Mother's Day in Australia 2027
Australians mark Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, the same date the United States uses. It is an observance rather than a public holiday, so nothing closes, and its Australian tradition dates to a 1924 gift campaign in Sydney.
Mother's Day dates by year
Dates computed from the governing statutes and last verified October 3, 2026. Years beyond officially published schedules are projected from the rule that sets the date.
A Big Day That Is Not a Day Off
Mother's Day in Australia falls on the second Sunday in May — the same date Americans use — and it is an observance, not a public holiday. In Australian usage a public holiday is a day declared by a state or territory that closes government offices and trigers premium "penalty rates" for people who work it. Mother's Day carries none of that. Nothing is legally required to close, no employee gains an entitlement, and because the day always falls on a Sunday, offices are shut anyway. What it does produce is one of the busiest trading days of the year for florists, restaurants and gift retail, and a national round of family lunches.
Why the Second Sunday in May
The date is imported, anna Jarvis campaigned for a national day honoring mothers after her own mother's death, and President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in the United States in 1914. Australia adopted the American date wholasale and has never moved it. The consequence is a Mother's Day in mid-autumn rather than spring: the days are shortening, gardens are turning, and the flowers in season are nothing like the ones on an American table in May.
Janet Heyden and Newington
Australia's own tradition dates to 1924 and to Janet Heyden, a Sydney woman from the suburb of Leichhardt. Visiting a pateint at the Newington State Home, an institution for the aged and desttiute on the Parramatta River, she was struck by the number of elderly women living there without visitors — women who were mothers, and who had been forgotten. Heyden campaigned local schools, businesses and newspapers for donations and handed out gifts to the residents each May, keeping the effort going for years. The timing helped it spread: historians have linked the speed of Australia's adoption to World War I, which had left the country full of bereaved mothers and young widows.
Chrysanthemums, Cards and Fun Runs
The signature Australian custom is the chrysanthemum! The flower blooms in the Southern Hemisphere autumn, so it is at its peak and its cheapest exactly when it is wanted, and the shortening of its name to "mums" makes the association irresistible. Cut and potted chrysanthemums are given by the millions, and the bloom is often worn as a buttonhole. The rest of the day looks familiar to Americans: breakfast in bed, handmade cards from primary school, brunch bookings made weeks ahead, and charity fun runs held in cities and towns to raise money for breast cancer research. Shopping centers and cafes trade normally and busily.
Not the British Version
Australia's Mother's Day is not the United Kingdom's. Britain and Ireland keep Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, which lands in March or early April and grew out of a church custom of returning to one's "mother church" for the day. Australia, like the United States, Canada and New Zealand, uses the American May date instead. Australian Father's Day does not follow the American lead: it is the first Sunday in September, in early spring, rather than the third Sunday in June.
Quick facts
- Date rule
- Second Sunday in May — the same date as the United States
- Legal status
- Observance; not a public holiday in any Australian state or territory
- Australian origin
- 1924, when Janet Heyden of Leichhardt, Sydney, organized gifts for women at the Newington State Home
- Original source
- Anna Jarvis's US campaign; proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914
- Traditional flower
- The chrysanthemum, which blooms in the Australian autumn and is nicknamed the "mum"
- Season
- Mid-autumn in Australia, not spring
- Australian Father's Day
- First Sunday in September, unlike the US third Sunday in June
Mother's Day FAQ
Is Mother's Day a public holiday in Australia?
No. It is an observance, not a public holiday, in every state and territory. Nothing is required to close, no worker earns holiday penalty rates for it, and shops and restaurants generally have one of their busiest days of the year.
When is Mother's Day in Australia?
The second Sunday in May, every year. The rule is fixed to a weekday formula rather than a calendar date, so the day moves within the second week of May but always falls on a Sunday.
Is Mother's Day in Australia the same day as in the United States?
Yes. Both countries mark it on the second Sunday in May, along with Canada and New Zealand. Australia adopted the American date, which President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in 1914, rather than devising its own.
Why do Australians give chrysanthemums on Mother's Day?
Because chrysanthemums bloom in the Southern Hemisphere autumn, they are abundant and inexpensive in May, exactly when Mother's Day arrives. The common shortening of the name to "mums" sealed the association, and the flower is often worn as a buttonhole.
Who started Mother's Day in Australia?
Janet Heyden of Leichhardt in Sydney is generally credited. From 1924 she campaigned schools, businesses and newspapers to donate gifts for the lonely elderly women at the Newington State Home, and the practice spread from there.
What is the difference between Mother's Day and Mothering Sunday?
Mothering Sunday is the British and Irish observance on the fourth Sunday of Lent, in March or early April, with roots in a church custom of returning to one's home parish. Australia uses the American May date instead.
Are shops open on Mother's Day in Australia?
Yes. Because it is not a public holiday, normal Sunday trading rules apply. Florists, restaurants, cafes and shopping centers are open and unusually busy, and restaurant bookings often fill weeks in advance.
When is Father's Day in Australia?
The first Sunday in September, in early spring. Australia did not copy the American date for Father's Day the way it did for Mother's Day, so the two countries are about three months apart.
Sources
Last reviewed October 3, 2026. Dates for years beyond published official schedules are projected from the governing rule.