Christmas Eve & NYE Public Holidays: Which States Get Them?

What it means for your leave

Part-day holidays are not deducted in our Working Days Calculator, because they don't remove a working day. A daytime worker planning the Christmas-to-New-Year break still requests Tuesday 29 December, Wednesday 30 December and Thursday 31 December.

The Christmas shutdown 2026 guide has the full leave plan and the totals for every state. Change the window in the Leave Planner if your shutdown starts earlier.

The full-day holidays either side

Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026, Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December, and Monday 28 December is a public holiday in all 8 states and territories as well. New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027.

Those are the days that actually reduce a working-day count. See public holidays by state for your own jurisdiction's full list.

Working the evening, or shopping in it

A part-day holiday sets neither your pay rate nor a shop's opening hours. For work inside the window, check your award or agreement and the Fair Work Ombudsman's public-holiday guidance.

For shopping, the Christmas trading guide covers the state rules, and the individual store's dated notice covers the rest.

Official sources and verification

Christmas 2026 and New Year 2027 dates checked 6 September 2026 against the official jurisdiction lists: NSW; Victoria 2026; Victoria 2027; Queensland; South Australia; Western Australia; Tasmania; Northern Territory; ACT. This is the article's verification date; the shared dataset retains its own source dates.

Frequently asked questions

Is Christmas Eve a public holiday in Queensland?

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Yes, but only from 6pm to midnight. The rest of Thursday 24 December is a normal working day, and the date is not counted as a day off in a statewide working-day total.

Is New Year's Eve a public holiday in Queensland?

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No. Queensland lists no statewide New Year's Eve holiday. South Australia and the Northern Territory are the only jurisdictions with one, and it starts in the evening.

Are Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve public holidays in NSW or Victoria?

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No, on either date. Christmas Day and New Year's Day are the full-day holidays in both states, and the eves before them are ordinary working days.

Do evening public holidays reduce the Christmas leave plan?

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No. Leave and working-day calculations only deduct full-day holidays, so a part-day window never changes the count. What it can change is your pay if you are rostered into those hours.