Christmas & Boxing Day Trading Hours in Australia
Check Christmas Day and Boxing Day trading hours for 2026 — what's open by state, plus supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol and hospitality.
Christmas Day trading hours are the most restricted of the year in every Australian state — almost everything closes. Boxing Day is the opposite: it's one of the biggest trading days on the calendar. In 2026, Christmas Day falls on Friday 25 December and Boxing Day falls on Saturday 26 December, so what's open (and when) shifts slightly from a year where Boxing Day lands on a weekday.
Christmas and Boxing Day 2026, by state
Every state and territory observes Christmas Day on 25 December and a Boxing Day holiday on 26 December — South Australia calls it the Proclamation Day holiday. Because 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, most jurisdictions also gazette an additional public holiday on Monday 28 December; Tasmania instead moves its Boxing Day holiday to the Monday rather than keeping a separate Saturday date.
| State | 26 December 2026 | 28 December 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Boxing Day | Boxing Day (additional public holiday) |
| VIC | Boxing Day | Boxing Day (additional public holiday) |
| QLD | Boxing Day | Boxing Day (additional public holiday) |
| SA | Proclamation Day holiday | Proclamation Day holiday (additional public holiday) |
| WA | Boxing Day | Boxing Day (additional public holiday) |
| TAS | Ordinary Saturday (no separate holiday) | Boxing Day (observed, substitutes 26 Dec) |
| NT | Boxing Day | Boxing Day (additional public holiday) |
| ACT | Boxing Day | Boxing Day (additional public holiday) |
For the full 2026 list including Christmas Eve part-day rules, see the Christmas shutdown guide; for the gazetted date and any substitute in your own state, check the Christmas Day and Boxing Day pages.
What's open on Christmas Day?
In most states — NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania — Christmas Day is a legislated restricted trading day, in the same category as Good Friday and Anzac Day morning, with larger stores and shopping centres required to stay closed by state trading law. The ACT and Northern Territory have no equivalent statewide restricted-trading regime, so closures there are the retailers' own choice — though most major chains shut nationally anyway. Either way, it's a much harder closure than a typical public holiday like Australia Day, where most shops trade as normal.
- Supermarkets and major retailers: closed nationwide, with rare small-format exceptions in some states.
- Shopping centres: closed.
- Hospitality: many restaurants, hotels and pubs open for Christmas lunch and dinner bookings, usually with a public-holiday surcharge; plenty of others close entirely to give staff the day off.
- Petrol stations: a good share stay open, though hours are often reduced and some smaller sites close.
- Pharmacies: most close, but each area has a rostered or on-call pharmacy open for essential medicines — check your local pharmacy's Christmas roster in advance.
- Hospitals, emergency and essential services: operate as normal.
Because restricted trading is set state by state, the exact list of exempt businesses (convenience stores, service stations, pharmacies) differs slightly by jurisdiction — if in doubt, call ahead rather than assume.
What's open on Boxing Day?
In 2026, 26 December is a Saturday, and it's still the gazetted Boxing Day public holiday in NSW and most other states — anyone rostered on works under public-holiday pay rules, though trading itself follows normal Saturday hours in states without weekend restrictions, and it remains the country's biggest single shopping day for Boxing Day sales. On top of that, NSW and six other jurisdictions add Monday 28 December as an additional public holiday, since the 26th fell on a weekend. Tasmania is the exception: it substitutes the holiday onto the 28th instead of keeping the 26th as a public holiday.
The additional public holiday on Monday 28 December mainly affects staff pay — most retailers stay open on it and apply public-holiday penalty rates, the same way they trade through other non-restricted public holidays. It isn't a mandated-closure day like Christmas Day or Good Friday.
Petrol, pharmacies and hospitality over the period
Across the whole Christmas–Boxing Day stretch, three categories reliably keep trading, even where hours shrink:
- Petrol stations: most stay open through Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the 28 December holiday, though some independent or regional sites reduce hours or close on Christmas Day itself.
- Pharmacies: a rostered pharmacy is open in most areas every day of the period, including Christmas Day — search for your nearest rostered pharmacy rather than assuming your usual one is open.
- Hospitality: cafes, restaurants and pubs are open more often than not on Boxing Day and 28 December, and many take bookings for Christmas Day itself; expect a public-holiday surcharge on all three dates.
Do trading hours vary by state?
Yes. Retail trading hours, including which days are restricted and which businesses are exempt, are set by each state and territory's own shop trading legislation — there's no single national rule. Christmas Day trading is restricted by law in most states (though not in the ACT or NT, where major retailers close anyway), but the fine print (exempt store sizes, which businesses can open, Sunday and public-holiday trading more broadly) differs by state, the same way it does for Australia Day trading hours. When a specific store's hours matter to you, check that store or shopping centre directly rather than relying on a general rule.
Frequently asked questions
What is open on Christmas Day in Australia?
Very little. Supermarkets, shopping centres and most large retailers close — required by state trading law in most states, and by the retailers' own choice in the ACT and NT, where major chains shut anyway. Petrol stations, rostered pharmacies, hospitals and some restaurants and hotels stay open, usually with reduced hours or a public-holiday surcharge.
Are supermarkets and shops open on Boxing Day?
Yes. Boxing Day is one of the busiest trading days of the year, and in 2026 it falls on a Saturday, so ordinary weekend trading hours apply for supermarkets, shopping centres and major retailers in most states.
Do trading hours on Christmas and Boxing Day vary by state?
Yes. Each state and territory sets its own shop trading laws, so which businesses can open, and under what conditions, differs by jurisdiction. Most states restrict Christmas Day trading by law; the ACT and NT don't, though major retailers there close anyway, and the exempt categories and Boxing Day rules aren't identical from state to state.
Are petrol stations, pharmacies and hospitality open over the Christmas period?
Generally yes, across Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the following public holiday, though hours are often reduced. Most areas have a rostered pharmacy open on Christmas Day, most petrol stations keep trading, and many cafes and restaurants take Christmas and Boxing Day bookings with a public-holiday surcharge.
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