Ask Millie
AAMI Park can be planned from several nearby bases.
A good event day needs a decision: are you using Richmond, the CBD, the river side or the broader sports precinct as the plan's base?
Richmond can suit food and drinks before or after. The CBD can work when people are coming from different directions or want more options. The river and sports precinct can make the event feel more like a Melbourne day out, especially for visitors.
Once that is clear, food, meeting points and the exit become much easier. The plan should choose one base and stop the group from drifting into last-minute decisions. PlanSorted helps build a match or event day that respects crowd flow, weather, transport and group size.
Four event day versions for AAMI Park.
When the MCG has a final, AAMI Park is not a separate venue
AAMI Park shares its precinct, its stations and its walking routes with the MCG and Melbourne Park. For most of the year that is an advantage. Through September it is the single most important thing to check, because an AFL final at the MCG puts tens of thousands of people through Jolimont, Richmond and the Yarra Park footbridges on the same afternoon your event is on.
If the two clash, everything in this guide needs more time: earlier arrival, a booked table rather than a walk-in, and a post-event exit that assumes the trains are already full of somebody else’s crowd. The CBD side of the river handles it better than Richmond does.
Friday 25 September 2026 is a Victorian public holiday, the day before the AFL Grand Final, and the Grand Final Parade runs that morning from Melbourne Park through Birrarung Marr and into Yarra Park. That is directly across your approach. If you have an event in the precinct that day, arrive by a different route and do not plan a quiet pre-event meal nearby.
The public holiday also means holiday transport timetables and reduced hours or closures at some of the smaller food options around Richmond and East Melbourne.
Check the MCG fixture before you plan an AAMI Park night. The precinct is one crowd, not three.
The AAMI Park mistakes.
- Do not assume proximity means the plan is easy.
- Do not leave food vague before a group event.
- Do not choose a meeting point that only makes sense to locals.
- Do not make a tight post-event booking.
- Do not ignore rain or crowd flow.
- Do not use the same plan for every event type.
Give it your start point, event time, group size, food preference and whether you want a quick exit or a social night.
It will build the plan around the precinct.
Plan an AAMI Park event day with food, transport, weather backup and crowd timing
