Thank You Day in Victoria in 2020

 

Thank You Day in Victoria in 2020

Victoria’s AFL Grand Final Eve public holiday will be renamed to ‘Thank You Day’ to show the states thanks to those who have made sacrifices to contain the spread of Coronavirus. This follows the AFL’s announcement that the Grand Final will take place in Brisbane, at the Gabba, on Saturday, October 24th.

Despite that, Victorians will still get to enjoy the public holiday, which will be on October 23rd.

“Confirmation of the Grand Final date also means that the Government can lock in the popular AFL Grand Final eve public holiday for Friday, 23 October,” the Victorian government said.

“A ‘Thank You Day’ for Victorians who have made so many sacrifices as part of the community effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.”

When is Grand Final Eve?

Grand Final Eve is a regional public holiday held in Victoria, Australia. It is usually observed on the day before the AFL Grand Final match on the Friday before the final Saturday in September. This website will be updated with the exact date upon release of the updated AFL schedule.

History of Grand Final Eve

The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match. It is traditionally held on the final Saturday in September to determine the Australian Football League champions for that year.

The final takes place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia. The holiday gives a chance for opposing fans to gather in a holiday atmosphere before the big game.

The day also provides a chance for fans to get up and close to the players as the teams involved in the final take part in the AFL Grand Final Parade in Melbourne. The parade, which has been a pre-game tradition since 1977, starts from the Old Treasury Building and ends at the AFL Grand Final Live Site near the MCG in Yarra Park.

Australian rules football is the most popular sport in Australia. It was invented in Melbourne in 1858 and is a combination of soccer and rugby resulting in a contact sport similar to Gaelic football.

As far as we know, Victoria is the only region in the world that celebrates not one, but two sporting events as public holidays. In addition to AFL Grand Final Eve, Victoria also observes a holiday for the Melbourne Cup horse race, which takes place in early November.

Public transport services will operate to a Saturday timetable, but some services may be altered or will not run.

Dates of Thank You Day in Victoria
2022 Fri, Sep 30 2021 Fri, Oct 1 2020 Fri, Oct 23 2019 Fri, Sep 27 2018 Fri, Sep 28
Summary
Victoria. Since 2015, the day before the AFL Grand Final has been declared a public holiday