Regional show holidays: who gets them and how to check

Holidays for part of a state

Most public holidays apply to a whole state or territory. A smaller group applies only to a region, a council area or a town. They are almost all tied to an agricultural show, a race meeting or a regatta, and they are the reason a public holiday table for Queensland or Tasmania looks longer than one for New South Wales.

The defining rule is that a regional holiday applies to workplaces in the area, not to residents of it. If you live in the Brisbane City Council area but work on the Gold Coast, you get the Gold Coast Show holiday, not the Ekka one. If you work from home, the relevant location is usually where your employer's business is based, though some awards say otherwise, so check yours.

Queensland

Every Queensland local government area has a show holiday. Brisbane's is the Wednesday of the Royal Queensland Show, the Ekka, in August. The rest are set by each council and gazetted by the state, usually late in the previous year, and they run from April to October. This site lists the major centres: the Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Townsville and the others on the show days page. For a smaller council, the Queensland Government publishes the full list each year.

Until the list for a year is gazetted, the Queensland rows for that year carry a "not yet proclaimed" note. The Ekka date is known in advance because it follows a rule.

Northern Territory

The Territory has five show days, one per region, each on a Friday: Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin on the first to fourth Fridays of July, and Borroloola on the Friday on or after 13 August. They are written into the Public Holidays Act rather than gazetted, so the dates are known for any year. Each applies in its own town and surrounding area.

Tasmania

Tasmania's Statutory Holidays Act lists a run of local days by municipality: the Royal Hobart Show, Royal Launceston Show, Burnie Show, Devonport Show, Flinders Island Show and King Island Show; the Devonport Cup and Launceston Cup; and AGFEST in Circular Head. It also splits the state for two non-show days, the Royal Hobart Regatta in the south (February) and Recreation Day in the north (November). Each applies only in the municipalities named in the act.

Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia

These states have no show holidays at state level, but councils can have local days declared. In Victoria, many regional councils take a local show or race day instead of Melbourne Cup Day, which is a metropolitan holiday. In NSW, councils can request a local public holiday or a half-day for their show, and dozens do. In WA, a few regional councils observe the King's Birthday on a locally chosen date. These are announced council by council and are not listed on this site; your council's website or the state's industrial relations department has the current list.

How to check whether one applies to you

• Find the council area your workplace is in, not your home.
• Check the state list: the show days page for QLD, NT and TAS, or your council's site for a NSW or Victorian local day.
• Check your award or agreement. Some awards say which location counts for a mobile or remote worker; some enterprise agreements list the public holidays that apply explicitly.
• If in doubt, the Fair Work Ombudsman and your state's industrial relations body both answer this question directly.

The long weekend planner on this site treats regional days as applying statewide, because it cannot know where you work. Treat a planner result built on a show day as one to confirm before booking.