Friday before the AFL Grand Final 2026

The Friday before the AFL Grand Final is a statewide public holiday in Victoria, and employees there are entitled to the day off. No other state or territory has a public holiday on this day. It usually falls on the last Friday in September, but the date is confirmed each year after the AFL sets its finals schedule. In 2026 it falls on Friday 25 September. The 2027 and 2028 dates depend on the AFL schedule.

Shops, schools and work

In Victoria the Friday before the AFL Grand Final is a public holiday, so banks, Victorian Government offices and many other workplaces close. Supermarkets and most shops typically open, often with reduced hours. Public transport in Melbourne usually runs to a modified timetable, and Public Transport Victoria publishes the details. Employees who work may be entitled to public holiday penalty rates under their award or agreement. There is no part-day holiday. With the weekend, the day forms a three-day long weekend, and the long weekends and working days calculators show its effect for Victoria.

History

The holiday was an election commitment of the Labor Party under Daniel Andrews at the 2014 Victorian state election. The Andrews Government introduced it after taking office, and it was first observed on Friday 2 October 2015, the day before Hawthorn played West Coast in the Grand Final at the MCG. Business groups raised concerns about the cost to employers at the time. The day is now set out in the Public Holidays Act 1993.

Because the holiday is tied to the match rather than a fixed calendar date, it moves with the AFL season. In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the competition, and the Grand Final was played at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday 24 October. Victoria kept its public holiday on Friday 23 October. In 2021 the Grand Final was held in Perth, and the Victorian holiday again fell on the preceding Friday. The day has remained on the Victorian list of public holidays since its introduction.

How Australians spend the day

In Melbourne the AFL Grand Final Parade is typically held on the Friday, with players from the two competing clubs travelling through the city centre to Yarra Park near the MCG. The day often falls during the Victorian school holidays between terms 3 and 4, so many families use the long weekend for a short trip away. Others use the Friday to prepare for gatherings to watch the match on the Saturday, and local football clubs often hold functions over the weekend. Outside Victoria the Friday is an ordinary working day, including in states with AFL clubs.

Facts

• The day is a public holiday across all of Victoria under the Public Holidays Act 1993 (Vic). No other state or territory observes it.
• The rule links the holiday to the match: it is the Friday before the AFL Grand Final, usually the last Friday in September.
• In 2020 the holiday fell on Friday 23 October, because the Grand Final that year was played in Brisbane on Saturday 24 October.
• Under the National Employment Standards in the Fair Work Act 2009, Victorian employees are entitled to be absent on the day unless reasonably requested to work.