Victoria
No — today is not a public holiday in Victoria.
Saturday 24 October 2026.
Tuesday
3November 2026
Melbourne Cup Day
in 10 daysBefore then: Melbourne Cup substitute day on Wed 28 Oct — a local holiday, only in some areas.
- Public holidays left in 2026
- 4 Melbourne Cup Day on a local day instead in 4 areas
- Next long weekend
- 25–28 DecemberFriday to Monday
- Shops open today?
- YesWhich days shops close
- Applies in
- All of VIC Melbourne Cup Day moves to a local day in 12 areas
VIC public holidays coming up
Checked against Victoria'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 | Shops |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 28 Oct | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the area west of the Campaspe River (City of Greater Bendigo) | Shops open |
| Tue 3 Nov | Melbourne Cup Day | Shops open |
| Tue 3 Nov | Melbourne Cup substitute half-day From 12pm only Only in Warracknabeal and district (Yarriambiack Shire) | Shops open |
| Wed 4 Nov | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in postcodes 3444, 3446 and 3458 and the localities of Cadello and Carlsruhe (Macedon Ranges Shire) | Shops open |
| Fri 27 Nov | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the City of Wodonga | Shops open |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day | Shops closed |
| Sat 26 Dec | Boxing Day | Shops open |
| Mon 28 Dec | Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | Shops open |
2027
| Date | Holiday | Shops |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan | New Year's Day | Shops open |
| Tue 26 Jan | Australia Day | Shops open |
| Mon 8 Mar | Labour Day | Shops open |
| Fri 26 Mar | Good Friday | Shops closed |
| Sat 27 Mar | Saturday before Easter Sunday | Shops open |
| Sun 28 Mar | Easter Sunday | Shops open |
| Mon 29 Mar | Easter Monday | Shops open |
| Sun 25 Apr | Anzac Day Falls on a Sunday, and Victoria adds no replacement day. | Closed part-day |
| Mon 14 Jun | King's Birthday | Shops open |
| Fri 1 Oct | Friday before the AFL Grand Final Not yet confirmed | Shops open |
| Tue 2 Nov | Melbourne Cup Day | Shops open |
| Wed 3 Nov | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in postcodes 3444, 3446 and 3458 and the localities of Cadello and Carlsruhe (Macedon Ranges Shire) | Shops open |
| Fri 26 Nov | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the City of Wodonga | Shops open |
| Sat 25 Dec | Christmas Day Falls on a Saturday, so the following Monday is an additional public holiday. | Shops closed |
| Sun 26 Dec | Boxing Day Falls on a Sunday, so the following Tuesday is an additional public holiday. | Shops open |
| Mon 27 Dec | Additional public holiday for Christmas Day | Shops open |
| Tue 28 Dec | Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | Shops open |
Friday before the AFL Grand Final, Fri 1 Oct 2027: Worked out, not yet published by Victoria. Section 6(ia) appoints 'the Friday before the Australian Football League Grand Final', and the AFL announced on 2 September 2026 that the 2027 Grand Final is on Saturday 2 October — so the holiday is Friday 1 October. The Victorian Government's own list still said 'Subject to AFL schedule' when checked on 30 September 2026; this row will be matched against it when it is updated. Not 24 September, the date the usual rule of thumb would have given.
2028
Victoria has already published a third year. Not every state and territory has.
| Date | Holiday | Shops |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 Jan | New Year's Day Falls on a Saturday, so the following Monday is an additional public holiday — both count. | Shops open |
| Mon 3 Jan | Additional public holiday for New Year's Day | Shops open |
| Wed 26 Jan | Australia Day | Shops open |
| Mon 13 Mar | Labour Day | Shops open |
| Fri 14 Apr | Good Friday | Shops closed |
| Sat 15 Apr | Saturday before Easter Sunday | Shops open |
| Sun 16 Apr | Easter Sunday | Shops open |
| Mon 17 Apr | Easter Monday | Shops open |
| Tue 25 Apr | Anzac Day | Closed part-day |
| Mon 12 Jun | King's Birthday | Shops open |
| Tue 7 Nov | Melbourne Cup Day | Shops open |
| Wed 8 Nov | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in postcodes 3444, 3446 and 3458 and the localities of Cadello and Carlsruhe (Macedon Ranges Shire) | Shops open |
| Fri 24 Nov | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the City of Wodonga | Shops open |
| Mon 25 Dec | Christmas Day | Shops closed |
| Tue 26 Dec | Boxing Day | Shops open |
| Not set | Friday before the AFL Grand Final No 2028 Grand Final date had been announced when this was checked on 30 September 2026. It fell in September in 2026 and in October in 2027, so neither month can be ruled out. | Shops open |
The Victorian Government's 2028 list prints 'Subject to AFL schedule' in place of a date. The day is appointed by the Act; only its date is unknown. We publish that rather than a guess, because a wrong date here is a day someone books leave around — and 2027 showed the guess would be wrong: the usual last Friday in September became 1 October.
