Australian Capital Territory
No — today is not a public holiday in the Australian Capital Territory.
Saturday 24 October 2026.
Friday
25December 2026
Christmas Day
in 62 days- Public holidays left in 2026
- 3
- Next long weekend
- 25–28 DecemberFriday to Monday
- Shops open today?
- YesWhich days shops close
- Applies in
- All of the ACT Local holidays not yet listed
ACT public holidays coming up
Checked against the Australian Capital Territory's own law and the government's published dates. Where each one comes from is at the bottom of the page.
The rest of 2026
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day |
| Sat 26 Dec | Boxing Day Falls on a Saturday, so the following Monday is a public holiday as well. |
| Mon 28 Dec | Additional public holiday for Boxing Day |
2027
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan | New Year's Day |
| Tue 26 Jan | Australia Day |
| Mon 8 Mar | Canberra Day |
| Fri 26 Mar | Good Friday |
| Sat 27 Mar | Easter Saturday |
| Sun 28 Mar | Easter Sunday |
| Mon 29 Mar | Easter Monday |
| Sun 25 Apr | Additional public holiday for Anzac Day |
| Mon 26 Apr | Anzac Day |
| Mon 31 May | Reconciliation Day 27 May 2027 is a Thursday, so the holiday is the following Monday. |
| Mon 14 Jun | King's Birthday |
| Mon 4 Oct | Labour Day |
| Sat 25 Dec | Christmas Day Falls on a Saturday, so the following Monday is a public holiday as well. |
| Sun 26 Dec | Boxing Day Falls on a Sunday, so the following Tuesday is a public holiday as well. |
| Mon 27 Dec | Additional public holiday for Christmas Day |
| Tue 28 Dec | Additional public holiday for Boxing Day |
2028
The Australian Capital Territory has already published a third year. Not every state and territory has.
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Sat 1 Jan | New Year's Day |
| Mon 3 Jan | Additional public holiday for New Year's Day |
| Wed 26 Jan | Australia Day |
| Mon 13 Mar | Canberra Day |
| Fri 14 Apr | Good Friday |
| Sat 15 Apr | Easter Saturday |
| Sun 16 Apr | Easter Sunday |
| Mon 17 Apr | Easter Monday |
| Tue 25 Apr | Anzac Day |
| Mon 29 May | Reconciliation Day 27 May 2028 is a Saturday, so the holiday is the following Monday. |
| Mon 12 Jun | King's Birthday |
| Mon 2 Oct | Labour Day |
| Mon 25 Dec | Christmas Day |
| Tue 26 Dec | Boxing Day |
Earlier in 2026 — twelve dates already passed
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Thu 1 Jan | New Year's Day |
| Mon 26 Jan | Australia Day |
| Mon 9 Mar | Canberra Day The second Monday in March. |
| Fri 3 Apr | Good Friday |
| Sat 4 Apr | Easter Saturday |
| Sun 5 Apr | Easter Sunday |
| Mon 6 Apr | Easter Monday |
| Sat 25 Apr | Anzac Day |
| Mon 27 Apr | Additional public holiday for Anzac Day |
| Mon 1 Jun | Reconciliation Day |
| Mon 8 Jun | King's Birthday |
| Mon 5 Oct | Labour Day |
Good to know: The ACT is the only place in Australia with a Reconciliation Day — and, like New South Wales, a place where the Act alone does not give the whole Anzac Day answer.
