Leave HackerJoin the betaVIC public holidays 2026
Victoria has 14 public holidays in 2026, 10 of them on weekdays. The best value is Easter: book 1 day and get 5 days off in a row. For a proper break, Christmas is the one: book 3 days, get 10 off.
All 14 public holidays in 2026
| Date | Day | Public holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Thursday | New Year's Day |
| 26 January | Monday | Australia Day |
| 9 March | Monday | Labour Day |
| 3 April | Friday | Good Friday |
| 4 April | Saturday | Saturday before Easter Sunday |
| 5 April | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| 6 April | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 25 April | Saturday | ANZAC Day |
| 8 June | Monday | King's Birthday |
| 25 September | Friday | Friday before the AFL Grand Final |
| 3 November | Tuesday | Melbourne Cup |
| 25 December | Friday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Saturday | Boxing Day |
| 28 December | Monday | Boxing Day (additional day) |
When a holiday falls at a weekend, Victoria has an extra or moved day: Boxing Day (additional day) on Monday 28 December.
Melbourne Cup is a public holiday across Victoria unless a non-metro council has arranged a local holiday instead. The Friday before the AFL Grand Final is a public holiday too, but the government only sets its date once the AFL has fixed the Grand Final, so it's listed only for years where that's happened.
The days to book around each public holiday
Each break below runs from the first day off to the last, weekends included. Only days of leave that buy at least two days off each are listed.
New Year's Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 2 Jan | 1 to 4 Jan |
| 2 | 5 | Fri 2 Jan and Mon 5 Jan | 1 to 5 Jan |
| 3 | 6 | Fri 2 Jan and Mon 5 to Tue 6 Jan | 1 to 6 Jan |
Australia Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
Australia Day on Monday 26 January.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 23 Jan | 23 to 26 Jan |
| 2 | 5 | Thu 22 to Fri 23 Jan | 22 to 26 Jan |
| 3 | 6 | Wed 21 to Fri 23 Jan | 21 to 26 Jan |
| 4 | 9 | Tue 27 to Fri 30 Jan | 24 Jan to 1 Feb |
| 5 | 10 | Mon 19 to Fri 23 Jan | 17 to 26 Jan |
Labour Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
Labour Day on Monday 9 March.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 6 Mar | 6 to 9 Mar |
| 2 | 5 | Thu 5 to Fri 6 Mar | 5 to 9 Mar |
| 3 | 6 | Wed 4 to Fri 6 Mar | 4 to 9 Mar |
| 4 | 9 | Tue 10 to Fri 13 Mar | 7 to 15 Mar |
| 5 | 10 | Mon 2 to Fri 6 Mar | 28 Feb to 9 Mar |
Easter: book 1 day, get 5 off
Good Friday on Friday 3 April, Saturday before Easter Sunday on Saturday 4 April, Easter Sunday on Sunday 5 April and Easter Monday on Monday 6 April.
Book 1 day, get 5 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Thu 2 Apr | 2 to 6 Apr |
| 2 | 6 | Wed 1 to Thu 2 Apr | 1 to 6 Apr |
| 3 | 7 | Tue 31 Mar to Thu 2 Apr | 31 Mar to 6 Apr |
| 4 | 10 | Mon 30 Mar to Thu 2 Apr | 28 Mar to 6 Apr |
| 5 | 11 | Fri 27 Mar and Mon 30 Mar to Thu 2 Apr | 27 Mar to 6 Apr |
| 6 | 12 | Thu 26 to Fri 27 Mar and Mon 30 Mar to Thu 2 Apr | 26 Mar to 6 Apr |
| 8 | 16 | Mon 30 Mar to Thu 2 Apr and Tue 7 to Fri 10 Apr | 28 Mar to 12 Apr |
ANZAC Day: book 1 day, get 3 off
ANZAC Day on Saturday 25 April.