Earlier in 2026 — nineteen dates already passed
| Date | Holiday | Shops |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Jan | New Year's Day | Shops open |
| Mon 26 Jan | Australia Day | Shops open |
| Mon 9 Mar | Labour Day The second Monday in March. NSW takes Labour Day in October instead. | Shops open |
| Fri 3 Apr | Good Friday | Shops closed |
| Sat 4 Apr | Saturday before Easter Sunday | Shops open |
| Sun 5 Apr | Easter Sunday Only a public holiday in Victoria since 2019. | Shops open |
| Mon 6 Apr | Easter Monday | Shops open |
| Sat 25 Apr | Anzac Day | Closed part-day |
| Thu 7 May | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the City of Warrnambool | Shops open |
| Thu 7 May | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the Shire of Moyne | Shops open |
| Mon 8 Jun | King's Birthday | Shops open |
| Fri 25 Sep | Friday before the AFL Grand Final Confirmed against the 2026 AFL fixture by the Victorian Government. | Shops open |
| Fri 2 Oct | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in Murtoa and district (Yarriambiack Shire) | Shops open |
| Wed 7 Oct | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the area west of and including Boinka, south of Murray Sunset National Park (Rural City of Mildura) | Shops open |
| Thu 8 Oct | Melbourne Cup substitute half-day From 12pm only Only in Warracknabeal and district (Yarriambiack Shire) | Shops open |
| Tue 13 Oct | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in Rainbow, Albacutya and Kenmare (Hindmarsh Shire) | Shops open |
| Thu 15 Oct | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in Broughton, Yanac, Netherby, Lorquon, Nhill, Glenlee, Kiata, Gerang Gerung and Little Desert (Hindmarsh Shire) | Shops open |
| Wed 21 Oct | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the City of Greater Geelong | Shops open |
| Wed 21 Oct | Melbourne Cup substitute day Only in the Numurkah District (Moira Shire) | Shops open |
Good to know: Victoria takes Labour Day in March rather than October, stops for a horse race and a football match, and lets country councils trade the Cup for a local day.
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 VIC
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 | Labour Day |
| Fri 26 – Mon 29 Mar 2027 4 days | Good Friday, Saturday before Easter Sunday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday |
| Sat 12 – Mon 14 Jun 2027 3 days | King's Birthday |
| Fri 1 – Sun 3 Oct 2027 3 days | Friday before the AFL Grand Final (not yet officially confirmed) |
Turn VIC's public holidays into longer breaks
Worked out from the VIC 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 |
|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov 1 day of leave | 4 days off, Sat 31 Oct – Tue 3 Nov Melbourne Cup Day Best value: the most days off per day of leave |
| 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 |
| Tue 9 – Fri 12 Mar 2027 4 days of leave | 9 days off, Sat 6 – Sun 14 Mar Labour Day |
| Mon 22 – Thu 25 Mar 2027 4 days of leave | 10 days off, Sat 20 – Mon 29 Mar Good Friday, Saturday before Easter Sunday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday |
| Tue 15 – Fri 18 Jun 2027 4 days of leave | 9 days off, Sat 12 – Sun 20 Jun King's Birthday |
| Mon 27 – Thu 30 Sep 2027 4 days of leave | 9 days off, Sat 25 Sep – Sun 3 Oct Friday before the AFL Grand Final (not yet officially confirmed) |
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 VIC shops have to close?
The trading list is not the holiday list
Victoria has two-and-a-half restricted trading days a year: Good Friday and Christmas Day in full, and Anzac Day between 12:01am and 1:00pm. Only exempt shops may open.
The law: Shop Trading Reform Act 1996 (Vic), with Anzac Day Act 1958 (Vic), as summarised by Business Victoria, Victorian Government.
In Victoria the restricted days are Good Friday, Christmas Day and Anzac Day until 1pm. That list is shorter than the holiday list above and does not line up with it: whether a day is a public holiday and whether shops must shut are two separate questions, with two separate Acts behind them.
