Melburnians would be well-advised to leave the car at home on Friday, with a raft of sporting and music blockbusters expected to draw almost 140,000 people to the CBD.
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At the MCG, Collingwood and Geelong will battle it out before an expected crowd of 65,000 fans, with a 7.50pm start for the return of Friday night football.
Across the footbridge at Rod Laver Arena, 90s heartthrobs the Backstreet Boys will perform for a crowd of predominantly female fans, with all five original members reuniting for a nostalgia show expected to draw more than 10,000. Support act All Our Exes Live In Texas will take the stage at 7:30pm, with the Backstreet Boys on at 8:30pm.
At Etihad Stadium, the A-League semi final between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City is expected to bring more than 50,000 fans to watch the do-or-die battle for a spot in the grand final, while the Rebels will face off against the Blues in the Super Rugby at AAMI Park, with about 8000 fans expected.
With all events kicking off between 7.30pm and 8.30pm, traffic will be heavy in the CBD before 7pm.
But public transport is likely to cause a headache for many fans after the shows.
As Fairfax reported last month, Public Transport Victoria will keep the myki gates at Richmond station closed after football games at the MCG this year, rather than open them to let large crowds through.
Richmond station services Melbourne's major sporting stadiums, including the MCG, Rod Laver Arena and AAMI Park.
Public Transport Victoria decided late last year to close the gates at Richmond station, after "new-generation" myki readers and additional gates were installed at the Brunton Avenue and Olympic Boulevard entrances.
The move infuriated punters last month, with many complaining about crowd crushes at Richmond station after games.
A Metro Trains spokeswoman said extra services would run to cope with large crowds from the AFL and A-League games.
