When is Western Australia Day?
The next Western Australia Day is Mon 7 Jun 2027 (WA).
WA only: the first Monday in June, marking the founding of the Swan River Colony. It is why WA pushes its King’s Birthday holiday to September.
- Western Australia Day 2025 Mon 2 JunDates by state, and the long weekend it makes
- Western Australia Day 2026 Mon 1 JunDates by state, and the long weekend it makes
- Western Australia Day 2027 Mon 7 JunDates by state, and the long weekend it makes
- Western Australia Day 2028 Mon 5 JunDates by state, and the long weekend it makes
About Western Australia Day
From Foundation Day to WA Day
Western Australia Day marks the founding of the Swan River Colony in June 1829, when the first settlers arrived at the mouth of the Swan River under Captain James Stirling. For most of its life the holiday was called Foundation Day. It was renamed Western Australia Day in 2012 to make it a celebration of everyone in the state, including the Noongar people whose country the colony was established on, rather than only the colonial anniversary.
It is a WA-only holiday, taken on the first Monday in June. That is the same weekend the eastern states take the King's Birthday, which is why WA moves its King's Birthday holiday to September rather than having two long weekends a week apart.
What happens on the day
The WA Day long weekend hosts a festival in Perth, usually along the Swan River foreshore, and the announcement of the Western Australian of the Year awards. Because the date is a Monday it never needs substitution, and it falls at the start of the winter: for Perth workers it is the last long weekend until the September King's Birthday, so it tends to be a popular one for a trip down south.
For anyone planning leave, WA Day pairs naturally with the week before or after. The long weekend planner ranks the combinations for Western Australia specifically, because the WA calendar differs from every other state in June and September.
Interstate confusion
Because WA Day and the eastern states' King's Birthday fall a week apart, the first two Mondays of June are a common source of mix-ups for national employers and for anyone travelling between Perth and the east coast. A Perth office is closed on the first Monday and open on the second; a Sydney office is the reverse. Neither day is a public holiday in the other place, and the date lookup is the quickest way to check a specific Monday for both.
It also means Western Australia is the only state with three public holidays between May and the end of September, once the late-September King's Birthday is counted, which gives WA workers a spring long weekend the rest of the country has to wait until October for.
Western Australia Day FAQ
When is Western Australia Day?
The next Western Australia Day is Mon 7 Jun 2027 (WA). WA only: the first Monday in June, marking the founding of the Swan River Colony. It is why WA pushes its King’s Birthday holiday to September.
When is Western Australia Day in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028?
2025: Mon 2 Jun. 2026: Mon 1 Jun. 2027: Mon 7 Jun. 2028: Mon 5 Jun.
Is WA Day a public holiday outside Western Australia?
No. It is observed only in Western Australia, on the first Monday in June. The other states take the King's Birthday holiday on the second Monday of June instead.