Australia Bank Holidays 2024 are the list of holidays, which include merriment and offer some relief from a hectic work schedule. Australia has various holidays, starting with New Year’s Day and ending with Boxing Day in December.
Australians enjoy a certain rule, if the holiday happens to fall on Saturday or a Sunday, the professionals get the next Monday off. This is because the weekends comprise of the two weekly off days in Australia. Certain holidays can be regional while others are national. Dates may also vary from state to state or territory to territory.
Team at 123NewYear has worked hard and brought forward a list of off-days for Australia, both national and regional. Along with the holiday dates, you also get to know the origin story behind the holiday along with celebrations that define the day.
The list of bank holidays in Australia for 2024 includes:
- New Year 2024 (1st January 2024)
New Year is the day, which people around the world welcome with open arms and a lot of show and pomp. Australia is no different. The only difference is that New Year lands in Australia first. Fireworks at Sydney Harbor are the most magnificent sight that welcomes a New Year as the clock strikes 12. All the other cities, host their own lovely fireworks display and they are fabulous as well. After a happening New Year’s Eve, the first day of a brand new year is usually slow to start.
- Australia Day (28th January 2024)
Australia Day a public occasion on 28th January and is also known as Australia’s national day. It denotes the landing of the First Fleet comprising of British Ships in New South Wales at Port Jackson, on this very date in 1788 as well as the day when the Flag of Great Britain was raised by Captain Arthur Phillip.
Suppose the 28th of January falls on a Saturday or Sunday, at that point the holiday is usually celebrated on the next Monday. The Australia Day festivities have gained quite a lot of pomp and show since the festival includes a huge gathering of people. Australia Day today comprises of formal services around the country alongside nearby occasions that are filled with fun and merriment.
- Labour Day (4th March 2024 in West Australia/ 11th March 2024 in Victoria & Tasmania)
Labour Day is a public occasion in Australia that was initially called ‘Eight Hours Day’. This occasion is honoured on various dates in the Australian States.
In ACT, New South Wales and South Australia, Labor Day happens on the very first Monday of the month of October. In Northern Territory and Queensland, the people celebrate this day on the first Monday in the month of May. The second Monday in March is the day on which residents of Victoria and Tasmania celebrate it.
First Monday of March is the day for Labour Day in Western Australia. It is a public holiday in all the states and territories of Australia during which people can relax or spend peaceful time with their family and friends or go on a getaway trip to enjoy time with friends and family. Picnics or camping and wine tasting are some of the popular choices, which people celebrate Labour Day with. In Brisbane there are marches, which are held on Labour a Day in which the labour union members take part and are led by influential political leaders.
- Canberra Day (11th March 2024)
Canberra Day is an open occasion celebrated in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) area of Australia. Canberra is the main city in that area. Canberra Day is commended on the second Monday in the month of March.
On the 12th of March in the year 1913, Lady Denman, wife of the then Governor-General Lord Denman formally named and established the city. This occasion is celebrated on this day. Canberra was chosen as the capital for Australia in the year 1908 instead of Sydney or Melbourne.
Annual occasions related with Canberra Day incorporate the Canberra Festival, which keeps running for the two weeks prior to Canberra Day. From auto shows to firecrackers and a hot air balloon are some of the astounding shows that take place on this day.
- Good Friday (19th April 2024)
The Friday, which falls prior to Easter Sunday, is known as Good Friday. It is held to commemorate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. It marks the beginning of a 4 day long weekend. Special services are held at the Church, families get together and alcohol sale is avoided on Good Friday.
This day signifies a mourning day for Christians. Many communities fast and abstain from meal consumption. Hot cross buns are a popular custom that many people uphold on this day. Tasmania’s Three Peaks race, Easter Racing Carnival in Sydney and many more sports events are held across Australia in various locations.
- Easter Sunday (21st April 2024)
In Australia, Easter Sunday is a public occasion in New South Wales, ACT, Victoria and Queensland. As it falls on a Sunday, it will be a day of relaxation for the vast majority in Australia.
It connotes the end of the forty days of Lent, which means the end of a time of sacrifice by Christians and the beginning of a period of joy and merriment. Easter Sunday is likewise when church chimes will be rung once more, having been noiseless amid Lent.
