy out for a bit of fun, but it’s just not on, sorry.

This is a serious condition of entry and any person attempting to access the arena, will be swiftly removed by security staff and possibly removed from the venue, and could be facing a hefty fine.

No. As much as we love pets, they are not allowed at the event.

The entire MCG external concourse is a smoke free zone. If you would like to smoke, you will need to exit the venue and walk to the perimeter edge of the external concourse (just into Yarra Park). You’ll need your entry pass to get out and back in. 

MCM will conduct Sleep At The ’G in accordance with the current Government directions, orders and regulations at the time of the event.

Sleep At The ’G permits sleepers aged 15-17 years into the event accompanied and supervised by an adult, over the age of 18. For safety and security reasons, all individuals must be 15 years or older on the day of the event, and there must be one adult, per two children.

Youths and their accompanying adult will receive a wristband upon entry, which must be worn for the full duration of the event. All family ticket holders (including youths) will be able to sleep within the general areas, with their accompanying adult. There will also be a “Families only” area placed aside at the MCG for families.

The MCG and MCM are committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people who attend the event. Further information on MCG Child Safety can be found here, with information on MCM Child Safety found here.

Due to safety and security reasons, all individuals must be 15 years or older on the day of the event. Children between the ages of 15 and 17 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult, over the age of 18, at all times. One adult can bring up to two children to the event. Should you wish to bring more than two children, you will need an additional adult to attend, for every two children. Example: For ten children to attend the event, five adults will be required to register and attend the event as well. All children and their accompanying adults must register together through the Family Registration.

We are grateful that schools are considering MCM Sleep At The ‘G as an event for their students. Whilst we can appreciate that the requirement for one adult, per two children, may impact your ability to join us, there are other ways you and your school can get involved including hosting your own sleep out event. You can set up and register your own event here.

When you sign up, you will create a personal fundraising page to inspire supporters and take online donations – securely. All participants are asked to actively fundraise but there is no minimum amount.

If you've never done any fundraising before don't stress as we're here to help! See our top tips section for lots of helpful hints to get you on your way.

Yes, all donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. A receipt will be sent to their nominated email address immediately. Be sure to check all junk mail for their receipt if they haven’t received it.

Yes, please see our resources and top fundraising tips section for some useful tools and ideas to help get you started!

Sleep At The ‘G is an accessible event catering for sleepers whether it be vision, sound, mobility or sensory.

• The opening formalities and fireside chat will include AUSLAN interpreters
• Each area of the event can be accessed via lift or ramps with accessible lifts, located inside Gate 2, should you require them (with all activities occurring within the Gate 2 precinct).
• A Sensory Room will be available throughout the night.

Need to plug in your CPAP Machine? Or perhaps you need accessible parking, or require a sleeping position near an accessible bathroom? To ensure we support you and answer any queries you have, we encourage you to contact our Sleep At The ‘G hotline on 1800 626 572, so that we can support you.