Public holidays have a funny way of sneaking into your calendar. You see a long weekend coming up, start thinking about a sleep-in or a quick trip, then suddenly realise you need to check the exact date. A Victoria Public Holiday can also affect work rosters, annual leave requests and business opening hours, so having the dates nearby is pretty handy. For employees and businesses across Victoria, knowing the public holiday calendar ahead of time can save a bit of last-minute scrambling.
Victoria public holidays in 2026
Victoria has several statewide public holidays throughout the year, along with days that are particularly relevant to workplaces and employees. The dates below cover the statewide Victorian public holidays for 2026.
New Year’s Day falls on Thursday, 1 January.
Australia Day is Monday, 26 January.
Labour Day falls on Monday, 9 March.
Good Friday is Friday, 3 April.
Saturday before Easter Sunday falls on Saturday, 4 April.
Easter Sunday is Sunday, 5 April.
Easter Monday is Monday, 6 April.
Anzac Day falls on Saturday, 25 April.
King’s Birthday is Monday, 8 June.
Friday before the AFL Grand Final falls on Friday, 25 September.
Melbourne Cup Day is Tuesday, 3 November.
Christmas Day is Friday, 25 December.
Boxing Day falls on Saturday, 26 December.
Additional Boxing Day holiday is Monday, 28 December.
That last one is easy to overlook. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, so an additional public holiday is observed on the following Monday.
Why public holiday dates matter at work
For employees, a public holiday isn’t just another date printed on a calendar.
It can affect whether you need to use annual leave for a day off, how your roster is arranged and, depending on your employment conditions, what you’re paid for the day.
Picture a normal Monday-to-Friday worker planning a short break around Christmas. If a public holiday falls during the period, that day may not need to come out of their annual leave balance when the relevant rules apply.
That can make a noticeable difference if you’re trying to stretch your leave across a longer break.
People often start counting leave days on a calendar without checking the public holidays first. Easy mistake. A quick look at the Victorian public holiday dates can change the whole plan.
Victoria public holidays and annual leave
Public holidays and annual leave often get discussed together because they can affect how much time you can spend away from work.
Suppose you want to take a few days off around a public holiday. You might only need to submit annual leave for the ordinary working days that fall within your requested period.
The exact treatment can depend on your employment arrangement and the days you normally work.
For part-time employees, this can become a little more interesting. A public holiday falling on a day the employee usually works may be treated differently from one falling on a day they don’t normally work.
So, rather than assuming every worker gets the same result, it’s worth checking your roster, employment conditions and workplace policy.
Easter public holidays in Victoria
Easter creates one of the busiest stretches of public holidays in the Victorian calendar.
In 2026, Good Friday falls on 3 April, followed by the Saturday before Easter Sunday on 4 April, Easter Sunday on 5 April, and Easter Monday on 6 April.
That gives people several consecutive public holiday dates to work around.
If you’re planning a holiday during Easter, book early if you can. Accommodation can fill up quickly, roads can get busy and popular places may have different opening hours. Even a simple family visit can turn into a surprisingly packed weekend.
For businesses, Easter can also mean changes to staffing arrangements and trading hours.
Anzac Day in 2026
Anzac Day is observed on Saturday, 25 April 2026.
Since it falls on a Saturday, employees may naturally wonder whether there is a substitute weekday public holiday.
The rules around public holidays can depend on the specific day and employment circumstances, so employees should check the applicable Victorian and workplace arrangements rather than assuming that every Saturday public holiday creates a Monday day off.
It’s a small detail, but one that can matter when you’re planning leave months ahead.
Melbourne Cup Day
Melbourne Cup Day falls on Tuesday, 3 November 2026.
For many people in Victoria, this date stands out on the calendar well before November arrives. Businesses may have different opening arrangements, some workplaces organise events, and plenty of employees use the surrounding days for a short break.
The Friday before the Melbourne Cup is not a statewide Victorian public holiday, so don’t accidentally count it as one when working out your annual leave.
Christmas and Boxing Day public holidays
Christmas Day in 2026 falls on Friday, 25 December.
Boxing Day follows on Saturday, 26 December, with an additional Boxing Day holiday on Monday, 28 December.
This creates an interesting end-of-year calendar because Christmas lands on a Friday while Boxing Day lands on Saturday.
If you’re planning an extended Christmas break, check which days are public holidays and which days would need annual leave. A few carefully chosen leave days can sometimes create a much longer stretch away from work.
Of course, your workplace may have shutdown periods or different arrangements, so your employer’s calendar still matters.
Public holidays for Victorian businesses
Businesses need to think about public holidays a little differently from employees.
Staff availability may change, opening hours might be reduced, and some industries have special rules around work performed on public holidays. Hospitality, retail, healthcare and other industries that operate outside ordinary Monday-to-Friday hours can have particularly different arrangements.
A simple public holiday calendar can help managers start planning rosters earlier rather than trying to sort everything out a few days before the holiday.
Nobody wants to be staring at an empty roster spreadsheet on a Friday afternoon.
Planning your leave around Victorian public holidays
A Victorian public holiday calendar is useful for more than marking days off work.
You can use it alongside an annual leave balance to look for longer breaks throughout the year. Check where public holidays fall, then look at the ordinary working days around them. From there, you can decide how much annual leave you actually want to request.
It can also help families coordinate school holidays, workplace leave and travel plans without accidentally missing an important date.
Just remember that public holiday arrangements can vary depending on employment conditions, awards, agreements and the days an employee normally works.
So keep the calendar handy, check the details that apply to your workplace, and then start planning those days off. A little calendar checking now can save plenty of confusion later.
