Melbourne is about to shut down for Grand Final week, and here's what's actually on

Melbourne is about to hand itself over entirely to footy, and if you don't have a plan yet, you're already behind.

The Grand Final Parade runs Friday 25 September from 10.30am to midday, starting at Melbourne Park Oval and winding through Melbourne and Olympic Park, over the William Barak Bridge and into the Yarra Park precinct, before both Grand Final teams get presented on stage at Footy Fest. Birrarung Marr is the pick for viewing, with a big screen, food and drink stalls and activations set up around it. The Grand Final itself lands at the MCG the next day, Saturday 26 September.

Between the parade, the fan zones and the inevitable pub takeovers, this is peak "the whole city has main character energy" season, and it is not subtle about it. Every pub within cooee of the MCG will be booked out well before the weekend, and CBD foot traffic basically reorganises itself around footy for about 48 hours straight.

Worth planning around now rather than finding out on the day. If you are not going to the game or the parade, decide early whether you are leaning into it at a pub with a big screen or actively avoiding the whole footprint, because there is not much middle ground once Grand Final week actually hits.

Restaurants and bars anywhere near Birrarung Marr, Federation Square or the MCG precinct should expect the same crush, so a normal Friday night booking becomes a genuine gamble without one made well ahead of time. Public transport around Richmond and the MCG will also be running at full capacity for both days, so factor in extra travel time either way, especially if you are trying to get anywhere near the ground.

Either way, book whatever you are doing this week today. Melbourne in Grand Final week does not save you a seat.