2026 at a glance
The whole year on one screen, with every public holiday marked and today circled. This is the view worth printing.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Long weekends in the ACT
Three days or more in a row without a working day in the middle. A holiday landing on a Saturday does not make one by itself, which is why these are worked out from the published dates rather than assumed. This models a standard Monday-to-Friday week, which is not everyone's. For the same question asked the other way round — who else is off that weekend — see long weekends month by month.
| Dates | Because of |
|---|---|
| Fri 25 – Mon 28 Dec 4 days | Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the additional public holiday for Boxing Day |
| Fri 1 – Sun 3 Jan 2027 3 days | New Year's Day |
| Sat 6 – Mon 8 Mar 2027 3 days | Canberra Day |
| Fri 26 – Mon 29 Mar 2027 4 days | Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday |
| Sat 24 – Mon 26 Apr 2027 3 days | Additional public holiday for Anzac Day and Anzac Day |
| Sat 29 – Mon 31 May 2027 3 days | Reconciliation Day |
| Sat 12 – Mon 14 Jun 2027 3 days | King's Birthday |
| Sat 2 – Mon 4 Oct 2027 3 days | Labour Day |
Turn the ACT's public holidays into longer breaks
Worked out from the ACT dates above: which days to book, and what each one buys. Monday-to-Friday assumed, as everywhere else on this page.
| Book | What you get |
|---|---|
| Tue 29 – Thu 31 Dec 3 days of leave | 10 days off, Fri 25 Dec – Sun 3 Jan 2027 Christmas Day, Boxing Day, the additional public holiday for Boxing Day and New Year's Day |
| Mon 25 Jan 2027 1 day of leave | 4 days off, Sat 23 – Tue 26 Jan Australia Day Best value: the most days off per day of leave |
| Tue 9 – Fri 12 Mar 2027 4 days of leave | 9 days off, Sat 6 – Sun 14 Mar Canberra Day |
| Mon 22 – Thu 25 Mar 2027 4 days of leave | 10 days off, Sat 20 – Mon 29 Mar Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday |
| Tue 27 – Fri 30 Apr 2027 4 days of leave | 9 days off, Sat 24 Apr – Sun 2 May Additional public holiday for Anzac Day and Anzac Day |
| Tue 1 – Fri 4 Jun 2027 4 days of leave | 9 days off, Sat 29 May – Sun 6 Jun Reconciliation Day |
| Tue 15 – Fri 18 Jun 2027 4 days of leave | 9 days off, Sat 12 – Sun 20 Jun King's Birthday |
| Tue 5 – Fri 8 Oct 2027 4 days of leave | 9 days off, Sat 2 – Sun 10 Oct Labour Day |
A public holiday inside booked annual leave does not come out of your balance, and the rule turns on where you are based for work rather than where you live — what a day of leave is worth sets out the section and what it means for a regional day.
Which days do ACT shops have to close?
The trading list is not the holiday list
There are no restricted trading days in the ACT. The Territory repealed its shop trading hours legislation outright on 29 May 1997 and has not replaced it, so a shop in Canberra may open on any day of the year, including Good Friday, Anzac Day and Christmas Day.
The law: Trading Hours (Repeal) Act 1997 (ACT) A1997-17.
The ACT and the Northern Territory are the only two jurisdictions with no shop trading restrictions at all. New South Wales, which surrounds the ACT, closes shops on five days, so crossing from Queanbeyan into Canberra on Good Friday reverses the legal position completely.
The exemptions:
- Nothing to exempt: there is no restriction to be exempt from. Individual shopping centres and landlords set their own hours by lease, and a centre closing on Christmas Day is a commercial decision rather than a legal requirement.
- Liquor, gambling and some licensed activities have their own hours under their own licences — those are unaffected by the repeal.
- The bank holiday on the first Monday in August still applies to banks under the Holidays Act 1958; it has nothing to do with shops.
Where these dates come from
Public holidays in the Australian Capital Territory are set by the Holidays Act 1958 (ACT) A1958-19, with some dates set by orders, proclamations or notices made under it. Every date was checked against the dates published by the ACT Government on Saturday 12 September 2026.
