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Is 26 December a public holiday?

Yes Saturday 26 December 2026 is Boxing Day in VIC, NSW, QLD, WA and ACT. It is a normal working day everywhere else.

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 26 December looks like in every published year.

  1. Friday 26 December 2025 Public holiday

    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.

  2. Saturday 26 December 2026 Public holiday

    It lands on a Saturday. VIC, NSW, QLD, WA and ACT add an extra holiday on Mon 28 Dec; SA, TAS and NT move the holiday to Mon 28 Dec. The substitute and additional days guide explains the difference.

  3. Sunday 26 December 2027 Public holiday

    It lands on a Sunday. 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.

  4. Tuesday 26 December 2028 Public holiday

    A Tuesday, so one day of leave on Mon 25 Dec turns it into a four-day break everywhere.

The holidays that fall on 26 December

  • 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 owed

26 December FAQ

Is 26 December a public holiday in 2025?

Friday 26 December 2025 is Boxing Day in VIC, NSW, QLD, WA, TAS, NT and ACT and Proclamation Day in SA. It is a normal working day everywhere else.

Is 26 December a public holiday in 2026?

Saturday 26 December 2026 is Boxing Day in VIC, NSW, QLD, WA and ACT. It is a normal working day everywhere else.

Is 26 December a public holiday in 2027?

Sunday 26 December 2027 is Boxing Day in VIC, NSW, QLD, WA, TAS, NT and ACT and Proclamation Day in SA. It is a normal working day everywhere else.

Is 26 December a public holiday in 2028?

Tuesday 26 December 2028 is Boxing Day in VIC, NSW, QLD, WA, TAS, NT and ACT and Proclamation Day in SA. It is a normal working day everywhere else.

Looking for the whole year? Every 2026 public holiday by state