When is Grand Final Friday?

Victoria's newest holiday

The Friday before the AFL Grand Final became a Victorian public holiday in 2015. It was introduced by the Andrews government alongside Easter Sunday, fulfilling an election promise, and it remains the most argued-about holiday in the state: business groups put its cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars, while its supporters point to the crowds at the Grand Final Parade and the boost to hospitality.

The holiday is tied to the AFL fixture rather than to a fixed date. In a normal season the Grand Final is on the last Saturday in September, so the holiday is the last Friday in September. When the season shifts, the holiday shifts with it. In 2020 the pandemic pushed the Grand Final to 24 October at the Gabba in Brisbane, and Victoria moved the holiday to Friday 23 October.

Why it is provisional on this site

Because the date depends on the AFL, it is not known with certainty until the league locks in the season and the Victorian Government gazettes the holiday, which usually happens late in the year before. This site assumes the last Saturday in September and marks the date provisional until it appears in the official Victorian dataset. When you see the badge on a year page, treat the date as very likely but not final.

What the weekend looks like

For Melbourne the day is the Grand Final Parade and the calm before the game. For everyone else it is a three-day weekend at the end of the third school term, which is a useful place to spend leave: the Thursday before makes a four-day break, and combined with the September school holidays it is a popular time to leave the state. The planner shows the combinations for each year.

Grand Final Friday is Victoria only. Interstate fans get no holiday even when their team is playing.