Show Day 2026
No date is listed for Show Day in the years this calendar covers.
- Date rule
- Set by proclamation: first Monday of the September/October school holidays (from 2028)
- Public holiday in
- NSWVICQLDWASATASACTNT WA only
- Next years
- 2028: Monday 25 September · 2029: Monday 24 September
Under Fair Work rules, an employee's public holidays follow the state or territory where they are based for work, not the place where they happen to work on the day.
Show Day is a public holiday in Western Australia from 2028, created by the Public and Bank Holiday Amendment Act 2026. It applies across the whole state. Each year the date is set by proclamation for the first Monday of the September/October school holidays. In 2028 it is expected to fall on Monday 25 September, and that date remains an estimate until the proclamation is made.
Shops, schools and work
Banks and government offices are closed throughout Western Australia on Show Day. Government schools are already on their term break. Retail trading hours on WA public holidays vary by shop type and location, while hospitality venues and attractions typically open. Transperth usually runs its Sunday and public holiday timetable. In all other states and territories it is an ordinary working day. The working days calculator, long weekends calculator and school terms page show how the holiday sits against WA term dates.
History
Western Australia sets its public holidays under the Public and Bank Holidays Act 1972. Up to and including 2027, the state marks King's Birthday (formerly Queen's Birthday) on a Monday, usually in late September, rather than the June date used in most other states. The Public and Bank Holiday Amendment Act 2026 reorganises the state's holiday calendar from 2028.
Under the amendment, King's Birthday moves to the second Monday in June and WA Day to the second Monday in November. Labour Day becomes the second Monday in March, or the third Monday in State election years, and Easter Saturday becomes a public holiday. Show Day keeps a holiday in the September/October period. It is tied to the school holidays rather than to a fixed Monday, and its date is confirmed by proclamation for each year.
How Australians spend the day
The name refers to the Perth Royal Show, the state's main agricultural show, run by the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia at the Claremont Showground. The show usually runs for about a week in late September and early October, overlapping the start of the school holidays. Its programme typically includes livestock and produce judging, equestrian events, carnival rides and showbags. Because Show Day falls on the first Monday of the holidays, it creates a long weekend at the start of the term break, and the show is open over that period.
Facts
- Show Day is created by the Public and Bank Holiday Amendment Act 2026, which amends Western Australia's Public and Bank Holidays Act 1972 and takes effect in 2028.
- The date is not fixed to a particular Monday of a month. It is set by proclamation each year as the first Monday of the September/October school holidays.
- It is a Western Australian holiday only. No other state or territory observes it, and Queensland's Ekka holiday is a separate show holiday for the Brisbane area.
- The same Act moves WA's King's Birthday from late September to the second Monday in June, in line with most other states.
Questions about Show Day
Is Show Day a public holiday in Western Australia?
Yes. From 2028 it is a public holiday across Western Australia. Employees covered by the National Employment Standards are entitled to the day off, although an employer can make a reasonable request for them to work.
When is Show Day in 2028?
Show Day is expected to fall on Monday 25 September 2028, the first Monday of the WA September/October school holidays. The date is an estimate until the WA Government confirms it by proclamation.
Does Show Day replace King's Birthday in WA?
No. King's Birthday remains a public holiday but moves to the second Monday in June from 2028. Show Day is a separate holiday that keeps a long weekend in the September/October period.
Is there a Show Day public holiday in WA before 2028?
No. Up to and including 2027, Western Australia has no Show Day public holiday, and the late September holiday is King's Birthday. Show Day applies from 2028 under the amended Act.