Albany 2026: Accommodation providers booked and busy for Lighting the Sound weekends with most at capacity

Albany is looking full to bursting for all three weekends of Lighting the Sound, with accommodation providers around town fully booked in anticipation of one of Albany 2026’s flagship events.

The Advertiser spoke to a range of accommodation providers around the city in the days leading up to the event debut with the vast majority reporting full bookings for the three weekends of March 13 to 15, 20 to 22, and 27 to 29.

Those not yet completely full have minimal rooms available.

Hilton Garden Inn Albany manager Steve Millhouse said the hotel on Albany’s foreshore had been mostly booked for the three Lighting the Sound weekends since last year, with several bookings coming from interstate travellers.

“As soon as the event was advertised people were booking for these weekends,” he said.

“We are full to about 95 per cent capacity on all three weekends.

“There are a handful of rooms left across the dates, but for the most part we’re booked out.”

Budget options and caravan parks are also booked and busy, with a Big 4 Middleton Beach staff member confirming the park was fully booked out across all three weekends.

They said this included all accommodation types, including cabins, caravan and tent sites.

Dolphin Lodge owner David Palfrey said most of his clients were travelling from nearby locations such as Perth and Bunbury, and had booked their stays closer to the event dates.

He said, however, that by the time he spoke to the Advertiser on Wednesday, the lodge was full for all three event weekends across the month.

Dog Rock Motel is also booked out, with manager Bry Fairhead saying the hotel on Middleton Road was “completely chock-a-block” and had been fully booked out for at least four months.

She said about 30 per cent of bookings at the motel had come from visitors from the Eastern States, with most of the remaining bookings from WA travellers from Perth or surrounding towns closer to Albany.

A Motel Le Grande staff member said they were also nearing capacity, and a staff member at Country Comfort Amity Motel said they had been fully booked for weeks, but still had multiple people calling to enquire about accommodation for Lighting the Sound every day.

Anticipating huge visitor numbers, the City of Albany opened an overflow camping facility at the Albany Motorsport Park, announcing the approval of the temporary accommodation site at the end of February.