Easter 2026: Dates, Long Weekend & Leave Hacks

Easter is the longest public holiday period on the Australian calendar. While Christmas gets more attention, Easter is actually the better deal — 4 consecutive days off without touching your leave balance.

Easter 2026 dates

• Good Friday: 3 April 2026
• Easter Saturday: 4 April 2026
• Easter Sunday: 5 April 2026
• Easter Monday: 6 April 2026

Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in every state. Easter Saturday is a public holiday in all states except TAS and WA (check your state's list to confirm).

The free 4-day weekend

With no leave required, everyone gets Friday 3 April through Monday 6 April off. That's a proper 4-day break — enough for a road trip, a camping weekend, or just sleeping in four mornings in a row.

Extend it with leave

This is where it gets interesting. A small amount of leave turns Easter into a seriously long break:

Option 1: The week before (4 leave days → 10 days off)

Take Monday 30 March through Thursday 2 April off. Combined with the Easter long weekend, you get Saturday 28 March to Monday 6 April — 10 days straight. That's a 4:10 ratio.

Option 2: The week after (4 leave days → 10 days off)

Take Tuesday 7 April through Friday 10 April off. You get Friday 3 April to Sunday 12 April — another 10 days, same 4:10 ratio. This option is often cheaper for travel since fewer people take the week after Easter.

Option 3: Go all in (8 leave days → 16 days off)

Take both surrounding weeks off. That's 8 leave days for a 16-day break — nearly half your annual leave budget, but enough time for an overseas trip or a serious road trip around Australia.

Easter Tuesday

Some states treat Easter Tuesday as a public holiday or partial holiday for certain workers. This is particularly relevant for government employees and some retail workers. Check your state's public holiday page for the specifics.

Travel tips

Easter is one of the busiest travel periods in Australia. If you're planning to go somewhere:

• Book accommodation now. Popular spots sell out months in advance.
• Fly mid-week. Departing on the Thursday before or returning on the Tuesday after avoids the worst of the airport crush.
• Consider the week after. It's typically 20–30% cheaper for flights and accommodation, and everywhere is less crowded.

Use the Leave Planner to model different configurations and find the one that works best with your remaining leave balance.