Book 1 day, get 3 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Fri 24 Apr | 24 to 26 Apr |
| 2 | 4 | Thu 23 to Fri 24 Apr | 23 to 26 Apr |
King's Birthday: book 1 day, get 4 off
King's Birthday on Monday 8 June.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 5 Jun | 5 to 8 Jun |
| 2 | 5 | Thu 4 to Fri 5 Jun | 4 to 8 Jun |
| 3 | 6 | Wed 3 to Fri 5 Jun | 3 to 8 Jun |
| 4 | 9 | Tue 9 to Fri 12 Jun | 6 to 14 Jun |
| 5 | 10 | Mon 1 to Fri 5 Jun | 30 May to 8 Jun |
Friday before the AFL Grand Final: book 1 day, get 4 off
Friday before the AFL Grand Final on Friday 25 September.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Thu 24 Sep | 24 to 27 Sep |
| 2 | 5 | Wed 23 to Thu 24 Sep | 23 to 27 Sep |
| 3 | 6 | Tue 22 to Thu 24 Sep | 22 to 27 Sep |
| 4 | 9 | Mon 21 to Thu 24 Sep | 19 to 27 Sep |
| 5 | 10 | Fri 18 Sep and Mon 21 to Thu 24 Sep | 18 to 27 Sep |
Melbourne Cup: book 1 day, get 4 off
Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 3 November.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Mon 2 Nov | 31 Oct to 3 Nov |
| 2 | 5 | Fri 30 Oct and Mon 2 Nov | 30 Oct to 3 Nov |
| 3 | 6 | Thu 29 to Fri 30 Oct and Mon 2 Nov | 29 Oct to 3 Nov |
| 4 | 9 | Mon 2 Nov and Wed 4 to Fri 6 Nov | 31 Oct to 8 Nov |
| 5 | 10 | Fri 30 Oct, Mon 2 Nov and Wed 4 to Fri 6 Nov | 30 Oct to 8 Nov |
Christmas: book 1 day, get 5 off
Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December and Boxing Day (additional day) on Monday 28 December.
Book 1 day, get 5 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Thu 24 Dec | 24 to 28 Dec |
| 2 | 6 | Wed 23 to Thu 24 Dec | 23 to 28 Dec |
| 3 | 10 | Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 25 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 4 | 11 | Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 24 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 5 | 12 | Wed 23 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 23 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 6 | 13 | Tue 22 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 22 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 7 | 16 | Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 19 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 8 | 17 | Fri 18 Dec, Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 18 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 9 | 18 | Thu 17 to Fri 18 Dec, Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 17 Dec to 3 Jan |
Your whole 2026 with four weeks' leave
Full-time workers get four weeks of paid annual leave under the National Employment Standards: 20 days for a five-day week. Planned around Victoria's public holidays, that's 59 days off across 12 breaks.
- Thu 1 Jan to Sun 4 Jan: 4 days off for 1 day
- Fri 23 Jan to Mon 26 Jan: 4 days off for 1 day
- Thu 12 Feb to Sun 15 Feb: 4 days off for 2 days
- Fri 6 Mar to Mon 9 Mar: 4 days off for 1 day
- Thu 2 Apr to Mon 6 Apr: 5 days off for 1 day
- Fri 24 Apr to Sun 26 Apr: 3 days off for 1 day
- Thu 14 May to Sun 17 May: 4 days off for 2 days
- Fri 5 Jun to Mon 8 Jun: 4 days off for 1 day
- Thu 25 Jun to Sun 28 Jun: 4 days off for 2 days
- Sat 19 Sep to Sun 27 Sep: 9 days off for 4 days
- Sat 31 Oct to Tue 3 Nov: 4 days off for 1 day
- Fri 25 Dec to Sun 3 Jan: 10 days off for 3 days
Questions
How many public holidays are there in VIC in 2026?
14: New Year's Day (Thu 1 Jan), Australia Day (Mon 26 Jan), Labour Day (Mon 9 Mar), Good Friday (Fri 3 Apr), Saturday before Easter Sunday (Sat 4 Apr), Easter Sunday (Sun 5 Apr), Easter Monday (Mon 6 Apr), ANZAC Day (Sat 25 Apr), King's Birthday (Mon 8 Jun), Friday before the AFL Grand Final (Fri 25 Sep), Melbourne Cup (Tue 3 Nov), Christmas Day (Fri 25 Dec), Boxing Day (Sat 26 Dec) and Boxing Day (additional day) (Mon 28 Dec).
How do I get the most days off in 2026 in VIC?
Book the working days between a public holiday and a weekend. The best value is Easter: book Thu 2 Apr for 5 days off. The best long break is Christmas: book 3 days (Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec) for 10 days off.
Is a public holiday during my annual leave taken out of my leave?
No. Under the National Employment Standards a public holiday that falls during paid annual leave isn't counted as annual leave, so ten days off that include a Monday public holiday use nine days of leave. Fair Work Ombudsman.
When is Melbourne Cup Day 2026?
Tuesday 3 November 2026, the first Tuesday in November. Book the Monday before and it's a four-day weekend.
Where the dates come from
Every date was checked by hand against these official pages on 26 October 2026. Holidays are never worked out from rules here.