Here is a 2020, 2021 calendar listing of Public Holidays and Special Occasions celebrated in Australia. This is the place to come to plan your next holiday! All public holidays for Australia are accurate at the time of publishing but are subject to change depending on what state you live in. Please make sure you check any listed public holidays dates with your own states public holidays before booking any holidays.
2020 Australian Public Holidays & Special Occasions
| Public Holiday/ Occasion | Date | State of Australia |
| January 2020 | ||
| New Year’s Day | Wednesday 1 January | National |
| Devonport Cup | Wednesday 8 January | TAS |
| Australia Day | Monday 27 January | National |
| February 2020 | ||
| Royal Hobart Regatta | Monday 10 February | TAS |
| Valentine's Day | Friday 14 February | Celebration |
| Launceston Cup | Wednesday 26 February | TAS |
| March 2020 | ||
| Labour Day | Monday 2 March | WA |
| King Island Show | Tuesday 3 March | TAS |
| Canberra Day | Monday 9 March | ACT |
| March Public Holiday | Monday 9 March | SA |
| Eight Hours Day | Monday 9 March | TAS |
| Labour Day | Monday 9 March | VIC |
| Saint Patrick’s Day | Tuesday 17 March | Celebration |
| April 2020 | ||
| Easter 2020 | ||
| Good Friday | Friday 10 April | National |
| Day following Good Friday | Saturday 11 April | National except TAS & WA |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday 12April | ACT, NSW, QLD & VIC |
| Easter Monday | Monday 13 April | National |
| Easter Tuesday * | Tuesday 14 April | TAS |
| Anzac Day | Saturday 25 April | National |
| Anzac Day Holiday | Monday 27 April | WA |
| May 2020 | ||
| May Day | Monday 4 May | NT |
| Labour Day | Monday 4 May | QLD |
| AGFEST | Friday 8 May | TAS |
| Mother’s Day | Sunday 10 May | Special Occasion |
| June 2020 | ||
| Reconciliation Day | Monday 1 June | ACT |
| Western Australia Day | Monday 1 June | WA |
| Queen’s Birthday | Monday 8 June | National except QLD & WA |
| Borroloola Show Day | Friday 26 June | NT |
| July 2020 | ||
| Alice Springs Show Day | Friday 3 July | NT |
| Tennant Creek Show Day | Friday 10 July | NT |
| Katherine Show Day | Friday 17 July | NT |
| Darwin Show Day | Friday 24 July | NT |
| August 2020 | ||
| Picnic Day | Monday 3 August | NT |
| Ekka Wednesday * | Wednesday 12 August | QLD |
| September 2020 | ||
| Father’s Day | Sunday 6 September | Special Occasion |
| Queen’s Birthday | Monday 28 September | WA |
| AFL Grand Final Friday | TBC | VIC |
| October 2020 | ||
| Burnie Show | Friday 2 October | TAS |
| Labour Day | Monday 5 October | ACT, NSW & SA |
| Queen’s Birthday | Monday 5 October | QLD |
| Royal Launceston Show | Thursday 8 October | TAS |
| Flinders Island Show | Friday 16 October | TAS |
| Royal Hobart Show | Thursday 22 October | TAS |
| Halloween | Saturday 31 October | Special Occasion |
| November 2020 | ||
| Recreation Day | Monday 2 November | TAS |
| Melbourne Cup Day | Tuesday 3 November | VIC |
| Devonport Show | Friday 27 November | TAS |
| December 2020 | ||
| Christmas Eve * | Thursday 24 December | SA |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | National |
| Boxing Day | Saturday 26 December | National except SA |
| Boxing Day Holiday | Monday 28 December | National except SA |
| Proclamation Day | Saturday 26 December | SA |
| Proclamation Day Holiday | Monday 28 December | SA |
| New Year’s Eve * | Thursday 31 December | SA |
*Notes: South Australia has a part-day public holiday for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from 7 pm to 12 midnight. Easter Tuesday is a restricted public holiday in Tasmania. Observed by some awards/agreements and the State Public Service. Ekka Wednesday is observed in the Brisbane area only. Melbourne Cup Day is observed in all of Victoria unless alternate local holiday has been arranged by non-metro council.
