Essendon's fixture for the 2027 Toyota AFL Premiership Season has been confirmed, and it is a year built around the game's biggest occasions.

The Bombers open the year at the home of footy, playing five of their first six home and away games at the MCG.

For the first time, the Bombers will play two Dreamtime games in the one season. Dreamtime at the 'G against Richmond returns in round nine, and Essendon will host the inaugural Dreamtime at Maali in Perth in round 16, on the opening day of NAIDOC Week.

The season opens with a Sunday afternoon clash against Melbourne at the MCG on March 21. A week later the Bombers play their first home game of the year, taking on the Sydney Swans at the 'G on Easter Sunday. Both matches will be live on Channel 7 and Kayo Footy.

Round one may be a Melbourne home game, but it will feel like an Essendon one. The club will take over the entire Ponsford Stand exclusively for Essendon members, with 2027 reserved seat members given access to the match as a designated seat access game.

Round three brings the first prime-time game of the season. Hawthorn under Saturday night lights at the MCG.

In round four the Dons head to Adelaide for Gather Round, hosting North Melbourne at Norwood Oval in a Sunday lunchtime clash. They return to the MCG in round five to host Geelong, again in a family-friendly Sunday lunchtime slot.

Anzac Day falls on a Sunday in 2027, and the Bombers and Magpies will once again mark the day in front of a packed MCG, with the first bounce at 3.15pm.

Round seven is Essendon's first home game at Marvel Stadium for the season, against Fremantle on Saturday afternoon. Dreamtime at the 'G follows in round nine, a Friday night clash with Richmond at the MCG as the headline of the AFL’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

Round 13 sees the Bombers take on Carlton at the MCG on King's Birthday Eve, a Sunday night blockbuster before the public holiday. The following Saturday night, North Melbourne visit Marvel Stadium.

Dreamtime at Maali on Sunday 4 July is an Essendon home game at Optus Stadium, kicking off at 1.15pm local time during the school holidays. With West Coast at the same venue the following round, Bomber fans have two weeks of footy in Perth to make a trip of it.

The fixture also delivers more opportunities to get to the footy with the family. Eleven of the 15 games with confirmed times are day or twilight matches, eight of them on a Sunday..

From a football perspective, the fixture gives the playing group good recovery between games. The Bombers have five six-day breaks in the first 14 rounds, with every other break seven days or longer. 

Essendon CEO Tim Roberts said the 2027 fixture gives members and supporters a season of genuine occasions, at home, interstate and on the game's biggest days.

“This is a fixture full of the days Essendon people circle on the calendar. Easter Sunday at the 'G, Anzac Day, King's Birthday Eve against Carlton and two Dreamtime games. No other club in the competition can boast the marquee games Essendon has in 2027,” Roberts said.

“Hosting the first Dreamtime at Maali is a proud moment for our club. It falls on the opening day of NAIDOC Week and in the school holidays, and with West Coast in Perth the following week, we want as many Bombers fans as possible to come west and be part of it.

“The first half of our fixture is built for families. Most of our games are during the day, eight of them on a Sunday, which makes it easier to get to the footy together. As a club, we also want to be in the big prime-time TV slots, and we know those are earned by how we play.

“Our interstate supporters will see us in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, and we want them to turn out in numbers. Pre-season starts in 11 days, and we can't wait to see the red and black fill the MCG in round one.”

The times and dates for rounds 17 to 24 will be confirmed at a later date.