NT Public Holidays 2026: Full Calendar, Dates and How Darwin and Alice Springs Celebrate

The Northern Territory has a public holiday found nowhere else in Australia – Picnic Day – plus five rotating regional Show Days that roll through July and August, so almost everyone in the NT gets a Show Day off, just on a different date depending on where they live. This guide covers every NT public holiday for 2026, exactly how Darwin and Alice Springs mark the big ones (with real locations), and the NT-only quirks that regularly confuse newcomers.

Full 2026 Northern Territory public holiday calendar

This is the complete list of the NT’s gazetted public holidays for 2026, sourced from the Public Holidays Act 1981 (NT) via the NT Government’s official public holidays page, including all five regional Show Days.

Australia Day in the NT: 26 January

Darwin’s main Australia Day events are held along the waterfront, with citizenship ceremonies and family activities. For the full national history and debate around the date, see our Australia Day guide.

Easter in the NT: 3-6 April

The NT observes all four Easter public holidays – Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday – the same as NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. For the full history of Easter in Australia, see our Easter in Australia guide.

Anzac Day in the NT: 25 April

Darwin’s Dawn Service is held at the Cenotaph on the Esplanade, starting at 5.55am, with large crowds advised to arrive from around 5.30am. A Commemorative March follows at 9am on Knuckey Street, featuring veterans, current service personnel and families. Anzac Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, and the NT does not declare a substitute public holiday – the same approach as Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. For the full national history of Anzac Day, see our Anzac Day guide.

May Day: 4 May

The NT is the only Australian jurisdiction to gazette its Labour Day equivalent under the name “May Day,” observed on the first Monday in May – 4 May 2026. The name directly references the international May Day / International Workers’ Day tradition, which traces back to the campaign for an eight-hour working day and the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago, rather than a home-grown colonial eight-hour-day story like most other states’ Labour Day holidays.

King's Birthday in the NT: 8 June

The NT marks King’s Birthday on the second Monday in June – 8 June 2026 – the same date as NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.

The five regional Show Days: 3 July to 14 August

Five separate Show Day public holidays roll through the NT each July and mid-August, each applying only within its own region.

The Royal Darwin Show is held at the Darwin Showgrounds in Winnellie, about 12km from the city centre, set on 22 hectares of landscaped tropical grounds. Check the NT Government’s show day regions map to confirm exactly which Show Day applies to your address, since region boundaries don’t always match council or suburb names.

Picnic Day: 3 August

Picnic Day is unique to the NT, observed on the first Monday in August – 3 August 2026. Its origins trace back to the late 1800s, when railway workers on the North Australia Railway would organise an annual picnic at Adelaide River, a rare day off from harsh working conditions to unwind with food, drinks and games. The custom was formally recognised as a public holiday in 1936. Some historical accounts also link the day’s name to the release of Chinese “coolie” workers from their labour bonds in 1889, after which many chose to gather at Adelaide River for a celebratory picnic – this origin story is hedged rather than settled fact, since multiple accounts circulate.

Picnic Day is still marked today with community picnics, horse racing at Hart’s Range, and an annual railway-themed picnic gathering at Adelaide River, about 110km south of Darwin.

Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year in the NT

Christmas Eve (24 December) is a part-day public holiday in the NT, applying only from 7pm to midnight – the same part-day approach South Australia uses. Christmas Day (Friday 25 December) and Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December) are full public holidays. Because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, the NT declares an Additional Day on Monday 28 December, so the long weekend still lands on a working day. New Year’s Eve (31 December) is also a part-day public holiday from 7pm to midnight, giving Territorians a paid window to head to the fireworks at Darwin’s waterfront or Mindil Beach without it counting as a full day off work.

What's open on NT public holidays, and penalty rates

Major supermarkets in Darwin and Palmerston typically trade with reduced hours on most public holidays, though Christmas Day and Good Friday see the widest closures across the NT, including Alice Springs and Katherine. Regional Show Days generally close government offices and banks only within the affected region – businesses outside that region trade as normal. Employees who work on a public holiday are generally entitled to penalty rates or a substitute day off under the relevant award or enterprise agreement – check the Fair Work Ombudsman or your specific award for exact entitlements, since rates vary by industry and employment type.

Related guides

• Australian Public Holidays 2026: Full Calendar by State
• NSW Public Holidays 2026
• Victoria Public Holidays 2026
• Queensland Public Holidays 2026
• WA Public Holidays 2026
• South Australia Public Holidays 2026
• Tasmania Public Holidays 2026
• ACT Public Holidays 2026
• Australia Day in Australia
• Anzac Day in Australia
• Easter in Australia