ACT Public Holidays 2027: Canberra Planning Guide

Start with the ACT calendar, even if NSW is nearby

Canberra’s border makes it easy to mix up ACT and NSW dates. Build your diary from the ACT list when planning ACT workplace arrangements, then compare the NSW calendar for anyone whose workplace uses NSW dates. Living in Queanbeyan does not by itself resolve which calendar applies to a work arrangement.

Canberra Day and Reconciliation Day are the clearest differences to check. If a household has workplaces on both sides of the border, mark shared days off only after comparing both calendars. The complete ACT 2027 dates are the starting point for the ACT side of that comparison.

March brings Canberra Day and an early Easter

Canberra Day is Monday 8 March 2027. It creates a three-day weekend from Saturday 6 March for a standard weekend roster. Easter follows later in the same month: Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday is 29 March. A family or business planning March schedules should therefore consider two separate breaks.

Do not infer an event programme from a holiday date. Festival sessions, museum opening hours and transport timetables are published separately and can change. Use the public holiday calendar to choose the possible day, then check the event or service itself for current arrangements.

Reconciliation Day and the King’s Birthday are close together

Reconciliation Day is Monday 31 May and the King’s Birthday is Monday 14 June 2027. Each creates a three-day weekend for a standard Saturday–Sunday roster, with a normal working week and another weekend between them. They are distinct holidays and should stay separate in the calendar.

Reconciliation Day is also a time to engage with the ACT’s official community activities and First Nations perspectives. The date is useful for leave planning, but the holiday’s meaning should not be reduced to a travel opportunity. Our Canberra Day and Reconciliation Day guide explains the distinction.

Check ANZAC Day and the Christmas weekday entries

The ACT 2027 dataset includes ANZAC Day on Sunday 25 April and an additional holiday on Monday 26 April. For a standard weekend roster, that produces a three-day break from Saturday 24 April. Always use the year-specific ACT list; other jurisdictions may treat weekend ANZAC Day differently.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 December, with additional holidays on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. If taking the rest of that week as leave, distinguish those public holidays from Wednesday to Friday leave days and any separate workplace shutdown requirements.

The August Bank Holiday does not belong in everyone’s total

The ACT Bank Holiday is Monday 2 August 2027. It is not a general public holiday for everyone and depends on the relevant employment agreement or award. The ACT Bank Holiday page explains why it appears separately from the general calendar.

A spreadsheet that counts every calendar entry as a general day off will overstate the result. If the bank holiday does not apply to your arrangement, leave it out of a general long-weekend calculation. If it does apply, keep the specific reason visible so the plan can be checked later.

Make the calendar useful for work and family schedules

Add school dates, leave approvals and important appointments as separate layers. School term breaks are not the same as public holidays, and different schools may have their own student-free days. For a shared family trip, compare the exact school and both adults’ work arrangements before choosing a break.

Use our ACT long-weekend examples to narrow your options. For later years, keep the status label visible: 2027 entries in the shared dataset are officially confirmed, while projected future entries are labelled separately on the year pages.

Common questions