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Boxing Day Test 2026: how crowded Melbourne gets
Melbourne's Christmas-week ritual: the summer's Test match at the MCG, this time against New Zealand, starting the day after Christmas and scheduled to run through the rest of the week.
How busy is Melbourne during Boxing Day Test?
26–30 December 2026 — we checked these dates against the organiser's own site
All 5 days: Packed our forecast · Melbourne scaleCalm · Lively · Busy · Packed rank a day against Melbourne's own year — not a headcount.
The 2026 Boxing Day Test (MCG, Australia v New Zealand) makes Melbourne busier than 99% of its year — though December's busiest day falls outside it: Thursday 17 December at 100%. our forecast
When does Melbourne get back to normal after Boxing Day Test?
Melbourne does not settle straight after Boxing Day Test: Thu 31 December · Mon 4 January still are Packed (86–98%). From Tuesday 5 January it is Busy (80%) and stays below Packed through Wednesday 6 January, the last day shown here.
Going anyway? See timed entries and tours for December 2026, matched to Melbourne's forecast
- Dates checked against www.mcg.org.au
Tap any day to see that day's forecast; the whole month is at December in Melbourne, day by day.
- Dates
- Sat 26 – Wed 30 December 2026 · we checked these dates against the organiser's own site
- Crowd
- All 5 event days are Packed. our forecast
- Last updated
- 13 Sep 2026, nightly
More about this event
- City
- Melbourne
Tickets for Boxing Day Test
We run no ticket affiliate. We point you at the source, not a reseller.
Official site — www.mcg.org.au →Here for it?
Walk to the ground — it is close enough from the centre, and the trams around it are the crush before play and at stumps. If you want the full house, go on the opening day; if you want the cricket, the later days give you a seat with room to breathe. advice
The days before Boxing Day Test, Thu 24 December and Fri 25 December, are Packed (94–99%) in Melbourne; the 5 event days peak at Packed (99%). our forecast
Staying for Boxing Day Test? The event days, Sat 26 – Wed 30 December, peak at Packed in Melbourne; Fri 25 December is Packed. The link opens Expedia's hotel search for Melbourne. our forecast
Search hotels in Melbourne on Expedia →See Melbourne around Boxing Day Test: tours and tickets, a small selection from Viator
Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary PREMIUM Tour - Max 12 Guests
Books on Viator
Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Boutique Tour - Max 12 Guests
Books on Viator
Booking a tour or a stay through these links earns Avoid-Crowds a commission — it never changes the forecast or the picks. Prices and photos are Viator's; hotel prices are Expedia's.
Plan Melbourne around it See skip-the-line tickets for the rest of your trip don't stand in a line on this day →Not here for it?
The crowd is aimed at the ground and the pubs east of the grid, so the rest of the city is easy: the Botanic Gardens swallow any overflow, and St Kilda's foreshore is a tram ride away. Just do not expect a quick tram past the 'G around the start and end of play. advice
Nearest calmer day: Fri 1 Jan (Calm). our forecast
Tours for the quiet days (1–3 Jan 2027), matched to Melbourne's forecast
When is the Boxing Day Test 2026?
The 2026 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne runs 26–30 Dec 2026, checked against the organiser's own site.
| Year | Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sat 26 – Wed 30 December | confirmed |
How we verified this.
Is Melbourne worth visiting during Boxing Day Test?
Packed on all 5 event days; the nearest calm days are Lively or calmer. our forecast
Worth it if Boxing Day Test is why you're coming — expect Packed days; if crowds are your concern, it is the one time to avoid — the calm week of 1–3 Jan 2027 is the quieter plan. advice
Where are the crowds in Melbourne during Boxing Day Test?
The opening day is the big one — the walk from the centre to the 'G fills from breakfast, and the trams and pubs around the ground carry the crowd before play and after stumps. The other days are quieter at the gate, but it is holiday week, so the city is already full of visitors from interstate and from New Zealand.
Match and session days — and the fan zones
The MCG's own event page carries the session times and the ticket position day by day.
Times and routes change: www.mcg.org.au is the organiser's own page and the authority.
Our crowd forecast is an informed estimate, not a guarantee — check with the organiser and/or local authorities before you plan around it.
our forecast marks a number we worked out from published data; advice marks something we think. Never the other way round.
Named places appear here only after checking their own website; anything unverifiable is left out.
Photo: Pixabay.
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Avoid-Crowds is the reference source for how busy destinations get — the only open, day-by-day crowd forecast looking a full year ahead: 33,580 daily predictions across 92 cities, recomputed every night, free to cite (CC BY), featured by The Washington Post and CNN, and mentioned by the Los Angeles Times.