The 1pm Anzac Day rule still applies in Victoria and has been repealed in New South Wales — NSW rewrote its own section to 'at all times' in 2024. Boxing Day and Easter Sunday are restricted in NSW and not in Victoria. Three of New South Wales's five days are treated differently across the border, which is why a single national trading-hours answer is always wrong for someone.
The exemptions:
- By shop type: chemists, petrol shops, restaurants, cafes and takeaway outlets may open on any restricted trading day.
- By size: a shop with 20 or fewer people working in it at any time on the day, where the shop and its related entities employed no more than 100 people at any time in the previous seven days.
- A 'shop' is a place used wholly or predominantly for retail sale of goods, so service providers and hire outlets fall outside the Act altogether.
- Anzac Day morning is stricter than the others: cinemas, live entertainment and real-estate auctions must not operate before 1pm even if they are otherwise exempt, and factories and warehouses close for the whole day under the Anzac Day Act 1958.
Does your council get it?
Some public holidays apply to part of the state only
Section 8A lets a NON-METROPOLITAN council ask the Minister to drop Melbourne Cup Day in its municipal district — or part of one — and appoint another day instead, usually a local show or race day. The request must be made at least 90 days ahead, and the Minister cannot appoint a Saturday or Sunday. So 'is Melbourne Cup Day a holiday where I live' genuinely has different answers inside Victoria, and this is written into the Act rather than being an informal practice.
So whether you get one of these days depends on where in Victoria you are based, not only on the state. The statewide table above is complete. The district list is a page of its own: Melbourne Cup Day, council by council. Victoria's local days are the Melbourne Cup swaps: a country council can move Cup Day to a local day under s8A, for all or part of its district, so the Tuesday is not a public holiday everywhere in the state.
Where these dates come from
Public holidays in Victoria are set by the Public Holidays Act 1993 (Vic) No 119/1993, with some dates set by orders, proclamations or notices made under it. Every date except those marked “Not yet confirmed” was checked against the dates published by Business Victoria, Victorian Government on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
Which part of the law sets each day
- New Year's Day — section 6(a) of the Act
- Australia Day — section 6(c) of the Act
- Labour Day — section 6(d) of the Act
- Good Friday — section 6(e) of the Act
- Saturday before Easter Sunday — section 6(f) of the Act
- Easter Sunday — section 6(fa) of the Act
- Easter Monday — section 6(g) of the Act
- Anzac Day — section 6(h) of the Act
- Melbourne Cup substitute day — section 8(1), on the council's request under s8A of the Act
- King's Birthday — section 6(i) of the Act
- Friday before the AFL Grand Final — section 6(ia) of the Act
- Melbourne Cup substitute half-day — section 8(1), on the council's request under s8A of the Act
- Melbourne Cup Day — section 6(j) of the Act
- Christmas Day — section 6(k) of the Act
- Boxing Day — section 6(l) of the Act
- Additional public holiday for Boxing Day — section 6(m) of the Act
- Additional public holiday for Christmas Day — section 6(ka) of the Act
- Additional public holiday for New Year's Day — section 6(b) of the Act
Notes on particular dates
- Anzac Day (Sat 25 Apr 2026): Falls on a Saturday, and Victoria adds nothing — Anzac Day is commemorated on the day it falls. NSW declares an extra Monday; Victoria does not.
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Thu 7 May 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 44, 30 October 2025 (dated 21 October 2025).
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Thu 7 May 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 4, 2026 (dated 14 January 2026).
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Fri 2 Oct 2026): NOT in Business Victoria's list. Melbourne Cup Day is not a public holiday there. Declared under s8: Gazette G 24, 11 June 2026 (dated 4 June 2026).
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Wed 7 Oct 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 15, 2026 (dated 30 March 2026).
- Melbourne Cup substitute half-day (Thu 8 Oct 2026): Business Victoria, non-metropolitan public holidays 2026. One of TWO half-days: the other is Melbourne Cup Day afternoon, from 12pm (the Minister's letter, Yarriambiack council papers, 22 July 2026). Declared under s8: Gazette G 24, 11 June 2026 (dated 4 June 2026).
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Tue 13 Oct 2026 and Thu 15 Oct 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 31, 2026 (dated 23 July 2026).
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Wed 21 Oct 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 2, 2026 (dated 22 December 2025).
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Wed 21 Oct 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 26, 2026 (dated 15 June 2026).
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Wed 28 Oct 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 24, 11 June 2026 (dated 4 June 2026).
- Melbourne Cup Day (Tue 3 Nov 2026): Statewide unless a non-metropolitan council has swapped it for a local day under s8A.
