NT Public Holidays 2024

Northern Territory / NT Public Holidays 2024

Holiday2024
New Year’s Day^^Monday 1 January
Australia Day HolidayFriday 26 January
Good FridayFriday 29 March
Easter SaturdaySaturday 30 March
Easter MondayMonday 1 April
ANZAC Day^Thursday 25 April
May DayMonday 6 May
King’s BirthdayMonday 10 June
Picnic DayMonday 5 August
Christmas Eve*Tuesday 24 December
Christmas Day^^Wednesday 25 December
Boxing Day^^Thursday 26 December
New Year’s Eve*Tuesday 31 December

NT public holidays notes

* Part day holiday from 7pm to midnight
^When ANZAC Day (25 April) falls on a Sunday – the following Monday will be the public holiday.
^^When Christmas Day (25 December), Boxing Day (26 December) or New Year’s Day (1 January) fall on weekends – those days and the following Mondays will be public holidays.

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Northern Territory / NT Regional Holidays 2024

Regional Holiday2024
Borroloola Show DayFriday 16 August
Alice Springs Show DayFriday 5 July
Tennant Creek Show DayFriday 12 July
Katherine Show DayFriday 19 July
Darwin Show DayFriday 26 July

To work out which Regional Holiday applies to your location, consult this map.

NT Government website

Northern Territory public and bank holidays are prescribed by the Public Holidays Act 2016.

NT public holidays are administered by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment (OCPE).

What to know about NT public holidays

There are thirteen Northern Territory public holidays observed each year. This includes a range of eleven official national public holidays, along with two that are unique to the Northern Territory.

Unique NT public holidays

  • May Day
  • Picnic Day

NT Picnic Day public holiday

Picnic Day is a public holiday that is unique to the Northern Territory.  Picnic Day events were first held in the Northern Territory in the late 1800s.

The famous Harts Range Races, located near Alice Springs, are held each Picnic Day long weekend.

Picnic Day is held on the first Monday of August each year.

NT May Day public holiday

May Day is a public holiday, also unique to the Northern Territory. In other states and territories, May Day is known as Labour Day.

May Day celebrates the achievements of the Labour Movement in obtaining improved economic and social conditions for the workforce in the 19th century; namely a maximum eight-hour working day.

Every May Day a march is held in Darwin CBD. It has recently evolved into an opportunity to protest work issues, at both territory and federal levels. A family picnic is also held on the Esplanade at Bicentennial Park.

May Day is held on the first Monday of May each year.

May Day also conveniently marks the beginning of the Northern Territory dry season, running from May to October.

Northern Territory regional public holiday dates 

A number of NT regional public holiday dates are observed each year. These are for local show holidays in certain areas.

The regional holidays are:

  • Borroloola Show Day
  • Alice Springs Show Day
  • Tennant Creek Show Day
  • Katherine Show Day
  • Darwin Show Day

The separate regions include Borroloola, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, and Darwin. You can check which regional public holiday applies to your geographical area by heading to the map of show day regions on the nt.gov.au website.

The timing of NT public holidays

Picnic Day and May Day do not fall within NT school holidays. However, these holidays are observed on a Monday. This means they conveniently provide for long weekends in the middle of school terms.

Where national holidays fall on a weekend, many have an additional day provided for on the following Monday.

Visiting the NT during a public holiday

It’s important to carefully plan your visit to the Northern Territory during a public holiday.

Where peak visitor seasons and public holidays come together, visitors may experience disproportionately expensive accommodation due to very limited supply. Restaurants and pubs are also extremely busy. Booking well in advance is advised.

The Northern Territory dry season (May to October) is especially popular, and many NT public holidays are observed during this period. Many visitors choose to avoid the wet season of November to April.

NT school holiday and term dates

If you’re looking for school holidays and school term dates for the Northern Territory, you can view them here.

Why are Mother’s Day and Father’s Day not listed as public holidays in the Northern Territory?

Both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are Observances rather than public holidays for Northern Territorians. Unfortunately, NT does not receive a legislated holiday or day off in lieu.

Important: Whilst all care is taken to ensure the data presented here is accurate, content published on this page is subject to change at any time without notice and may be inaccurate at the time you view it. The Champagne Mile will not be held accountable for informational and technical inaccuracies or errors. Site users are encouraged to cross-reference the information presented on this site with official Australian and state/territory government source websites.

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