Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions fans will paint Melbourne in their club colours today as the annual AFL Grand Final Parade takes an exciting new route through Melbourne Park - backed by the Allan Labor Government.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today joined thousands of Swans and Lions supporters to take in the excitement of the parade, which is giving fans even closer access to their footy heroes than ever before.
In the first ever Grand Final to feature a New South Wales and Queensland team, the city is buzzing with interstate visitors and fans from across the state cheering on the Swans and Lions.
Beginning at Melbourne Park Oval, players and coaches will head through the Melbourne Park precinct by motorcade, via the Tanderrum Bridge to Birrarung Marr, across William Barak Bridge to the MCG and finishing at the AFL's free Footy Festival in Yarra Park.
After the parade and presentation of club captains, fans will be able to get into the Grand Final spirit in Yarra Park at the AFL's free Footy Festival - which has free activities for people of all ages, including an ice-skating rink.
Taking advantage of the public holiday, today there is also a host of AFLW matches across the city - Collingwood is taking on Gold Coast at Punt Road, Essendon is meeting Melbourne at Windy Hill, St Kilda is welcoming Fremantle to Moorabbin, and the newly redeveloped Whitten Oval will host Western Bulldogs and Sydney.
People travelling into the MCG for the Grand Final Parade and Footy Festival can take advantage of the extended free tram zone - making it easier to get to all the events from the CBD.
The Grand Final Parade and AFL Grand Final - locked in Melbourne until 2059 - are part of a packed major events calendar that boosts Victoria's record $39.2 billion visitor economy, featuring the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Australian Open, Formula 1 Grand Prix, and Boxing Day Test.
Today's AFL Grand Final Parade kicks off at 10:30am at Melbourne Park Oval.
As stated by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos
"One of the key highlights of Grand Final Week, the AFL Grand Final Parade is bigger and better than ever in 2024 - giving fans unmatched access to players and coaches in the centre of Melbourne Park."
"We are proud to welcome footy fans from New South Wales and Queensland to our great state - tomorrow's game will be a clash for the ages, and an incredible end to what has been a spectacular AFL season."
