AFL Grand Final Parade in Victoria Date in the current year: September 27, 2024

The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. It was founded in 1896 as the Victorian Football League (VFL) by eight clubs that had seceded from the Victoria Football Association. The new league introduced a system of the finals series, a playoff tournament held at the end of each season to determine the premier.

There was no grand final match in the 1897 season, so the first ever VFL Grand Final took place on September 24, 1898 at St Kilda Cricket Ground (Junction Oval) in Melbourne. It was played between Essendon and Fitzroy, with Fitzroy winning. In 1902, the Grand Final took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first time.

In the 1980s, the VFL began to expand interstate. To reflect its national composition, it was renamed the Australian Football League in 1990. Naturally, the VFL Grand Final was renamed the AFL Grand Final.

The Grand Final is one the oldest and most beloved sporting events in Victoria. It has been held every year since 1898, except for 1924, when no grand final was played due to a modified finals system. Most Grand Finals took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but the 2020 and 2021 matches were played in Queensland and South Australia, respectively due to COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria.

The AFL Grand Final typically falls during the spring break in Victoria. Moreover, since 2015 the Friday before the AFL Grand Final has been a public holiday in the state. The main event of the day is the AFL Grand Final Parade featuring the players from each team. It has been held in downtown Melbourne every year since 1977. The players usually ride in open-top vehicles, but in 2022, the teams traveled down the Yarra River on boats for part of the route.

Another Grand Final tradition is the North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast that has been held on the morning of the AFL Grand Final since 1967. Organized by the North Melbourne Football Club, it is a major fundraising event that is attended by various celebrities and is broadcast live across Victoria.

The match itself includes pre-match performances by Australian and international music stars. Musicians that have performed at the AFL Grand Final include Michael Bublé, Meat Loaf, Ed Sheeran, Chris Isaak, Sting, The Killers, Robbie Williams, and many others. Two songs that are associated with Australian rules football and are traditionally performed before the match are “One Day in September” and “Up There Cazaly”.

The AFL Grand Final isn’t the only sporting event in Victoria that is a public holiday. The day of the Melbourne Cup, a Thoroughbred horse race held on the first Tuesday in November, is a public holiday for all working within metropolitan Melbourne and some parts of regional Victoria, as well as for federal public servants in the entire state.