Use this page to quickly open public holiday information for each Australian state and territory. Public holiday dates can affect school planning, childcare, travel and long weekends.
Australian public holidays fall into several different categories, and treating them all as identical is a common mistake. This site separates them into:
Observed the same way in every state and territory, such as New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Easter and Christmas.
Set by an individual state or territory government and observed everywhere in that state, such as Labour Day or a King’s Birthday date that varies by state.
Show days and similar holidays that only apply in specific towns or council areas, common in Tasmania, the Northern Territory and parts of Queensland.
Holidays like the NSW Bank Holiday that mainly affect banks and some public servants, or part-day holidays like Christmas Eve after a set time.
Each page has the full 2026 list broken down by type, plus which dates create a long weekend.
A public holiday inside a school holiday break doesn’t change anything for families, but one that falls during term often creates a long weekend. See which 2026 public holidays fall inside a school break, state by state for the full breakdown.
Several public holidays share a name across Australia but are not scheduled on the same day, which trips up a lot of families planning interstate travel. Labour Day is the clearest example: it falls in March in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT, in May in Queensland (where it is sometimes paired with the Royal Queensland Show), and in October in South Australia. Tasmania observes its own version, Eight Hours Day, also in March. The King’s Birthday holiday follows a similar pattern — most states and territories observe it in June, but Western Australia schedules its King’s Birthday holiday much later in the year, confirmed for 28 September 2026.
National holidays such as New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on the same calendar date everywhere, but a handful of state-specific days like Canberra Day (ACT), Reconciliation Day (ACT), Adelaide Cup Day (SA), Picnic Day (NT) and the Melbourne Cup Day holiday (VIC, metropolitan area only) exist in only one state or territory. Always check the individual state page above rather than assuming a holiday you know from one state applies everywhere.
When a national public holiday such as Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day or Australia Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, most Australian states and territories declare an additional weekday as a substitute or additional public holiday so employees don’t miss out. The rules on which holidays get a substitute day, and whether a Saturday and a Sunday clash are both covered, differ from state to state and can change from year to year. This site’s per-state 2026 public holiday pages list the actual dates gazetted for each state, including any substitute days, so use those rather than assuming every state handles a weekend clash the same way.
No. A small group of national holidays — New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day — are observed everywhere, but many others, including Labour Day and the King’s Birthday, fall on different dates in different states, and some, like Canberra Day or Picnic Day, exist in only one jurisdiction.
Not automatically. A public holiday that falls during a school term is simply a day off within term time, often creating a long weekend, while a public holiday that falls during a school holiday break has no extra effect on the school calendar. See our 2026 breakdown by state for specifics.
Regional holidays, such as a local show day in Tasmania, the Northern Territory or parts of Queensland, generally apply to schools in that specific council area rather than the whole state, so a school just outside the relevant area may hold classes as normal. Always check with the individual school if you’re near a regional holiday boundary.
Use the state cards above to open the full 2026 list for your state or territory, which breaks each date down by type and flags which ones create a long weekend.
Public holidays may include state-wide, territory-wide, regional and local arrangements. Always confirm important dates with the official government source and your school before booking leave, travel or childcare.