Recreation Day 2027

Recreation Day is a regional public holiday in Tasmania, held on the first Monday in November. It applies in the parts of the state that do not observe Royal Hobart Regatta, mainly the north and north-west, including Launceston, Devonport and Burnie. In those areas it is a statutory day off. Hobart and the rest of southern Tasmania work as normal. In 2027 it falls on Monday 1 November.

Shops, schools and work

In the areas that observe Recreation Day, it is a public holiday and most employees have the day off. Government offices, schools and bank branches typically close, as do many other businesses. Supermarkets, cafes, petrol stations and hospitality venues usually open, sometimes with reduced hours. Employees who work on the day may be entitled to public holiday rates under their award or agreement. In southern Tasmania it is an ordinary working day. The working days calculator for Tasmania and the long weekends calculator take the holiday into account.

History

Tasmania splits this holiday by area rather than setting one statewide date. Royal Hobart Regatta, held on the second Monday in February, applies in southern Tasmania. Recreation Day, on the first Monday in November, applies everywhere else. Each part of the state therefore has a comparable day off, at a different time of year.

Both days are set under the Statutory Holidays Act 2000, Tasmania's law on public holidays. The Act defines Recreation Day by reference to the Regatta: it covers the areas that do not observe Royal Hobart Regatta. Unlike Regatta Day or the show holidays, Recreation Day is not linked to a particular event, and the name simply describes a general day of rest.

How Australians spend the day

Recreation Day has no ceremonies or set customs. In the north and north-west it is treated as an ordinary long weekend early in the warmer months, often used for short trips, bushwalking or jobs around the house and garden. Melbourne Cup Day is not a public holiday in Tasmania, so the Cup is a normal working day across the state. In the south, Recreation Day is a normal working Monday, and residents there have their regional day off at Royal Hobart Regatta in February.

Facts

• Recreation Day always falls on the first Monday in November, so it can be any date from 1 to 7 November.
• The holiday covers all parts of Tasmania that do not observe Royal Hobart Regatta, which is held on the second Monday in February in the south.
• The day is set under Tasmania's Statutory Holidays Act 2000, and the Fair Work Act 2009 entitles employees in the covered areas to be absent from work on it.
• Melbourne Cup Day is the first Tuesday in November, so Recreation Day usually falls on the day before the Cup. When November begins on a Tuesday, the Cup comes six days earlier.