Royal Queensland Show 2027

The Royal Queensland Show holiday, widely called Ekka Wednesday, is a regional public holiday for the Brisbane area only. The rest of Queensland works as usual. The day falls on the Wednesday of the Royal Queensland Show, which opens on the first Friday in August, or on the second Friday if the first falls before 5 August. In 2027 the holiday falls on Wednesday 11 August.

Shops, schools and work

Within the Brisbane area the Ekka holiday is treated as a public holiday: state government offices and most businesses that close on public holidays are typically shut, and state schools in the area do not hold classes. Many shops stay open, often with public holiday hours. Outside Brisbane it is an ordinary working day, and banks and offices open as usual. Because the holiday falls on a Wednesday, it does not create a long weekend. For planning, the working days calculator counts working days by state, and the regional public holidays page shows which Queensland districts have a local show day.

History

The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA) was formed in 1875 and held its first exhibition in Brisbane in 1876. The show settled at the Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills, where it is still held. Its nickname, the Ekka, is a shortened form of "Exhibition", the word Brisbane residents long used for the event. Over time it became Queensland's largest annual event, combining livestock judging and agricultural competitions with rides, food and entertainment.

The show has not run every year. It was cancelled during the Second World War, when the showgrounds were used for military purposes, and again in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Queensland marks local agricultural shows with show holidays declared district by district, and the Brisbane holiday follows the Ekka. It is set on the show's Wednesday, traditionally known as People's Day, so that workers and families in the city can attend.

How Australians spend the day

The Ekka runs for about ten days in August at the Brisbane Showgrounds, with the Wednesday holiday falling near the middle. Crowds on the public holiday are typically among the largest of the show. Regular features include cattle, horse and other livestock judging, woodchopping, wine and produce competitions, sideshow alley rides and evening fireworks. Showbags and the Ekka strawberry sundae, made with Queensland strawberries, are long-standing traditions. Many Brisbane schools and workplaces treat the day as a mid-week break, and public transport to the showgrounds usually adds extra services during the show.

Facts

• The holiday applies to the Brisbane area only. Other Queensland districts observe their own show holiday on a date linked to their local agricultural show.
• The date rule depends on the show's opening Friday: the first Friday in August, or the second Friday if the first falls before 5 August.
• "Ekka" is short for "Exhibition", and the show is organised by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA).
• In 2028 the holiday falls on Wednesday 16 August, because the first Friday of that August is 4 August, before the cut-off date.