Long weekends 2026 in Queensland

Every public holiday in Queensland in 2026

Here is each day off in date order, what it marks, and the quickest way to turn it into a longer break.

AustraliaiPhoto: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

SydneyiPhoto: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

• Thursday 1 January: New Year's Day. New Year's Day follows the fireworks over Sydney Harbour and other cities. It falls in the middle of summer holidays, peak time for the beach and camping. Take Friday 2 January off and you have 4 days in a row, 1 to 4 January.
• Monday 26 January: Australia Day. Australia Day on 26 January marks the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and is a day of barbecues, beach days and citizenship ceremonies, as well as reflection for many First Nations people. It falls in the middle of summer holidays. You get 3 free days in a row, 24 to 26 January, with no leave needed.
• Friday 3 April: Good Friday. Good Friday opens the Easter long weekend, when most shops close. Easter often overlaps with autumn school holidays, so it is one of the busiest travel times of the year. You get 4 free days in a row, 3 to 6 April, with no leave needed.
• Saturday 4 April: The day after Good Friday. Good Friday opens the Easter long weekend, when most shops close. Easter often overlaps with autumn school holidays, so it is one of the busiest travel times of the year. It falls on a Saturday, and Queensland's list has no weekday in lieu for it in 2026.
• Sunday 5 April: Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is a public holiday in some states and territories. Families gather for egg hunts and long lunches in the middle of the four day Easter weekend. It falls on a Sunday, and Queensland's list has no weekday in lieu for it in 2026.
• Monday 6 April: Easter Monday. Easter Monday closes the four day Easter weekend across Australia. Roads back from the coast and the bush are at their busiest in the afternoon. You get 4 free days in a row, 3 to 6 April, with no leave needed.
• Saturday 25 April: Anzac Day. Anzac Day on 25 April remembers Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in war. Dawn services and marches come first, followed by two up games in pubs in the afternoon. It falls on a Saturday, and Queensland's list has no weekday in lieu for it in 2026.
• Monday 4 May: Labour Day. Labour Day honours the labour movement and the eight hour day. Its date differs between states and territories, from March to October, and it always creates a long weekend. You get 3 free days in a row, 2 to 4 May, with no leave needed.
• Monday 5 October: King's Birthday. The King's Birthday gives a long weekend in June in most states, and later in the year in Queensland and Western Australia. In June it marks the start of the ski season. You get 3 free days in a row, 3 to 5 October, with no leave needed.
• Friday 25 December: Christmas Day. Christmas in Australia lands in summer: lunches outdoors, seafood and beach days. It opens the long summer school holidays, the peak season for coastal stays. You get 4 free days in a row, 25 to 28 December, with no leave needed.
• Saturday 26 December: Boxing Day. Boxing Day brings the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, the Boxing Day cricket test in Melbourne and post Christmas sales, in the middle of the summer holidays. It falls on a Saturday, so Queensland adds Boxing Day (additional) on Monday 28 December instead.
• Monday 28 December: Boxing Day (additional). An extra public holiday given when the holiday itself falls on a weekend. Workers get the weekday off instead, so the long weekend still happens. You get 4 free days in a row, 25 to 28 December, with no leave needed.

The maths: days of annual leave in, days off out

With 1 day of annual leave the longest run you can build is 4 days, 1 to 4 January. Three days stretch to 10 days off (25 December 2026 to 3 January 2027). Five days, a typical week, become 10 days off around Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Boxing Day (additional) and New Year's Day, 25 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.

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Ten days, the most this planner books in one go, give 17 days in a row, 25 December 2026 to 10 January 2027. For nine days or more away you need 3 days of annual leave.

Four weeks of annual leave is twenty working days. Two days at Easter and three over Christmas and New Year still leave three full weeks for a big trip.

School holidays 2026 in Queensland

The official school calendar of Queensland has these 4 breaks touching 2026. Families can line up their leave with them, and everyone else can see when flights and stays get busier.

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Easter/autumn holidays: 3 to 19 April. It overlaps the break 28 March to 6 April, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Winter holidays: 27 June to 12 July.

Spring holidays: 19 September to 5 October. It overlaps the break 3 to 11 October, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Summer holidays: 12 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. It overlaps the break 25 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Where to go on a long weekend from Queensland

From Queensland, the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef suit winter, the Gold Coast and Noosa are the classic summer escape, and the Sunshine Coast hinterland is lovely in autumn. Fraser Island, K'gari, makes an adventurous spring trip.

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Your strongest breaks this year fall in January, March and May, so pick the trip that suits that season, and book early: everyone else in Queensland has the same days off.

Where these dates come from

Every date on this page comes from the official source for Queensland: Queensland Government: Public holidays, read directly and compared day by day with an independent second source. A year appears once its official list is published, and we never fill a gap with another state or territory's dates.

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The planner treats weekends and full public holidays as free days and works out where your days of annual leave turn into the longest time off. Days kept in part of Queensland or as observances are shown but never counted. Last checked on 1 October 2026.