Long weekends 2026 in Victoria

Every public holiday in Victoria 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. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 24 to 26 January.
• Monday 9 March: 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. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 7 to 9 March.
• 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. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 3 to 6 April.
• Saturday 4 April: Saturday before Easter Sunday. Easter Saturday, the day after Good Friday, is a public holiday in several states and territories. Most shops open with reduced hours as families start the long Easter weekend. It falls on a Saturday, and Victoria'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 Victoria'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. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 3 to 6 April.
• 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 Victoria's list has no weekday in lieu for it in 2026.
• Monday 8 June: 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. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 6 to 8 June.
• Friday 25 September: Friday before the AFL Grand Final. Victoria's Friday before the AFL Grand Final opens a long weekend of football fever, with the Grand Final parade through Melbourne. Many locals use it for a spring trip. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 25 to 27 September.
• Tuesday 3 November: Melbourne Cup. Melbourne Cup Day is the race that stops a nation, held on the first Tuesday of November. Melbourne takes the day off; many people also take the Monday for a four day weekend. Take Monday 2 November off and you have 4 days in a row, 31 October to 3 November.
• 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. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 25 to 28 December.
• 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 Victoria 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. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 25 to 28 December.

What 1 to 10 days of annual leave get you

With 1 day of annual leave the longest run you can build is 4 days, 1 to 4 January. Three days stretch to 6 days off (3 to 8 November). Five days, a typical week, become 10 days off around Good Friday, Saturday before Easter Sunday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, 28 March to 6 April.

Ten days, the most this planner books in one go, give 17 days in a row, 21 March to 6 April. For nine days or more away you need 4 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 Victoria

The official school calendar of Victoria 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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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 4 October. It overlaps the break 19 to 27 September, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Summer holidays: 19 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. It overlaps the break 19 to 28 December, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Getaways for your 2026 breaks

Victorians head to the Great Ocean Road in summer and autumn, the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula for wine weekends, and Mount Buller or Falls Creek in winter. The Grampians suit spring wildflowers and hikes.

iPhoto: JamesAviation · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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

Where these dates come from

Every date on this page comes from the official source for Victoria: Business Victoria: Victorian public holidays 2026, 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.

iPhoto: SeanMack · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

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 Victoria or as observances are shown but never counted. Last checked on 1 October 2026.