Maximise Annual Leave in South Australia

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

South Australia adds the Adelaide Cup in March and Proclamation Day on 24 December, the latter pairing with Christmas and Boxing Day for one of the country's strongest end-of-year runs.

Adelaide Cup (second Monday in March) and Proclamation Day (24 December) are additional public holidays. Below are every South Australia public holiday for 2026 and 2027, drawn from the Fair Work Ombudsman and the South Australia government, followed by the dates worth spending leave on.

South Australia public holidays, 2026 & 2027

Date	Public holiday	Type
Thu 1 Jan 2026	New Year's Day	National
Mon 26 Jan 2026	Australia Day	National
Mon 9 Mar 2026	Adelaide Cup	State/Territory
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 8 Jun 2026	King's Birthday	National
Mon 5 Oct 2026	Labour Day	State/Territory
Fri 25 Dec 2026	Christmas Day	National
Sat 26 Dec 2026	Proclamation Day	State/Territory
Mon 28 Dec 2026	Additional public holiday (Proclamation Day) (Proclamation Day falls on Saturday)	State/Territory
Fri 1 Jan 2027	New Year's Day	National
Tue 26 Jan 2027	Australia Day	National
Mon 8 Mar 2027	Adelaide Cup	State/Territory
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
Sun 25 Apr 2027	Anzac Day	National
Mon 14 Jun 2027	King's Birthday	National
Mon 4 Oct 2027	Labour Day	State/Territory
Sat 25 Dec 2027	Christmas Day	National
Sun 26 Dec 2027	Proclamation Day	State/Territory
Mon 27 Dec 2027	Additional public holiday (Christmas Day) (Christmas Day falls on Saturday)	State/Territory
Tue 28 Dec 2027	Additional public holiday (Proclamation Day) (Proclamation Day falls on Sunday)	State/Territory

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

How to maximise South Australia public holidays

If you are searching for how to maximise South Australia public holidays, begin with the dates that fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, then test the days either side of each holiday. For South Australia workers, Adelaide Cup, Proclamation Day, Labour Day, Easter, and Christmas-New Year are the state-specific dates most likely to change the best plan. The calculator then ranks those options against your leave balance rather than assuming every long weekend is equally valuable.

What makes South Australia different

South Australia adds an unusual time-of-day complication: Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are part-day public holidays from 7 pm to midnight. They matter for evening and shift workers, but they do not turn the preceding daytime hours into a full paid holiday. Adelaide Cup Day also provides a March long weekend. The bridge tables count only the dated holiday records in the optimiser and should be read alongside roster and award rules where a part-day holiday is involved.

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

South Australian 2027 term dates were checked against the Department for Education future-term table. School-holiday dates apply to government schools and can differ for non-government schools.

How to plan your South Australia 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 South Australia 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 · Tasmania · Australian Capital Territory · Northern Territory.

Start with the complete strategy guide.