- Easter Monday (22nd April 2024)
The weekend that started with Good Friday ends with Easter Monday. This is the final day of celebrations and festivals that have been held all weekend. Numerous musical festivals also take place during Easter weekend, and this day marks the end of it.
Queensland’s Australian Gospel Music Festival and many more such fabulous and amazing musical festivals are held during the Easter weekend. Along with musical festivals, sporting events, which started on the occasion of Good Friday ends on Easter Monday. The day is spent relaxing and enjoying quality time with friends and family members.
- Anzac Day (25th April 2024)
Anzac Day is celebrated on 25 April and is ostensibly Australia’s most critical national event. It denotes the commemoration of the primary key military activity battled by Australian and New Zealand powers amid World War I. On the off chance that Anzac Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday in Australia, it is usually not moved to a weekday, except for 2024, when it fell on a Saturday and the Monday was a state holiday in Western Australia and a government holiday in ACT.
Anzac denotes Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The troops in those units came to be known as Anzacs. Anzac Day is a yearly celebration at the Australian War Memorial. Services to commemorate this day are held at the time of the original landing, at dawn. Amid the rest of the day ex-servicemen and ladies meet and participate in walks through the fundamental urban areas and towns. Commemorative functions are held at war memorials around the nation.
- Queen’s Birthday – 10th June
The Queen’s Birthday is the occasion that commemorates the birth of Queen Elizabeth II who isn’t just the Queen of Great Britain but also the Queen of Australia. Except for Western Australia and Queensland, this day is commemorated on the 2nd Monday in the month of June.
It also denotes the beginning of the Australian ski season. Businesses stay closed on the Queen’s Birthday and shops might be open for a limited time. The people of Queensland celebrate this occasion on the first Monday of the month of October since 2016. In Western Australia, however, the occasion is commended in late September or early October.
- Picnic Day (5th August 2024)
Picnic Day is a local public occasion, which is celebrated in Australia’s Northern Territory. This day is celebrated in August on the very first Monday. The convention of having a Picnic day goes back to the end of the 1800s, with a few areas in the district demonstrating well known and not all in the meantime of the year.
Harts Range Races is a popular tradition in Central Australia. Initially it started as a stallion race between three siblings and a neighborhood policeman, towards the beginning of 1947, the occasion has developed into a three-day celebration known as the “Harts Range Bush Sports Weekend” which incorporates rodeo, novelty and many family events.
- Ekka People’s Day (14th August 2024)
A formal title for Queensland’s yearly agricultural show is ‘Royal Queensland Show’. It usually takes place on the Brisbane Exhibition Ground. The exhibition involves numerous exhibits and competitions, where the agricultural produces and cattle breed along with show dogs are shown off.
The exhibition started way back in 1876. It has continued to take place since then. In the month of August, the exhibitions occur on the 2nd Wednesday. The exhibition usually also includes fireworks, fashion parades, food stalls and other great events, which turn the exhibition into a grand affair.
- Melbourne Cup Day (5th November 2024)
Melbourne Cup Day is a provincial public occasion, which is celebrated in the province of Victoria, Australia. Melbourne Cup Day usually takes place in November on the first Tuesday. Melbourne Cup day is a government occasion in the territory of Victoria and a public occasion for everybody inside the city region of Melbourne and different parts of Victoria.
- Christmas Day (25th December 2024)
Christmas in Australia is usually warm, because it is in Southern hemisphere. It is on the vacation in the summer season of Australia. On the holy occasion of Christmas, Christians observe the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Traditional meals, presents and decorated Christmas trees are some of the merriment that is synonymous with Christmas. Christmas celebrations may vary, but these stay at the heart of any celebration.
- Boxing Day (26th December 2024)
Boxing Day is a public occasion celebrated on the 26th of December in a few nations as a part of the Christmas celebrations. Normally it will be moved and celebrated on the following Monday in case this day falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
In the event that Christmas Day falls on an end of the week, Boxing Day might be seen on Tuesday 27 December. Second day of Christmas is another name for this day and it might be observed as St. Stephen’s Day in a few nations.