THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Name: The Australian Open
Start: 2027-01-11
End: 2027-01-31
Location: Melbourne Park

Mid to Late January · Melbourne Park · A Fortnight · Since 1905 · Racquets

Arranged by the Court

Rod Laver Arena at sunset seen from high in the stands, its roof open, the stands full around the blue court and the towers of central Melbourne dark against a red and violet sky. The Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Melbourne — I · Rod Laver Arena at Sunset

Dates: 11 to 31 January 2027
WhereMelbourne Park, Melbourne
DressSmart casual
AdmissionOpen to the public
The weatherIn January Melbourne reaches about 27°C by day and 17°C at night, and rain falls on about one day in six.
The tableThe Court dines afterwards at Flower Drum, 17 Market Lane, Melbourne (flowerdrum.melbourne), or at Florentino, 80 Bourke Street, Melbourne (florentino.melbourne).
Of noteEach visitor may carry one bag, and it must fit under a seat. Larger bags and suitcases are not admitted.
In companyA member who means to go says so to the Secretary, and the Court seats its members together where the engagement allows.RSVP tells the Secretary that a member means to attend. Send passes the engagement’s name, its date and the address of its page to whomever the reader chooses, or, on a computer, copies the address; the Court itself sends and keeps nothing.RSVP

The Australian Open is the first of the four majors and the least formal of them. A fortnight of tennis in Melbourne in the middle of the southern summer, played on hard courts under three roofs.

It is called the Happy Slam, and the name is descriptive rather than promotional. Nobody here is wearing morning dress.

The glass front of Rod Laver Arena lit at dusk, its name in blue light, red umbrellas over the café tables and visitors crossing the paved square before it. The Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Melbourne — II · Rod Laver Arena at Dusk

The History

The first was played in 1905 at a cricket ground in Melbourne, and for most of a century it was the major nobody came to. In the 1920s the boat from Europe took forty-five days each way, which meant a European player surrendered three months of his life to enter it. Most did not.

It moved constantly in those years: Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and twice across to New Zealand. In 1909 it was played at Perth Zoo.

Kooyong took it permanently in 1972, on grass, and by the 1980s the tournament was drifting toward irrelevance. The last grass final was played there in 1987, and the following January the whole thing moved to a purpose-built hard-court site beside the river. Attendance rose ninety per cent in a year.

Melbourne Park from the air at blue hour, Rod Laver Arena ringed in blue light beside the Yarra and the towers of central Melbourne beyond. The Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Melbourne — III · Melbourne Park at Blue Hour

The Heat

January in Melbourne reaches forty degrees, and the tournament has an extreme heat policy that suspends play when it does.

It was the first major to roof its centre court, and there are three roofs now. The other three majors have since roofed their main courts as well. Melbourne was first.

The trade is that a roof changes the game. Indoors the ball moves faster and the conditions stop varying, so a match that starts outdoors in the sun can finish under lights as a different contest between the same two people.

A crowd at tables beneath gum trees and strings of lights in Garden Square at night, Rod Laver Arena lit in blue behind. The Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Melbourne — IV · Garden Square at Night

What to Know

A ground pass admits you to the outside courts and to the unreserved seats of John Cain Arena, though not to Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena or John Cain’s reserved seats. The outside courts in the first week give tennis at close quarters. You stand a few feet from players ranked inside the world’s top fifty.

Night sessions in Rod Laver are what people want. Day sessions are hotter, cheaper and emptier.

The first week is for the tennis. The second is for the occasion.

Dress for heat. The grounds have no dress code, the hospitality areas ask for smart casual, and the sun is genuinely dangerous.

The mistake is buying a centre court seat for the first Tuesday. You will watch two one-sided matches from a hundred feet away. For the same money you could spend the day two metres from six of them.

Questions

When is the Australian Open in 2027?

AO27 runs from 11 to 31 January 2027. Opening Week, with qualifying, player practice and Kids Tennis Day, is Monday 11 to Saturday 16 January. The main draw runs from Sunday 17 to Sunday 31 January.

How do you get tickets to the Australian Open?

AO27 tickets are sold online through the official AO Ticketmaster site, with premium packages through AO Reserve and travel packages through the tournament’s travel partners. Tennis Australia warns that tickets bought from unauthorised sellers can lead to entry being refused. Ground Pass and arena tickets may be resold only through Ticketmaster Resale.

How much are Australian Open tickets?

As of October 2026, for AO27, Tennis Australia lists starting prices in Australian dollars: Opening Week Ground Passes from 10, Ground Passes from 49, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena tickets from 69, and Rod Laver Arena tickets from 85. Prices vary by session and seat.

What does an Australian Open Ground Pass include?

A Ground Pass admits to the outdoor courts, subject to availability, to unreserved seating in John Cain Arena and to the entertainment across the precinct. It does not admit to Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena or the reserved seating in John Cain Arena, and separately ticketed events such as AO LIVE are excluded.

What can you bring to the Australian Open?

Permitted items include a small bag that fits under an arena seat, non-alcoholic drinks in plastic or metal bottles, food in permitted packaging, an umbrella and a selfie stick. Alcohol, glass, large bags, eskies, hampers, containers over 1.5 litres, chairs, racquets and telephoto lenses over 200mm are not permitted. All items are subject to a security check.

Is there a dress code for spectators at the Australian Open?

Tennis Australia’s ticket FAQs set no dress code for spectators. They describe the AO as an outdoor event and strongly recommend bringing protection from sun and weather whatever the location of the seat, since shaded seats are indicative only and cannot be guaranteed. The Court dresses for the heat.

A night match in Margaret Court Arena under the lights, its roof open to a darkening sky and the stands full on three sides. The Australian Open at Melbourne Park, Melbourne — V · A Night Match in Margaret Court Arena

The Court

The Australian Open is not the Court’s own. Seats in Rod Laver, ground passes and the rooms behind them are sought on a member’s behalf, and the Court arranges the whole of it: getting there, where to stay, and the table afterwards. Melbourne fills for the fortnight and the rooms near the park are taken early.

How one becomes a member is set out under Admission.