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Northern Territory Public Holidays 2026

Public Holidays

9 Jan 2026 (Last updated 9 Jan 2026)

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Looking forward to the next public holiday

Many employees flick through the calendar to find the dates of public holidays so they can request annual leave for some extra time off or to have an even longer, long weekend.

When it comes to public holidays, Northern Territorians get to enjoy 12 state wide days, two part-day holidays, and various regional public holidays. As an employer or business owner, there are certain obligations you must meet in relation to public holidays. These will depend on your business type and industry.

If you’re unsure of your public holiday obligations or employee wage rates, call and speak to a specialist adviser at Peninsula.

List of state wide public holidays in the Northern Territory for 2026

Holiday Date in 2026
New Year's Day Thursday 1 January
Australia Day Monday 26 January
Good Friday Friday 3 April
Easter Saturday Saturday 4 April
Easter Sunday Sunday 5 April
Easter Monday Monday 6 April
ANZAC Day Saturday 25 April
May Day Monday 4 May
King’s Birthday Monday 8 June
Picnic Day Monday 3 August
Christmas Eve* Thursday 24 December
Christmas Day Friday 25 December
Boxing Day Saturday 26 December. As Boxing Day is a Saturday, Monday 28 December becomes an additional public holiday
New Year’s Eve* Wednesday 31 December

*In the Northern Territory, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are part-day public holidays (7 pm - midnight).

List of regional public holidays in the Northern Territory for 2025

Holiday Date in 2026
Alice Springs Show Day Friday 3 July
Tennant Creek Show Da Friday 10 July
Katherine Show Day Friday 17 July
Darwin Show Day Friday 24 July
Borroloola Show Day Friday 14 August

Employee entitlements on public holidays in the NT

All employees are entitled to public holidays under the National Employment Standards (NES). Full-time and part-time employees absent from work because of a public holiday must receive their base rate of pay for the hours they would have worked had it not been a public holiday.

Employees are not owed incentive-based payments, bonuses, overtime, penalty rates, loadings or monetary allowances. Employees are only entitled to payment if the public holiday falls on a day they normally work.

Casual employees only receive public holiday entitlements if they work on the public holiday.

Employing staff on public holidays in the NT

If you employ staff on a public holiday, the employee may be entitled to:

  • Penalty rates for each hour worked that day.
  • Time off in lieu (an extra day off).
  • Equivalent time added to their annual leave for each hour worked that day.

Modern awards, enterprise agreements, and other registered agreements can provide entitlements for working public holidays, including:

  • Extra pay.
  • An extra day off or extra annual leave.
  • Minimum shift lengths on public holidays.
  • Agreeing to substitute a public holiday for another day.

You can request staff to work on a public holiday if the request is reasonable.Whether the request is reasonable or not, will depend on the:

  • Nature of your business.
  • Employee’s personal circumstances, such as family responsibilities.
  • Amount of notice you provide.

An employee can refuse the request if it isn’t reasonable, or if they have a reasonable reason to refuse to work.

Sit back and relax

Public holidays mean enjoying fun times with family and friends. If you’re a business owner or employer in the Northern Territory, you need to know all the public holidays and appropriate employee entitlements to ensure you meet your legal obligations.

The expert team at Peninsula can answer your public holiday questions. Call our team for free initial advice.

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ACT Public Holidays in 2026

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Western Australia Public Holidays 2026

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Public Holidays in Tasmania 2025

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