Which part of the law sets each day
- New Year's Day — section 3(1)(a)(i) of the Act
- Australia Day — section 3(1)(a)(ii) of the Act
- Canberra Day — section 3(1)(a)(iii) of the Act
- Good Friday — section 3(1)(a)(iv) of the Act
- Easter Saturday — section 3(1)(a)(v) of the Act
- Easter Sunday — section 3(1)(a)(vi) of the Act
- Easter Monday — section 3(1)(a)(vii) of the Act
- Anzac Day — section 3(1)(a)(viii) of the Act
- Additional public holiday for Anzac Day — section 3(1)(b) of the Act
- Reconciliation Day — section 3(1)(a)(ix) of the Act
- King's Birthday — section 3(1)(a)(x) of the Act
- Labour Day — section 3(1)(a)(xi) of the Act
- Christmas Day — section 3(1)(a)(xii) of the Act
- Boxing Day — section 3(1)(a)(xiii) of the Act
- Additional public holiday for Boxing Day — section 3(1)(a)(xiii)(A) of the Act (2026); section 3(1)(a)(xiii)(B) of the Act (2027)
- Additional public holiday for Christmas Day — section 3(1)(a)(xii)(A) of the Act
- Additional public holiday for New Year's Day — section 3(1)(a)(i) of the Act
Notes on particular dates
- Anzac Day (Sat 25 Apr 2026): Anzac Day itself, and it stays on the Saturday: section 3(1)(a)(viii) only moves the day when 25 April falls on a Sunday. It was very nearly not a public holiday at all — see the Monday.
- Additional public holiday for Anzac Day (Mon 27 Apr 2026): An additional day, declared by NI2026-154 on 25 March 2026. The Territory had originally gone the other way: NI2025-650, notified on 1 December 2025, declared this Monday a public holiday and used section 3(2) to declare Saturday 25 April not one — a swap. NI2026-154 revoked that instrument three weeks before the day, which restored the Saturday and left the ACT with both days.
- Reconciliation Day (Mon 1 Jun 2026): 27 May 2026 is a Wednesday, so the holiday is the following Monday. Only the ACT has this day.
- Additional public holiday for Anzac Day (Sun 25 Apr 2027): Declared an additional public holiday by NI2026-387, notified 14 August 2026. 25 April 2027 is a Sunday, so section 3(1)(a)(viii) moves Anzac Day itself to the Monday — this Sunday is the extra day, not the holiday it is named after.
- Anzac Day (Mon 26 Apr 2027): Anzac Day itself. Section 3(1)(a)(viii) sets it on 25 April "or, if that day falls on a Sunday, the following Monday", and in 2027 it falls on a Sunday — so the Monday IS Anzac Day rather than an add-on. The Sunday is a public holiday too, by a separate declaration.
- New Year's Day (Sat 1 Jan 2028): Falls on a Saturday. Subparagraph (i) reads “1 January (New Year’s day), and, if that day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday” — and that “and” means both days count. The very next subparagraph says “or” for Australia Day, which substitutes instead.
- Additional public holiday for New Year's Day (Mon 3 Jan 2028): From the same subparagraph as 1 January, not a separate declaration.
- Anzac Day (Tue 25 Apr 2028): A Tuesday, so the Sunday rule in (viii) never fires and no s3(1)(b) declaration is needed — unlike 2026 and 2027, when one was made each year.
If the day affects your pay or your trading
Whenday answers what the date is. Two sibling sites answer what it costs, and they are written by the same author — see about Whenday for how they fit together.
- Working this day? Public-holiday penalty rates and how they stack with leave loading — Payjoey works from the Fair Work rules.
- Trading this day? Your state's restricted-trading rules for small business — Bizroo covers the obligations that follow.
Frequently asked questions
Is today a public holiday in the ACT?
On Saturday 24 October 2026, no.
How many public holidays are there in the ACT in 2026?
Fifteen across the whole territory — the first is New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January 2026 and the last is the additional public holiday for Boxing Day on Monday 28 December 2026. The total moves from year to year because several days gain a substitute or an extra Monday when they land on a weekend; the bottom of this page lists which part of the law sets each one.
When is the next public holiday in the ACT?
Christmas Day, on Friday 25 December 2026: 62 days after Saturday 24 October 2026. The Australian Capital Territory has published 2027 as well, so the list on this page carries on past New Year — those are the dates to plan travel or rosters around.
