The Day Before AFL Grand Final public holiday, often called AFL Grand Final Friday, is a Victorian public holiday held on the Friday before the AFL Grand Final. It creates one of Victoria’s most important spring long weekends.
The Day Before AFL Grand Final public holiday is a Victorian public holiday held on the Friday before the AFL Grand Final. The next listed date is Friday 25 September 2026.
Yes. It is a public holiday in Victoria. It is not a national public holiday across all of Australia, so people in other states and territories should check their own public holiday calendar.
The official wording is often the Friday before the AFL Grand Final. Many people refer to it as AFL Grand Final Friday, Grand Final Friday or the Day Before AFL Grand Final public holiday.
Use this table for planning long weekends, annual leave, school holiday activities, business rosters, travel and accommodation around the AFL Grand Final period in Victoria.
| Year | Date | Day | Public holiday | Planning note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 September 2026 | Friday | Day Before AFL Grand Final | Creates a Victorian long weekend in late September. |
| 2027 | 24 September 2027 | Friday | Day Before AFL Grand Final | Useful for travel, events, school holiday planning and hospitality bookings. |
| 2028 | 29 September 2028 | Friday | Day Before AFL Grand Final | A late-September Victorian long weekend. |
| 2029 | 28 September 2029 | Friday | Day Before AFL Grand Final | Plan ahead for leave, accommodation and football-related events. |
| 2030 | 27 September 2030 | Friday | Day Before AFL Grand Final | Creates a Friday public holiday before Grand Final weekend. |
| 2031 | 26 September 2031 | Friday | Day Before AFL Grand Final | Useful for longer spring travel and family planning. |
Planning note: These dates are provided for forward planning. Always confirm official public holiday dates with the Victorian Government before relying on them for payroll, rosters, trading hours, travel bookings or workplace decisions.
This section keeps the useful parts of the original page but makes them more specific. The key point is that public holiday rules are not the same across Australia. AFL Grand Final Friday is a Victorian public holiday, and the rules do not automatically apply in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT or the Northern Territory.
Australia does not have one single public holiday calendar. Some holidays are national, while others are state-only, territory-only, regional, substitute-day or part-day holidays.
This page is useful for early annual leave planning, family travel, school holiday planning, event planning, accommodation bookings, workplace rosters and search-based date checks.
Employers and travellers should confirm dates with official Victorian public holiday sources before making final decisions for payroll, trading hours, rostering or bookings.
The AFL Grand Final is one of the biggest sporting events on the Australian calendar, and the Friday before the Grand Final has become a major public holiday and long weekend period in Victoria. It is closely tied to football culture, major events, family gatherings, hospitality bookings and travel across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Because the holiday falls on a Friday, it creates a three-day weekend for many Victorian workers and families.
This is not a nationwide public holiday. It applies in Victoria, while other states and territories follow their own public holiday calendars.
Accommodation, restaurants, venues, transport and events can be busy around the Grand Final period, especially in Melbourne.
The Day Before AFL Grand Final public holiday is useful for planning a short break, family weekend, Melbourne trip or longer annual leave period. Because it falls near the Victorian school holiday period in many years, demand for accommodation and activities can increase.
Book early if you are planning a Melbourne trip, regional getaway, family lunch, football event or school holiday activity around Grand Final weekend.
Check public holiday entitlements, penalty rates, rosters, trading arrangements and customer notices before the holiday period.
Flights, accommodation and event-related transport may be more expensive or limited around the Grand Final period, so early planning matters.
Use these related pages to compare AFL Grand Final Friday with other Victorian and Australian public holidays. This helps visitors move from a single event date into broader annual leave and long weekend planning.
Check the Victorian public holiday calendar by year, including Grand Final Friday, Melbourne Cup Day, Easter, Anzac Day, King’s Birthday and Christmas.
Use these pages to compare the AFL Grand Final Friday holiday with other major public holidays and planning dates.
AFL Grand Final Friday is a Victorian public holiday, but visitors often compare dates across Australia. Use these state and territory pages to check public holiday rules outside Victoria.
For general planning, the table on this page gives the key AFL Grand Final Friday dates from 2026 to 2031. For payroll, penalty rates, business trading hours, school notices, travel bookings or employment decisions, confirm dates with official sources.
The Day Before AFL Grand Final public holiday in Victoria is Friday 25 September 2026.
AFL Grand Final Friday in Victoria is Friday 24 September 2027.
No. AFL Grand Final Friday is a Victorian public holiday. Other states and territories do not automatically receive this public holiday.
The public holiday is held on the Friday before the AFL Grand Final and creates a long weekend around one of Victoria’s biggest sporting and cultural events.
Yes. Because it falls on a Friday, it creates a three-day weekend for many Victorian workers and families.
Yes. Businesses should confirm dates with official Victorian public holiday sources before finalising rosters, payroll, penalty rates, trading hours or closure notices.
The listed dates are Friday 25 September 2026, Friday 24 September 2027, Friday 29 September 2028, Friday 28 September 2029, Friday 27 September 2030 and Friday 26 September 2031.