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These are the 12 NSW public holidays to add to your diary in 2026

If you're keen to make the most of your precious days off work, it pays to plan ahead

Winnie Stubbs
Written by
Winnie Stubbs
Travel and Hotels Editor, APAC
outdoor space in front of Watsons Bay Hotel on Sydney Harbour
Photograph: Supplied | Watsons Bay Hotel
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Despite the very holiday-coded weather, the holidays are well and truly over for most Sydney-based office dwellers. And if you’re already planning your getaways for the year ahead, you might want to get in quick with the long weekends before the best camping spots and sexiest hotel rooms get snapped up.

To help, we've broken down the public holidays in NSW in 2026 – so you can get booking and keep holiday mode alive. Want to maximise your time off? Here’s our guide to strategically booking your annual leave for some extra-long holidays.

2026 NSW Public Holidays

  • New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1, 2026

  • Invasion Day/ Australia Day: Monday, January 26, 2026

  • Good Friday: Friday, April 3, 2026

  • Easter Saturday: Saturday, April 4, 2026

  • Easter Sunday: Sunday, April 5, 2026

  • Easter Monday: Monday, April 6, 2026

  • Anzac Day: Saturday, April 25, 2026

  • King’s Birthday: Monday, June 8, 2026

  • Labour Day: Monday, October 5, 2026

  • Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2026

  • Boxing Day: Saturday, December 26, 2026

  • Boxing Day (additional observed day): Monday, December 28, 2026 (because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday)

In devastating news, NSW does not move a public holiday for Anzac Day when it falls on a weekend – so no Monday off in lieu since this year’s Anzac Day falls on a Saturday, just the delight of the public holiday surcharge. To counter that rip-off, an additional public holiday (on Monday, December 28) is included because Boxing Day falls on a weekend this year – most workers will likely observe this as the holiday in lieu.


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