Adelaide Cup Day: When Is SA's March Public Holiday?

Who actually gets the day off

Everyone in South Australia. The holiday runs from the Adelaide CBD out to the Riverland, Eyre Peninsula and the South East on the same Monday, so a Port Lincoln office closes when a Rundle Mall one does.

Queensland works the other way. Each district there gets its own show day on a different date, which is why our QLD show holidays guide has to break the year down by region. South Australia needs one line.

No other state or territory marks Adelaide Cup Day. If you work for an interstate employer from an SA address, check which state's public holiday list your contract follows.

Turning the Monday into a longer break

The Monday gives you a three-day weekend for nothing. Add the Tuesday to Friday after it as annual leave and four leave days buy nine days off, from the Saturday before to the Sunday after.

For 2027 that means booking 9 to 12 March, which puts you away from Saturday 6 March to Sunday 14 March. Test the window in the Leave Planner before you file the request.

Is it SA's only March public holiday?

In most years, yes. In 2026 and again in 2028 the Cup is the only South Australian public holiday in March, and the next one after it is Good Friday in April.

2027 breaks that pattern. Easter falls early, so Good Friday lands on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March. Counting Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday, South Australia has five public holidays in March 2027, the Cup included.

How to plan around it

1. Put Monday 8 March 2027 in the calendar, then check the rest of the year on the SA 2027 public holidays page.
2. Price the nine-day version in the Leave Planner if a long break appeals.
3. Count business days across the quarter with the Working Days Calculator, which allows for every gazetted SA date.

Frequently asked questions

When is Adelaide Cup Day 2027?

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Monday 8 March 2027. It's a full public holiday everywhere in South Australia, and the last SA holiday before Good Friday on 26 March that year.

Is Adelaide Cup Day a public holiday?

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Yes, in South Australia only. Interstate offices don't get Adelaide Cup Day, but don't assume they're all working: on Monday 8 March 2027 Victoria has Labour Day, Tasmania has Eight Hours Day and the ACT has Canberra Day, so check each state before planning around a split team.

Is cup day a public holiday?

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Depends which cup you mean. Adelaide Cup Day is South Australian and falls on the second Monday in March; Melbourne Cup Day is Victorian and falls on the first Tuesday in November. Neither one applies outside its own state.

Is Adelaide Cup Day only in Adelaide?

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No. The name is about the race, not the boundary. Mount Gambier, Whyalla and Renmark all get the same Monday off as the CBD.

When is Adelaide Cup Day 2028?

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Monday 13 March 2028, five days later in the month than in 2027. The gap between years is a quirk of where the second Monday lands.

Are there any other SA public holidays in March?

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Usually none, but 2027 is the exception. Easter falls early enough that year to put four more public holidays into late March alongside the Cup.