Simple Calendar
Calendar settings

AFL Grand Final Eve 2026: What's Open and What's On

AFL Grand Final Eve is Friday 25 September 2026, a public holiday in Victoria only. See what's open, where the parade fits and how to stretch the day off.

4 min read

AFL Grand Final Eve has ended

Melbourne's Docklands and Marvel Stadium in golden evening light.

AFL Grand Final Eve is a public holiday in Victoria on Friday 25 September 2026. Almost everything still trades that day, because it isn't one of Victoria's restricted trading days. The parade is the reason most people head into Melbourne, and the Friday gives you a three-day weekend without spending leave.

What's open on the Friday

Almost everything. Victoria restricts shop trading on Good Friday, Christmas Day and Anzac Day morning only, so supermarkets, shopping centres and retailers can open as normal on Grand Final Eve.

What changes is hours, not permission. Anyone rostered on gets public-holiday penalty rates, so smaller venues often trim their opening or run reduced hours. Banks, government offices, Victorian government schools and most professional services close for the day. Pubs, cafes and restaurants have one of their better Fridays of the year.

The Grand Final Parade

The parade is the centrepiece of the day. Players from the two clubs that won the previous weekend's preliminary finals are driven through Melbourne, and for most supporters it's the only chance to see both teams before the first bounce.

The AFL confirms the route and start time during Grand Final week. The format has been reworked several times, so check the current announcement rather than last season's map. Treat it like any big Melbourne event day: the city fills early, parking near the route is scarce, and public transport is the sane option.

Why the date moves every year

The holiday is pinned to the Grand Final, not to a calendar date. Victoria gazettes it as the Friday before the match, so it tracks the AFL fixture and lands anywhere from late September to early October.

That's also why later years stay unconfirmed until the AFL releases its schedule. The Grand Final public holiday page carries the confirmed date as soon as Victoria gazettes it.

Turn the Friday into a longer break

The Friday plus the weekend is already three days off with no leave used. One leave day on Monday 28 September makes it four.

  1. Check what else is left in the year on Victoria long weekends.
  2. Price the Monday in the Leave Planner before you request it.
  3. Book travel early. Late September overlaps the spring school holidays in most states, so it's one of the busiest windows of the second half of the year.
  4. Compare it with Melbourne Cup Day in November on Victoria's public holidays.

Frequently asked questions

Is the day before Grand Final day a public holiday?

Yes, in Victoria. Friday 25 September 2026 is a full public holiday there, with the same penalty rates and entitlements as any other. No other state has a statewide holiday that day; the one local exception is Queensland's Northern Peninsula Area, which has its show holiday on 25 September.

What date is the AFL Grand Final 2026?

Saturday 26 September 2026, at the MCG. Victoria's holiday is gazetted as the Friday before the match, and that Friday is 25 September.

Are shops open on Grand Final Eve in Victoria?

Yes. Retailers can trade as normal, because the day isn't on Victoria's restricted list. Expect holiday hours at smaller venues, and a surcharge at some cafes and restaurants.

Are Victorian schools closed on Grand Final Eve?

Yes. Victorian government schools don't operate on public holidays, so students have the Friday off. Childcare centres set their own arrangements, so check with your provider.

How do I turn Grand Final Eve into a four-day weekend?

Book Monday 28 September as annual leave. One day buys you Friday to Monday, and the Leave Planner shows what the same day would buy at other points in the year.

← Back to guides