Australia holidays 2026–2027
Australia's public holidays are set by each state and territory, so the list — and even the date of holidays like Labour Day and the King's Birthday — changes across the eight jurisdictions. National days such as Australia Day, Anzac Day and Christmas apply everywhere.
Upcoming national public holidays
Observed Mon, Dec 28 62 days away New Year's Day Friday, January 1, 2027 87 days away Australia Day Tuesday, January 26, 2027 146 days away Good Friday Friday, March 26, 2027 149 days away Easter Monday Monday, March 29, 2027
National public holidays in 2026
| Holiday | Date | Day | Observed | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Jan 1 | Thursday | — | Nationwide |
| Australia Day | Jan 26 | Monday | — | Nationwide |
| Good Friday | Apr 3 | Friday | — | Nationwide |
| Easter Monday | Apr 6 | Monday | — | Nationwide |
| Anzac Day | Apr 25 | Saturday | — | NSW, SA, TAS, VIC |
| King's Birthday | Jun 8 | Monday | — | ACT, NSW, NT, SA, TAS, VIC |
| Christmas Day | Dec 25 | Friday | — | Nationwide |
| Boxing Day | Dec 26 | Saturday | Mon, Dec 28 | ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, TAS, VIC, WA |
Holidays by state
Each state page lists the national public holidays it observes, its own state holidays, optional days, and long weekends for any year from 2026 to 2027.
All Australian holidays & observances
National public holidays (8)
State & territory holidays (32)
- Adelaide Cup Day
- Agfest
- Alice Springs Show Day
- Bank Holiday
- Borroloola Show Day
- Burnie Show
- Canberra Day
- Christmas Eve (part-day public holiday)
- Darwin Show Day
- Devonport Cup
- Devonport Show
- Easter Saturday
- Easter Sunday
- Easter Tuesday
- Flinders Island Show
- Friday before the AFL Grand Final
- Katherine Show Day
- King Island Show
- Labour Day (Australia)
- Launceston Cup
- Melbourne Cup Day
- New Year's Eve (part-day, 7pm to midnight)
- Picnic Day
- Proclamation Day
- Reconciliation Day
- Recreation Day
- Royal Hobart Regatta
- Royal Hobart Show
- Royal Launceston Show
- Royal Queensland Show Day (Brisbane)
- Tennant Creek Show Day
- Western Australia Day
Observances (7)
Where the dates come from
Each holiday is stored as the rule that creates it: a fixed date, a numbered weekday of a month, or an offset from Easter, together with the rule for a holiday that lands on a weekend. The dates are worked out from those rules and then checked against the government's own published calendar. Where a date depends on a yearly proclamation or a government announcement rather than a formula, we use the announcement, and the note on that row says when a date is still expected rather than confirmed.
How Australian holiday dates are set
Each state and territory declares its own public holidays under its own legislation, and the Fair Work Act 2009 gives employees the right to be absant on them, some states substitute a Monday when a holiday falls on a weekend and others add an extra day; the differences are notde on each state page.
For American readers, the main difference is that the United States has no legal right to paid time off on a public holiday, while Australia does. Here a public holiday carries an entitlement, such as a day off, a substitute day, extra leave or premium pay, rather than being a day employers may or may not choose to observe.