Easter Monday 2027

Easter Monday is a statutory public holiday in all eight states and territories and the last day of the Easter long weekend that begins on Good Friday. It always falls on the Monday after Easter Sunday, so its date moves each year between late March and late April. In 2027 it falls on Monday 29 March, and in 2028 on Monday 17 April.

Shops, schools and work

Easter Monday is a day off for most employees under the National Employment Standards. Banks, government offices and schools are closed, and many post offices do not open. Hospitals, emergency services, hospitality venues and many shops are staffed, and award employees who work the day are generally entitled to public holiday rates. Public transport typically runs to a Sunday or public holiday timetable. Roads into capital cities are often busy in the afternoon as people return home. The working days calculator and long weekends calculator show how Easter affects a given month in each state.

History

In the Western Christian calendar, Easter Monday is the second day of the Easter Octave, the eight days beginning on Easter Sunday. It has no fixed date of its own. It follows Easter Sunday, which Western churches set as the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon falling on or after 21 March. Easter Monday can therefore fall on any date from 23 March to 26 April.

Britain made Easter Monday a bank holiday under the Bank Holidays Act 1871, and the Australian colonies also kept it as a holiday. Each state and territory now names Easter Monday in its own legislation, such as the Public Holidays Act 2010 in NSW and the Holidays Act 1983 in Queensland. The Fair Work Act 2009 lists Easter Monday among the public holidays covered by the National Employment Standards.

How Australians spend the day

For many households Easter Monday is a travel day, with people driving home from coastal towns, caravan parks and camping grounds before work resumes on Tuesday. Some churches hold services, although the main religious observances fall on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Several sporting events are tied to the day. The Stawell Gift, a professional footrace first run in 1878, holds its finals in Stawell, Victoria, traditionally on Easter Monday. In South Australia the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival in the Adelaide Hills runs over the long weekend. When its dates include Easter, the Sydney Royal Easter Show at Sydney Olympic Park is open on the Monday. In some years Easter falls within the autumn school holidays, which lengthens the travel period.

Facts

• Easter Monday is one of only five public holidays that fall on the same date in every state and territory, alongside New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Because it always falls on a Monday, Easter Monday is never moved by weekend rules.
• Tasmanian state public servants also receive Easter Tuesday, but it is not a general public holiday for other Tasmanian workers.
• Tasmania made Easter Sunday a statutory holiday from 2027, although Easter Saturday remains an ordinary day there. Western Australia adds Easter Saturday as a public holiday from 2028.