Public Holidays in Australia in 2026

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An overview of Australian public holidays

Australia has seven national public holidays observed across the country. In addition, each state and territory sets its own schedule of local public holidays, which can vary by location.

During public holiday periods, government offices and most schools are closed. Banks and many other businesses do not operate or run reduced hours. If you’re planning to travel to Australia, it’s a good idea to check whether any public holidays fall during your visit. These dates are often busy travel periods, with flights and accommodation booking up quickly and prices rising.

Some Australian public holidays are on the same date each year, while others always occur on a specific day of the week. When a holiday falls on a weekend, it is common for the nearest weekday (usually the Friday or Monday) to be observed as a public holiday for work purposes.

If you’re employed in Australia, be sure to check your employer’s public holiday policy. Most permanent employees (full-time and part-time) are entitled to paid public holidays. Those required to work are often paid a higher rate (double time or time-and-a-half) or may receive a substitute (in-lieu) day off. Temporary and casual workers may have different entitlements depending on their employer or contract.

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When are the public holidays in Australia in 2026?

Here are the dates for national public holidays in 2026:

Date	Weekday	Holiday
1 January	Thursday	New Year’s Day
26 January	Monday	Australia Day
3 April	Friday	Good Friday
6 April (holiday also includes 4–5 April for Easter Saturday/Sunday)	Monday	Easter Monday
25 April (observed on Mon 27 April as a working holiday)	Saturday	Anzac Day
25 December	Friday	Christmas Day
26 December (observed on Mon 28 Dec as a working holiday)	Saturday	Boxing Day

Local holidays in 2026

In addition to the national public holidays, there are also around 35–40 state and territorial public holidays. These vary across Australia. Some are observed in several states, while others are specific to a single state (e.g. city naming or foundation days). Observance and time off vary widely by state and employer, so check the rules for your region.

Here are some of the main local public holidays in Australia for 2026:

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
2 March	Monday	Labour Day	Western Australia
9 March	Monday	Canberra Day	Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
9 March	Monday	Adelaide Cup Day	South Australia
9 March	Monday	Labour Day	Victoria
7 April	Tuesday	Easter Tuesday	Tasmania
4 May	Monday	Labour Day	Queensland
1 June	Monday	Western Australia Day	Western Australia
8 June	Monday	King’s Birthday	All states and territories except Queensland and Western Australia
3 August	Monday	Picnic Day	Northern Territory
12 August	Wednesday	Royal Queensland Show	Queensland
28 September	Monday	King’s Birthday	Western Australia
5 October	Monday	King’s Birthday	Queensland
5 October	Monday	Labour Day	ACT, New South Wales, South Australia
3 November	Tuesday	Melbourne Cup	Victoria

Other important dates in 2026

Like other countries, Australia has various important dates or occasions that are celebrated annually, even though they are not public holidays. Here is a list of some of the key dates to note down for 2026:

Day	Weekday	Occasion
10 May	Sunday	Mother’s Day
26 May	Tuesday	National Sorry Day
6 September	Sunday	Father’s Day
31 October	Saturday	Halloween

When are the public holidays in Australia in 2027?

Date	Weekday	Holiday
1 January	Friday	New Year’s Day
26 January	Tuesday	Australia Day
26 March	Friday	Good Friday
29 March (holiday also includes 27–28 March for Easter Saturday/Sunday)	Monday	Easter Monday
25 April (observed on Mon 26 April as a working holiday)	Sunday	Anzac Day
25 December (observed on Mon 27 Dec as a working holiday)	Saturday	Christmas Day
26 December (observed on Tues 28 Dec as a working holiday)	Sunday	Boxing Day

Local holidays in 2027

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
1 March	Monday	Labour Day	Western Australia
8 March	Monday	Canberra Day	Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
8 March	Monday	Adelaide Cup Day	South Australia
8 March	Monday	Labour Day	Victoria
30 March	Tuesday	Easter Tuesday	Tasmania
3 May	Monday	Labour Day	Queensland
7 June	Monday	Western Australia Day	Western Australia
14 June	Monday	King’s Birthday	All states and territories except Queensland and Western Australia
2 August	Monday	Picnic Day	Northern Territory
11 August	Wednesday	Royal Queensland Show	Queensland
27 September	Monday	King’s Birthday	Western Australia
4 October	Monday	King’s Birthday	Queensland
4 October	Monday	Labour Day	ACT, New South Wales, South Australia
2 November	Tuesday	Melbourne Cup	Victoria

Other important dates in 2027

Day	Weekday	Occasion
9 May	Sunday	Mother’s Day
26 May	Wednesday	National Sorry Day
5 September	Sunday	Father’s Day
31 October	Sunday	Halloween

When are the public holidays in Australia in 2025?

Date	Weekday	Holiday
1 January	Wednesday	New Year’s Day
26 January (observed on Mon 27 Jan as a working holiday)	Sunday	Australia Day
18 April	Friday	Good Friday
21 April (holiday also includes 19–20 April for Easter Saturday/Sunday)	Monday	Easter Monday
25 April	Friday	Anzac Day
25 December	Thursday	Christmas Day
26 December	Friday	Boxing Day

Local holidays in 2025

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
3 March	Monday	Labour Day	Western Australia
10 March	Monday	Canberra Day	Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
10 March	Monday	Adelaide Cup Day	South Australia
10 March	Monday	Labour Day	Victoria
22 April	Tuesday	Easter Tuesday	Tasmania
5 May	Monday	Labour Day	Queensland
2 June	Monday	Western Australia Day	Western Australia
9 June	Monday	King’s Birthday	All states and territories except Queensland and Western Australia
4 August	Monday	Picnic Day	Northern Territory
13 August	Wednesday	Royal Queensland Show	Queensland
29 September	Monday	King’s Birthday	Western Australia
6 October	Monday	King’s Birthday	Queensland
6 October	Monday	Labour Day	ACT, New South Wales, South Australia
4 November	Tuesday	Melbourne Cup	Victoria

Other important dates in 2025

Day	Weekday	Occasion
11 May	Sunday	Mother’s Day
26 May	Monday	National Sorry Day
7 September	Sunday	Father’s Day
31 October	Friday	Halloween

When are the school holidays in Australia?

Australia doesn’t have a single national school holiday calendar. Exact dates vary across the states and territories but the general structure of the timetable is the same. Australian schools typically have four terms across the year, running from late January to mid-December.

Australian schools may have holidays on either national or local public holidays, for example Labour Day or the KIng’s Birthday. Typically, they will have longer holidays (one week or more) at the following times:

• Autumn Holidays (end of Term 1) – two weeks around April
• Winter Holidays (end of Term 2) – two weeks around June/July
• Spring Holidays (end of Term 3) – two weeks around September/October
• Summer Holidays (end of Term 4) – 6–7 weeks at the end of the school year, starting around the middle of December.

To check the exact school holiday dates for your area, you should visit the website of your child’s school or your state Department of Education. You can also check the school holidays website for an overview of all Australian states and territories.