Public Holidays and Festivals

Australia has a small number of national public holidays plus several state-specific ones. The full calendar varies depending on which state or territory you're in. Below are the dates that matter most for travel planning.

National holidays observed across all states and territories:

• New Year's Day, 1 January
• Australia Day, 26 January (recognising the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788; increasingly contested as Invasion Day or Survival Day)
• Good Friday and Easter Monday (variable, usually March or April)
• Anzac Day, 25 April (commemorating Australian and New Zealand soldiers, with dawn services held at memorials nationwide)
• Christmas Day, 25 December
• Boxing Day, 26 December

Major state-specific holidays:

• Labour Day: dates vary widely. First Monday of March in Western Australia, first Monday of May in Queensland and the Northern Territory, and first Monday of October in NSW, the ACT and South Australia. Victoria observes its Labour Day on the second Monday of March.
• King's Birthday: the second Monday of June across most of the country, except Western Australia (Monday closest to 30 September) and Queensland (first Monday of October).
• Melbourne Cup Day, first Tuesday of November (Victoria only). Australia's most famous horse race.
• Picnic Day, first Monday of August (NT only).

Most shops and many restaurants close for Christmas Day, Good Friday, and (in much of the country) Anzac Day morning. Public transport runs reduced services on public holidays. Petrol stations, pharmacies and convenience stores generally stay open.

School holidays are when family travel surges and most popular destinations book out. The major school holiday periods are roughly: late December to late January (the long summer break), two weeks in April, two weeks in July, and two weeks in late September to early October. The exact dates vary by state but tend to be similar enough that the whole country gets crowded at the same time.

Major festivals worth planning around include the Sydney Festival in Sydney in January, MONA's Dark Mofo in Hobart each June, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in late February or early March, the Adelaide Fringe in Adelaide in February and March, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Melbourne in March and April, the Brisbane Festival in Brisbane in September, and the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne in November. Vivid Sydney lights up the harbour in May and June and is one of the country's most photographed events.