Is 25 December a public holiday?
Yes Friday 25 December 2026 is a public holiday everywhere in Australia (Christmas Day).
Public holidays are set state by state, so the same date can be a day off in one state and a normal Monday in the next. Here is what 25 December looks like in every published year.
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Thursday 25 December 2025 Public holiday
- Christmas DayAll states and territories
A Thursday, so one day of leave on Fri 26 Dec turns it into a four-day break everywhere.
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Friday 25 December 2026 Public holiday
- Christmas DayAll states and territories
A Friday, so it makes a three-day weekend everywhere. The long weekend planner shows what a few days of leave either side would add.
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Saturday 25 December 2027 Public holiday
- Christmas DayAll states and territories
It lands on a Saturday. VIC, NSW, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, NT and ACT add an extra holiday on Mon 27 Dec. The substitute and additional days guide explains the difference.
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Monday 25 December 2028 Public holiday
- Christmas DayAll states and territories
A Monday, so it makes a three-day weekend everywhere. The long weekend planner shows what a few days of leave either side would add.
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The holidays that fall on 25 December
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Christmas & Boxing Day
Christmas Day and Boxing Day are national public holidays on 25 and 26 December. South Australia calls the 26th Proclamation Day, marking the proclamation of the colony at Glenelg on 28 December 1836, but it is the same holiday on the same date. Because two consecutive fixed dates land on a weekend more often than not, the substitution rules get a workout every few years. Every state adds a weekday holiday when Christmas Day falls on a weekend, and the weekend day stays a holiday too. Boxing Day is handled the same way in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the ACT: keep the weekend day, add a weekday. South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory move a Saturday Boxing Day to the following weekday rather than keeping both, while a Sunday one is kept and a weekday added.
More about Christmas & Boxing Day
December in the public holiday calendar
December is the only month with two national public holidays in a row: Christmas Day and Boxing Day on the 25th and 26th, with extra weekday holidays added when either falls on a weekend, which pushes the 27th and 28th onto this site in some years. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are part-day holidays in South Australia and the Northern Territory, and Christmas Eve in Queensland. Because New Year's Day follows a week later, the working days between Boxing Day and 1 January are the most efficient annual leave in the calendar.
How public holidays are decided, and what you are owed25 December FAQ
Is 25 December a public holiday in 2025?
Thursday 25 December 2025 is a public holiday everywhere in Australia (Christmas Day).
Is 25 December a public holiday in 2026?
Friday 25 December 2026 is a public holiday everywhere in Australia (Christmas Day).
Is 25 December a public holiday in 2027?
Saturday 25 December 2027 is a public holiday everywhere in Australia (Christmas Day).
Is 25 December a public holiday in 2028?
Monday 25 December 2028 is a public holiday everywhere in Australia (Christmas Day).
Looking for the whole year? Every 2026 public holiday by state