When is the next long weekend in the ACT?
Friday 25 to Monday 28 December 2026 — 4 days around Christmas Day, with 3 public holidays in it. After that, Friday 1 to Sunday 3 January 2027 — 3 days around New Year's Day.
Are Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday public holidays in the ACT?
Yes, both. The ACT public holidays for Easter 2027 are Good Friday (Friday 26 March), Easter Saturday (Saturday 27 March), Easter Sunday (Sunday 28 March) and Easter Monday (Monday 29 March).
Are Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve public holidays in the ACT?
No. Neither is a public holiday in the ACT. Its public holidays at Christmas are Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December 2026, and at New Year Friday 1 January 2027.
Is Boxing Day a public holiday in the ACT?
Yes. Saturday 26 December 2026 is a public holiday in the ACT. Monday 28 December 2026 is the additional public holiday for Boxing Day, because 26 December falls on a Saturday.
Is Anzac Day a public holiday in the ACT?
Yes. In 2027 the ACT public holiday for Anzac Day is Monday 26 April 2027, and Sunday 25 April 2027 is a public holiday as well — the additional public holiday for Anzac Day — under the Holidays Act 1958 (ACT) A1958-19. Whether a jurisdiction adds a day, swaps the day or leaves a weekend Anzac Day where it falls is the rule that differs most across the country, so a list giving one date for everyone gets it wrong somewhere; the Anzac Day page sets all eight answers side by side.
What is Reconciliation Day and when is it?
A public holiday unique to the ACT, held on 27 May or the following Monday when the 27th is not one. It marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum and was added to the Holidays Act in 2018.
Because the rule chases a Monday, the date moves further than most: 27 May 2026 is a Wednesday, so the holiday is Monday 1 June, which puts it a week before the King’s Birthday and gives Canberra two long weekends in a fortnight.
Does Canberra get the same Anzac Day arrangement as NSW?
You get the same two days off. You get them for opposite reasons, and the labels are the other way round.
In Sydney the 25th is always Anzac Day and any Monday beside it is an extra. In Canberra it depends what day the 25th lands on. 2026 works the Sydney way: 25 April is a Saturday, which s3(1)(a)(viii) leaves alone, so the Saturday is Anzac Day and instrument NI2026-154 declared the Monday an additional holiday.
2027 inverts it. 25 April is a Sunday, and the section moves Anzac Day itself to Monday 26 April — so the Monday is Anzac Day, and NI2026-387 declares the Sunday the additional day. Both days are public holidays either way, so a payroll run lands in the same place; anyone naming the days on a roster or a leave form has a one-in-two chance of labelling them backwards.
When is Canberra Day?
The second Monday in March — 9 March in 2026 and 8 March in 2027. It marks the naming of the city in 1913.
It shares its Monday with three other jurisdictions doing something completely different: Victoria’s Labour Day, South Australia’s Adelaide Cup Day and Tasmania’s Eight Hours Day all fall on the same date. If you are running a national roster, that Monday is a holiday in half the country and a working day in the other half.
Can the ACT cancel a public holiday?
It can, and it did, for Anzac Day 2026.
On 1 December 2025 the Minister made NI2025-650. It declared Monday 27 April 2026 a public holiday and, using s3(2), declared Saturday 25 April 2026 not to be one. That is a swap, not an addition: Canberra was set to trade its Anzac Day Saturday for the Monday — a swap Queensland makes only when Anzac Day is a Sunday.
On 25 March 2026, three and a half weeks before the day, NI2026-154 revoked it and declared the Monday an additional holiday instead. Revoking the earlier instrument took the s3(2) cancellation with it, which handed the Saturday back. That is how the Territory ended up with both days — and why a table copied from the December gazette and never re-read is wrong.
Verified
Checked against the Holidays Act 1958 (ACT) A1958-19 and the dates published by the ACT Government on . If the date affects your pay, check your award or agreement.