What are the meanings of Australia’s Public Holidays & Special Occasions?
Australia Day
Australia day is a national holiday and is celebrated in every state of Australia. Its great to be Australian and on this public holiday there are plenty of events held around the country to celebrate. It is a day of national pride and a chance to celebrate our cultural diversity.
Valentines Day
In Australia, gifts of love are exchanged on Valentines Day. The 14th February each year is the day on which lovers express their love for each other – sending Valentine’s cards, roses, chocolates, and gifts often anonymously.
Easter
In Australia there is a public holiday on Good Friday and Easter Monday providing families with the time to have fun together, do family activities such as decorating Easter Eggs and having Easter Egg hunts and travelling away on holidays . On Good Friday, every shop is closed and it is the only day of the year that newspapers are unavailable. In Australia there are many Easter festivals held throughout the Easter break.
ANZAC Day
ANZAC- Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Anzac day is when Australians come together and spend time remembering the sacrifices of those who died in war protecting our country. ANZAC day is a public holiday in Australia. ANZAC day in Australia is the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
Mother’s Day
Mothers Day in Australia is a special day for mothers where families often get together. Some may get breakfast in bed, others gifts of roses and flowers – all a sign of appreciation and love.
Queens Birthday
The Queen’s Birthday is celebrated as a public holiday in Australia. The date of the celebration is on the second Monday in June each year. The real birthday of Queen Elizabeth II is the 21 April 1926. Australians celebrate the Queens Birthday in June because if a public holiday was held on 21 April each year, it would coincide with Easter in many years and also be positioned very close to Anzac Day.
Father’s Day
Fathers Day in Australia is a chance for families to get together and celebrate in similar way to Mother’s Day. Dads are spoilt and made to feel special. In Australia and New Zealand, fathers are honoured the first Sunday in September. Other countries celebrate fathers throughout the year.
“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.”Charles Wadsworth
Melbourne Cup Day
Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday for the Melbourne metropolitan area, and is Australia’s major horse racing event.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day in Australia is often spent with family . Gatherings of friends and families centred around food – whether it is a traditional Christmas lunch, or an Aussie style event with prawns on the BBQ everyone looks forward to this time of year.
Boxing Day
Boxing Day in Australia is a public holiday that falls the day after Christmas. Boxing Day originated in England where the day after Christmas Day was spent “boxing” gifts and giving them to the less fortunate. A quiet day is often spent recovering from the lead up to Christmas and the festivities of Christmas Day by watching the Cricket (Boxing Day Test match) or the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race on TV. Many Australians also head off on holidays or prepare for the next celebration – New Years Eve!
New Years Day / New Years Eve
New Years Eve is often celebrated in Australia by partying in large groups at public venues with fireworks going off at midnight. All of the major cities in Australia have events organised to help celebrate the transition from one year to the next. New Years Day is a Public Holiday.
Labour Day
The Labour Day Holiday date is different for each State of Australia and is set by their respective state and territory governments. Labour Day in Australia has its origins in the eight hour day movement – their efforts resulted in the introduction of eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for sleep.
Canberra Day
Canberra Day is a public holiday in the Australian Capital Territory and is observed on the second Monday of March each year. The day commemorates Canberra’s official founding way back in 1913. It is highlighted by a major festival that takes part in Canberra. Canberra Day is a public holiday in the ACT with many businesses closing for the day.
Eight Hours Day
The Eight Hours Day was introduced to Tasmanians in March 2006. In 1874, Tasmania became the last State of Australia to earn the shorter working day.
Foundation Day
Foundation Day is a uniquely Western Australian public holiday. It commemorates the day that the first European settlers arrived in Western Australia to found the Swan River Colony on 1 June 1829. Foundation Day is held on the first Monday in June each year.