- Melbourne Cup substitute half-day (Tue 3 Nov 2026): The second half-day: Melbourne Cup Day is not a full-day public holiday there, only its afternoon. NOT in Business Victoria's list, which gives only the 8 October half. Declared under s8: Gazette G 24, 11 June 2026 (dated 4 June 2026).
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Wed 4 Nov 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 33, 15 August 2024 (dated 5 August 2024) — one declaration for 2025 to 2029.
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Fri 27 Nov 2026): Declared under s8: Gazette G 23, 2021 (dated 3 June 2021) — one declaration for 2022 to 2026.
- Boxing Day (Sat 26 Dec 2026): Falls on a Saturday, so the following Monday is an additional public holiday. Boxing Day is not a restricted trading day in Victoria, unlike NSW.
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Wed 3 Nov 2027 and Wed 8 Nov 2028): Declared years ahead under s8: Gazette G 33, 15 August 2024 (dated 5 August 2024) — one declaration for 2025 to 2029. Not in any Business Victoria list yet.
- Melbourne Cup substitute day (Fri 26 Nov 2027 and Fri 24 Nov 2028): Declared years ahead under s8: Gazette G 24, 11 June 2026 (dated 4 June 2026) — one declaration for 2027 to 2031. Not in any Business Victoria list yet.
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 VIC?
On Saturday 24 October 2026, no.
How many public holidays are there in VIC in 2026?
Fourteen across the whole state — 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; Melbourne Cup Day falls on a local day in twelve areas. 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 VIC?
Melbourne Cup Day, on Tuesday 3 November 2026: 10 days after Saturday 24 October 2026. Victoria 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 VIC?
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. A local holiday gives some areas one sooner: Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026, for the Melbourne Cup substitute day (the City of Wodonga).
Are Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday public holidays in VIC?
Yes, both. The VIC public holidays for Easter 2027 are Good Friday (Friday 26 March), the Saturday before Easter Sunday (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 VIC?
No. Neither is a public holiday in VIC. 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 VIC?
Yes. Saturday 26 December 2026 is a public holiday in VIC. 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 VIC?
Yes. In 2027 the VIC public holiday for Anzac Day is Sunday 25 April 2027 — under the Public Holidays Act 1993 (Vic) No 119/1993. 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.
When is the Friday before the AFL Grand Final in 2027?
Friday 1 October 2027. Since Act No 29/2019 the holiday is written into the Public Holidays Act 1993 itself, as the Friday before the Grand Final, so its date waits only on the fixture — and the AFL has put the 2027 decider on the first Saturday in October.
That makes the familiar rule of thumb, the last Friday in September, wrong this year. Victoria’s own list had not caught up when we checked on 30 September 2026, so the date carries a “not yet confirmed” label here until it does. The 2028 date stays blank until the AFL sets that Grand Final; we will not guess it.
Can a council move Melbourne Cup Day?
A country council can, and this is written into the Act rather than being an informal arrangement. Section 8A lets a council that is not in the Act's Schedule of metropolitan councils ask the Minister to drop Cup Day across all or part of its district and appoint another weekday — or two half-days — in its place. The request has to be in at least 90 days ahead; the 30 metropolitan councils in the Act's Schedule cannot ask.
Which councils did, and the day each took instead, is on Melbourne Cup Day, council by council.
Does Victoria give a day off when Anzac Day falls on a weekend?
No. Section 6(h) appoints 25 April and stops there, and the Victorian Government states it plainly: Anzac Day is commemorated on the day it falls, with no replacement holiday.
That is worth knowing if you work either side of the Murray, because New South Wales does the opposite. In both 2026 and 2027 Anzac Day lands on a weekend, NSW declares an extra Monday, and Victoria does not — so two neighbouring states get a different number of days off for the same commemoration two years running.
Why is Victoria’s Labour Day in March?
Because the states never agreed on a date. Section 6(d) appoints the second Monday in March, which commemorates the eight-hour-day campaign won by Melbourne stonemasons in 1856. New South Wales takes the first Monday in October, Queensland the first Monday in May, and Western Australia the first Monday in March.
The practical trap is a business operating in more than one state: a March long weekend in Melbourne is an ordinary working Monday in Sydney, and an October long weekend in Sydney is an ordinary working Monday in Melbourne.
Verified
Checked against the Public Holidays Act 1993 (Vic) No 119/1993 and the dates published by Business Victoria, Victorian Government on . If the date affects your pay, check your award or agreement.