Quick answer
Yes. Friday, 25 September 2026 is a public holiday in Victoria for the Friday before the AFL Grand Final.
The holiday applies in Victoria and is commonly called AFL Grand Final Friday or Grand Final Friday.
If you normally work on Fridays, the public holiday may affect whether you work, how you are paid and whether you need annual leave for that day.
When is the AFL Grand Final public holiday in 2026?
The Victorian AFL Grand Final public holiday is:
Friday, 25 September 2026
The Victorian Government lists the official holiday as the Friday before the AFL Grand Final.
The date changes from year to year because it follows the AFL Grand Final schedule rather than being fixed to one calendar date.
Is AFL Grand Final Friday a statewide public holiday?
Yes. The Friday before the AFL Grand Final is a Victorian public holiday.
It is not limited to Melbourne.
This is different from Melbourne Cup Day, where some non-metropolitan councils can arrange an alternative local public holiday. The Victorian public-holiday calendar does not list a similar regional exception for AFL Grand Final Friday.
If your job is based in Victoria, the public-holiday rules that apply to your employment should be considered even if you are temporarily working somewhere else on the day.
Do you automatically get AFL Grand Final Friday off work?
Not necessarily.
Employees have a right to be absent from work on a public holiday, but an employer can request an employee to work if the request is reasonable.
Whether a request is reasonable can depend on factors including:
- the type of workplace and work being performed;
- whether the employee could reasonably expect to work public holidays;
- personal and family circumstances;
- whether penalty rates or other additional payments apply;
- how much notice is given; and
- whether the employee is full-time, part-time, casual or a shiftworker.
An employee can refuse a request to work where the request is unreasonable or the employee has reasonable grounds for refusing it.
Do you get paid if you do not work?
Full-time and part-time employees who would ordinarily work on Friday, 25 September 2026 are generally entitled to their base rate of pay for the ordinary hours they would have worked when they are absent because of the public holiday.
If Friday is not normally one of your working days, you generally do not receive extra payment simply because it is a public holiday.
Casual employees generally do not receive payment for a public holiday they do not work.
What if you work on AFL Grand Final Friday?
If you work on the public holiday, check the award, enterprise agreement or other workplace rules that apply to you.
Depending on the applicable arrangement, working on a public holiday may involve:
- public-holiday penalty rates;
- minimum shift lengths;
- an additional day off;
- another agreed benefit; or
- other public-holiday conditions.
There is no single public-holiday pay multiplier that applies to every Victorian employee.
Are schools closed on AFL Grand Final Friday?
Victorian Government school guidance includes the Friday before the AFL Grand Final among the public holidays when schools are not open.
Parents should still check the calendar for their specific school, particularly for independent schools, childcare providers and other services that may follow their own operating arrangements.
Are shops closed on AFL Grand Final Friday?
Not automatically.
AFL Grand Final Friday is a public holiday, but it is not one of Victoria’s restricted trading days listed alongside Good Friday, Anzac Day and Christmas Day.
Businesses may therefore remain open, although individual shops, restaurants and other services can choose different public-holiday trading hours.
Check the specific business before travelling if its opening hours matter.
Common scenarios
You normally work Monday to Friday. Friday 25 September is a public holiday, so if you do not work public holidays you receive a three-day weekend without using annual leave for Friday.
You are rostered to work. Check your award or enterprise agreement for the public-holiday pay rate and other entitlements that apply.
You work outside Melbourne. The AFL Grand Final Friday holiday is not just a Melbourne holiday. It is listed as a Victorian public holiday.
You are travelling interstate for work. Fair Work generally looks at where an employee is based for work when determining which regional public holiday applies, rather than simply where the employee happens to be that day.
You need shops or services. Do not assume everything will be closed. Check the provider’s public-holiday opening hours.
How to use AFL Grand Final Friday for annual leave
Because the 2026 public holiday falls on a Friday, people who normally have Saturday and Sunday off already have a three-day weekend:
- Friday 25 September — public holiday
- Saturday 26 September — weekend
- Sunday 27 September — weekend
Taking Thursday, 24 September as annual leave creates four consecutive days away from work using one annual-leave day.
Alternatively, take Monday, 28 September as annual leave to create:
- Friday 25 September — public holiday
- Saturday 26 September — weekend
- Sunday 27 September — weekend
- Monday 28 September — annual leave
That is also four days away from work using one annual-leave day.
Taking both Thursday 24 September and Monday 28 September creates five consecutive days away from work using two annual-leave days.
How to plan this in Offdays
Add Friday, 25 September 2026 to your Victoria holiday calendar as the Friday before the AFL Grand Final.
Keep the public holiday separate from annual leave so it does not reduce the number of leave days available in your plan.
Then compare adding Thursday, Monday or both to see whether a four-day or five-day break works better for you.
For teams operating across Australia, apply this holiday to employees covered by the Victorian holiday calendar rather than adding it to every Australian employee.
Browse the Australia guides for national leave guidance or return to the Offdays blog for more leave-planning ideas.
Final thoughts
Friday, 25 September 2026 is the AFL Grand Final Friday public holiday in Victoria.
It is a Victorian public holiday rather than a Melbourne-only holiday. Employees who normally work Fridays should check their workplace arrangements if they are rostered to work, while employees who have the day off can use the Friday holiday to create a longer break without using annual leave for the public holiday itself.