The Melbourne Cricket Ground holds 100,024 people. On Boxing Day it fills most of them. On AFL Grand Final day it fills all of them. When Taylor Swift or Coldplay come to town, same story. If you’re coming to Melbourne for an MCG event, where you stay matters, and most people default to a generic CBD hotel without realising there’s a better option 10 minutes away.
Fitzroy and Collingwood sit directly north of the MCG. You’re a short Uber ride from the gates, and you land in two of Melbourne’s best inner-north neighbourhoods rather than a hotel corridor on Flinders Street.
How close are Fitzroy and Collingwood to the MCG?
Closer than most people think. The MCG is in East Melbourne, just off Brunton Avenue near Yarra Park. Fitzroy is about 3 kilometres north. Collingwood is closer still, with parts of the suburb barely 2 kilometres from the ground. On event day you’re looking at a 10 to 15 minute Uber, or a tram into the city and a short walk along the Yarra precinct from Federation Square.
The upside of staying slightly away from the ground: you’re not stuck in a sea of parked cars and packed pubs the night before. You get back to a quiet street, a proper kitchen, and a bed that isn’t hotel-thin.
What’s on at the MCG
The MCG runs major events year-round. Cricket, AFL, NFL, and some of the biggest concert tours in the world all come through this ground.
The Boxing Day Test
Australia’s biggest cricket tradition. Between 80,000 and 90,000 people on day one alone. If you’re visiting from interstate or overseas for the Test, you’re usually in Melbourne for three or four nights minimum. The city is at its most energetic over that stretch, the inner north cafes are packed, and you want a base that actually has room for your whole group.
AFL football
The MCG is home ground to four AFL clubs: Collingwood, Richmond, Melbourne, and Hawthorn. Every home game draws between 40,000 and 85,000 people. The AFL Grand Final in September is the biggest single-day crowd in Australian sport. There’s no equivalent. If you’ve never been to an AFL game at the MCG, add it to the list.
NFL Global Games
The NFL has brought regular season games to the MCG, making Melbourne one of the very few cities outside the United States to host live NFL action. The Philadelphia Eagles versus Cleveland Browns in 2024 drew a full stadium and a wave of American visitors who spent several days in the city. For those trips, a short-term apartment makes far more sense than a hotel: you want a lounge, a kitchen, and a suburb worth exploring, not just a bed to crash in.
Concerts
The MCG’s concert configuration puts capacity at around 80,000 to 100,000. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones: all have played here. Concert nights pull people in from across Victoria and interstate, and anyone visiting specifically for a show is usually in Melbourne for at least two nights. Accommodation prices in the CBD spike heavily on those dates.
Why an apartment beats a hotel for MCG events
Hotels near the MCG and through the CBD charge peak event pricing. On Boxing Day or Grand Final weekend you’re looking at $400 to $600 per night for a standard room. And you get exactly that: one room.
With a short-term apartment in Fitzroy or Collingwood you get a full property. A kitchen to cook breakfast before the game. A lounge to come back to after. Enough space for a group without booking two separate hotel rooms at twice the price. For cricket visitors staying three or four nights the savings are significant, and the setup is far more comfortable.
Groceries from the local supermarket, coffee from a proper cafe on Brunswick Street or Smith Street, dinner at one of a dozen good restaurants on the walk home. That’s a different trip to eating hotel room service and staring at the ceiling.
Getting to the MCG from Fitzroy and Collingwood
The easiest option on event day is an Uber. Expect 10 to 15 minutes and a fare of $15 to $25 depending on traffic. On a quiet Test match morning it’s even faster.
You can also tram into the CBD and walk along the Yarra precinct from Federation Square, which is about 10 minutes on foot from the MCG gates. Melbourne’s tram network runs free within the CBD zone, so the trip into town costs nothing.
After a big AFL game or concert, the ride-share queue outside the ground is chaotic. Walking up toward the CBD or catching a tram toward Fitzroy is the smarter move. You’ll be back at the apartment while the CBD hotel guests are still standing in line on Wellington Parade.
Book accommodation near the MCG
Artist Abodes manages short-term rental apartments in Fitzroy and Collingwood. All properties are professionally furnished and positioned well for both the MCG and everything else the inner north offers. Whether you’re here for the Boxing Day Test, an AFL finals series, a concert, or the NFL, the location works.
Check availability and book through our direct booking site, or find our listings on Airbnb and Booking.com. Booking direct always gives you the best rate.
Related: For a full guide to game day at the MCG, including what to do before and after, read our experience guide: The MCG: AFL, Cricket, and Game Day in Melbourne.