MELB NOTE

Victorian Public Holidays 2026 and 2027: Dates for Melbourne, Including Cup Day and Christmas

Melbourne Notes By MELB_NOTE The short answer The next Victorian public holiday is Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday 3 November 2026. After that, the 2026 holidays still to come are Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December and an additional Boxing Day holiday on Monday 28 December. In 2027 the…

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The domed, cream and red-brick front of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, with tall towers behind it, cars and traffic bollards in the foreground and people crossing the street on the right.

Melbourne Notes

By MELB_NOTE

The short answer

The next Victorian public holiday is Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday 3 November 2026. After that, the 2026 holidays still to come are Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December and an additional Boxing Day holiday on Monday 28 December. In 2027 the list starts with New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January and ends with substitute holidays on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.

This guide lists the Victorian public holidays for 2026 and 2027 as two Business Victoria pages show them: Victorian public holidays 2026 and Victorian public holidays 2027. We read both pages on 29 October 2026 (Melbourne time) and used no other source. Neither page shows a last-updated date, so check them for changes.

30-second summary

  • Next: Melbourne Cup Day, Tuesday 3 November 2026.
  • Still to come in 2026: Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December.
  • 2027 starts on Friday 1 January. Labour Day is Monday 8 March and Melbourne Cup Day is Tuesday 2 November.
  • ANZAC Day 2027 falls on a Sunday and is observed on the day, with no replacement holiday.
  • The Friday before the AFL Grand Final has no date on the pages.

The next Victorian public holiday is Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday 3 November 2026

Business Victoria lists Melbourne Cup as Tuesday 3 November 2026 and describes it as a public holiday across all of Victoria. The page adds one exception: a non-metropolitan council may have arranged an alternate local holiday instead. For the race day itself and getting to the track, see our Melbourne Cup Day 2026: Date, Public Holiday and How to Get to Flemington guide.

The photo shows Flemington Racecourse with the Melbourne skyline behind it. It is a general view of the track, not a photo from a public holiday.

A view across a racecourse at dusk, with green and brown turf and tracks in the foreground, a street light on the left and the Melbourne city skyline in the hazy distance.
Flemington Racecourse with Melbourne in the background, dated 17 November 2007 on the Commons file page. Photo: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Christmas and Boxing Day 2026 give Victoria public holidays on 25, 26 and 28 December

The 2026 page lists Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and marks it as a restricted trading day. Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December. The page says: “As Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, an additional public holiday is given on the following Monday.” That makes Monday 28 December the Boxing Day substitute.

So the December 2026 run of public holidays is Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Monday 28.

A calendar for December 2026 with Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December highlighted. Notes beside it say Friday 25 December is Christmas Day, a restricted trading day; Saturday 26 December is Boxing Day, which falls on a Saturday; and Monday 28 December is the Boxing Day substitute, an additional holiday on the following Monday.
Illustration by MELB NOTE. Data: Business Victoria public holiday pages, read 29 October 2026.

The full 2026 list

Here is every date on the 2026 page. The passed and upcoming marks are our own (derived) reading of the dates against 29 October 2026, not something the page states.

  • Passed: New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Labour Day, the Easter weekend, ANZAC Day and King’s Birthday.
  • Upcoming: Melbourne Cup Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the substitute Monday 28 December.
  • No date given: the Friday before the AFL Grand Final.

The page labels Good Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day as restricted trading days. ANZAC Day 2026 is on a Saturday, and the page says there is no replacement holiday when ANZAC Day falls on a weekend.

A table of the 2026 Victorian public holidays with date, weekday, holiday and note. New Year's Day Thursday 1 January, Australia Day Monday 26 January, Labour Day Monday 9 March, Good Friday Friday 3 April, the Saturday before Easter Sunday on 4 April, Easter Sunday 5 April, Easter Monday 6 April, ANZAC Day Saturday 25 April and King's Birthday Monday 8 June are greyed as passed. The Friday before the AFL Grand Final has no date. Melbourne Cup Day Tuesday 3 November, Christmas Day Friday 25 December, Boxing Day Saturday 26 December and the Boxing Day substitute Monday 28 December are marked upcoming.
Illustration by MELB NOTE. Data: Business Victoria public holiday pages, read 29 October 2026.

