Maximise Annual Leave in Northern Territory

Public holidays and long-weekend bridges for 2026–2027 · capital: Darwin

The Northern Territory replaces Labour Day with a May Day in early May and adds Picnic Day in August, with regional Show Days scattered through the middle of the year.

May Day (first Monday in May), Picnic Day (first Monday in August), and regional Show Days provide additional opportunities. Below are every Northern Territory public holiday for 2026 and 2027, drawn from the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Northern Territory government, followed by the dates worth spending leave on.

Northern Territory public holidays, 2026 & 2027

Date	Public holiday	Type
Thu 1 Jan 2026	New Year's Day	National
Mon 26 Jan 2026	Australia Day	National
Fri 3 Apr 2026	Good Friday	National
Sat 4 Apr 2026	Easter Saturday	State/Territory
Sun 5 Apr 2026	Easter Sunday	State/Territory
Mon 6 Apr 2026	Easter Monday	National
Sat 25 Apr 2026	Anzac Day	National
Mon 4 May 2026	May Day	State/Territory
Mon 8 Jun 2026	King's Birthday	National
Mon 3 Aug 2026	Picnic Day	State/Territory
Fri 25 Dec 2026	Christmas Day	National
Sat 26 Dec 2026	Boxing Day	National
Mon 28 Dec 2026	Additional public holiday (Boxing Day) (Boxing Day falls on Saturday)	State/Territory
Fri 1 Jan 2027	New Year's Day	National
Tue 26 Jan 2027	Australia Day	National
Fri 26 Mar 2027	Good Friday	National
Sat 27 Mar 2027	Easter Saturday	State/Territory
Sun 28 Mar 2027	Easter Sunday	State/Territory
Mon 29 Mar 2027	Easter Monday	National
Mon 26 Apr 2027	Anzac Day (Monday) (Observed Monday as 25 April is Sunday)	National
Mon 3 May 2027	May Day	State/Territory
Mon 14 Jun 2027	King's Birthday	National
Mon 2 Aug 2027	Picnic Day	State/Territory
Sat 25 Dec 2027	Christmas Day	National
Sun 26 Dec 2027	Boxing Day	National
Mon 27 Dec 2027	Additional public holiday (Christmas Day) (Christmas Day falls on Saturday)	State/Territory
Tue 28 Dec 2027	Additional public holiday (Boxing Day) (Boxing Day falls on Sunday)	State/Territory

Public-holiday dataset rechecked 20 July 2026 against the release source register. Regional holidays may vary within Northern Territory; confirm before booking.

How to maximise Northern Territory public holidays

If you are searching for how to maximise Northern Territory public holidays, begin with the dates that fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, then test the days either side of each holiday. For Northern Territory workers, May Day, Picnic Day, regional Show Days, Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas-New Year create the strongest leave-bridging opportunities. The calculator then ranks those options against your leave balance rather than assuming every long weekend is equally valuable.

What makes Northern Territory different

The Northern Territory calendar is shaped by May Day, Picnic Day, and regional show days. Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Borroloola can observe different show dates, so a single Territory-wide table cannot safely treat every show day as universal. The ranked tables use the holidays present in the verified jurisdiction dataset; workers outside Darwin should add the locally gazetted show holiday when checking a final plan with their employer.

The complete ranked leave bridges

These tables are generated from the same public-holiday data and bridge-finding rules used by the calculator. Every single, double, and triple bridge accepted by the optimiser is shown, ranked first by calendar days off per leave day, then by break length. Equal-looking rows can use different holiday anchors or leave dates.

2026 complete ranked bridge table

2027 complete ranked bridge table

A current official NT 2027 calendar was not independently confirmed in this release; check the school before relying on the toggle. School-holiday dates apply to government schools and can differ for non-government schools.

How to plan your Northern Territory leave

The four strategies in the calculator suit different goals. Maximum Days Off chases raw efficiency; Longest Break stacks leave into one big trip; Balanced Year spreads breaks across the seasons; and Long Weekends turns single leave days into frequent three- and four-day weekends. Parents can switch on the school-holidays option to line breaks up with Northern Territory school terms.

Related guides

By holiday: Easter · Christmas & New Year · King's Birthday · Anzac Day · Labour Day · Australia Day.

Other states: New South Wales · Victoria · Queensland · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital Territory.

Start with the complete strategy guide.