Maximise Annual Leave in Queensland
Queensland spaces its extras across the year — a May Labour Day, the Brisbane Ekka holiday in August, and a late-October King's Birthday — giving Brisbane workers several mid-year long-weekend options.
Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) is observed in the Brisbane area, usually in August. Labour Day is the first Monday in May; King's Birthday is in late October. Below are every Queensland public holiday for 2026 and 2027, drawn from the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Queensland government, followed by the dates worth spending leave on.
Queensland 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 | Labour Day | State/Territory |
| Wed 12 Aug 2026 | Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only) | State/Territory |
| Mon 5 Oct 2026 | King's Birthday | 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 | Labour Day | State/Territory |
| Wed 11 Aug 2027 | Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only) | State/Territory |
| Mon 4 Oct 2027 | King's Birthday | 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 |
Dates verified Sun 28 Jun 2026 against official sources. Regional holidays may vary within Queensland; confirm before booking.
The best leave bridges in Queensland
These are the 2026 public holidays that fall mid-week, where a day or two of leave buys a disproportionate number of days off:
- New Year's Day (Thu 1 Jan 2026) falls on a Thursday — book the Friday (1 leave day) for a four-day weekend.
- Royal Queensland Show (Wed 12 Aug 2026) falls on a Wednesday — book Mon–Tue or Thu–Fri (2 leave days) for a five-day break, or all four surrounding days (4 leave days) for nine days off.
How to plan your Queensland 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 Queensland 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 · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital Territory · Northern Territory.
Start with the complete strategy guide.