The 2027 list starts on Friday 1 January and ends with substitute days on 27 and 28 December

The 2027 page starts with New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January and Australia Day on Tuesday 26 January. Labour Day is Monday 8 March. Easter runs from Good Friday on Friday 26 March, a restricted trading day, through Saturday 27 March and Easter Sunday on 28 March to Easter Monday on 29 March.

ANZAC Day 2027 is on Sunday 25 April. The page says it is observed on the day, with no replacement holiday, and labels it a restricted trading day. King’s Birthday is Monday 14 June, and Melbourne Cup Day is Tuesday 2 November, again statewide unless a non-metropolitan council has arranged an alternative local holiday.

At the end of the year, Christmas Day is Saturday 25 December (a restricted trading day) with a substitute holiday on Monday 27 December. Boxing Day is Sunday 26 December with a substitute holiday on Tuesday 28 December. So the Christmas 2027 run is Saturday 25, Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.

A table of the 2027 Victorian public holidays with date, weekday, holiday and note. New Year's Day Friday 1 January, Australia Day Tuesday 26 January, Labour Day Monday 8 March, Good Friday Friday 26 March, the Saturday before Easter Sunday on 27 March, Easter Sunday 28 March, Easter Monday 29 March, ANZAC Day Sunday 25 April, King's Birthday Monday 14 June, the Friday before the AFL Grand Final not yet set, Melbourne Cup Day Tuesday 2 November, Christmas Day Saturday 25 December, Boxing Day Sunday 26 December, and substitute holidays Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.
Illustration by MELB NOTE. Data: Business Victoria public holiday pages, read 29 October 2026.

Two things the pages leave open: the AFL Grand Final Friday and local Cup Day holidays

The Friday before the AFL Grand Final is on both lists, but without a date. The 2026 page says the date is subject to the AFL schedule and will be updated with the exact date when the 2026 AFL schedule is released. It says this is typically the last Friday in September. The 2027 page says the date is not yet set and depends on the 2027 AFL schedule, again typically the last Friday in September. We do not state a date for either year because the pages we read did not give one.

The other open point is Cup Day. Both pages describe it as statewide, with the exception of any local alternative arranged by a non-metropolitan council. If you are outside Melbourne, check with your local council.

School term dates are a separate thing. See Victorian School Term Dates 2026 and 2027: When Term 4 Ends and Summer Holidays Start for those.

Looking up at the concrete and glass exterior of a large stadium, with steel roof trusses against a blue sky with a few clouds and two banners hanging near the windows.
Melbourne Cricket Ground exterior, photographed 30 September 2017 according to the Commons file page. Photo: Joanna Holman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Questions people ask

Is Melbourne Cup Day a public holiday in Victoria?

Yes. Business Victoria describes it as a public holiday across all of Victoria, unless a non-metropolitan council has arranged an alternate local holiday. It is Tuesday 3 November in 2026 and Tuesday 2 November in 2027.

Is there a public holiday on 28 December 2026?

Yes. Boxing Day falls on Saturday 26 December 2026, and the page says an additional public holiday is given on the following Monday, 28 December.

When is Labour Day in 2027?

Monday 8 March 2027. In 2026 it is Monday 9 March.

Is Anzac Day a public holiday in 2027?

Yes, it is on the 2027 list. It falls on Sunday 25 April and the page says it is observed on the day, with no replacement holiday.

What is a restricted trading day?

It is a label on the Business Victoria pages. They use it for Good Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day. We do not go beyond that label here. Check Business Victoria for what it means for your business.

Sources and scope

We read the text of these two pages on 29 October 2026 (Melbourne time) and used no other source. Neither page shows a last-updated date.

Photo credits:

  • Cover: Gracchus250, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, dated 15 March 2021 on the Commons page. Not a photo of a public holiday.
  • Flemington Racecourse: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Dated 17 November 2007 on the Commons page.
  • Melbourne Cricket Ground: Joanna Holman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Dated 30 September 2017 on the Commons page.
  • Diagrams: drawn by MELB NOTE from the sources above.

Scope: This is what the two pages show on 29 October 2026. Dates can change, so check Business Victoria for the current lists. This is general information, not employment advice.

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