Long weekends 2028 in Queensland

Public holidays 2028 in Queensland and what each one gives you

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

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

• Saturday 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. It falls on a Saturday, so Queensland adds New Year's Day (additional) on Monday 3 January instead.
• Monday 3 January: New Year's 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 3 free days in a row, 1 to 3 January, with no leave needed.
• Wednesday 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. Take Monday 24 January and Tuesday 25 January off and you have 5 days in a row, 22 to 26 January.
• Friday 14 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, 14 to 17 April, with no leave needed.
• Saturday 15 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 2028.
• Sunday 16 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 2028.
• Monday 17 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, 14 to 17 April, with no leave needed.
• Tuesday 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. Take Monday 24 April off and you have 4 days in a row, 22 to 25 April.
• Monday 1 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, 29 April to 1 May, with no leave needed.
• Monday 2 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, 30 September to 2 October, with no leave needed.
• Monday 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, 23 to 26 December, with no leave needed.
• Tuesday 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. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 23 to 26 December.

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, 22 to 25 April. Three days stretch to 9 days off (23 to 31 December). Five days, a typical week, become 12 days off around Good Friday, The day after Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Anzac Day, 14 to 25 April.

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Ten days, the most this planner books in one go, give 18 days in a row, 14 April to 1 May. 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 2028 in Queensland

The official school calendar of Queensland has these 5 breaks touching 2028. Families can line up their leave with them, and everyone else can see when flights and stays get busier.

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Summer holidays: 11 December 2027 to 23 January 2028. It overlaps the break 25 December 2027 to 3 January 2028, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Easter/autumn holidays: 1 to 17 April. It overlaps the break 8 to 17 April, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Winter holidays: 24 June to 9 July.

Spring holidays: 16 September to 2 October. It overlaps the break 30 September to 8 October, so a few days of leave cover the whole break.

Summer holidays: 9 December 2028 to 21 January 2029. It overlaps the break 23 to 31 December, 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 December, January and April, 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.