Festivals in Australia in 2026
Dates of the major festivals and commemorative days celebrated in Australia in 2026, with the day of the week and how certain each date is.
Dates last checked on 2026-10-21. Lunar-calendar dates can differ by a day between regions.
January 2026
- Thu, Jan 1New YearFixed date
- Sat, Jan 3Savitribai Phule JayantiFixed date
- Mon, Jan 12National Youth Day (Swami Vivekananda Jayanti)Fixed date
- Wed, Jan 14 to Jan 17PongalFixed dateThai Pongal, the main day, is usually January 14. Some regions mark it on January 15.
- Mon, Jan 19Martin Luther King Jr. DayFixed dateThe US holiday on the third Monday of January. Dr King’s birthday is January 15.
- Mon, Jan 26Republic Day (India)Fixed date
February 2026
- Sat, Feb 14Valentine’s DayFixed date
- Thu, Feb 19Shivaji Maharaj JayantiFixed dateThe date officially observed in Maharashtra.
March 2026
- Tue, Mar 17St. Patrick’s DayFixed date
- Tue, Mar 31Mahavir JayantiExpectedSome regional calendars list the previous day for 2027. Depends on the lunar calendar and can differ by a day between regions.
April 2026
- Sun, Apr 5EasterCalculatedOrthodox Easter falls on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
- Tue, Apr 14VaisakhiFixed dateUsually April 13 or 14, when the Sun enters Aries.
- Tue, Apr 14Ambedkar JayantiFixed date
May 2026
- Thu, May 7Rabindranath Tagore JayantiFixed dateThe Gregorian birth date. In the Bengali calendar it is Pochishe Boishakh, usually May 8 or 9.
- Sun, May 10Mother’s DayFixed dateThe second Sunday of May in the US, Canada, India and many other countries. The UK celebrates Mothering Sunday in March.
July 2026
- Sat, Jul 18Nelson Mandela International DayFixed date
August 2026
- Sat, Aug 15Independence Day (India)Fixed date
- Fri, Aug 28Raksha BandhanConfirmedDepends on the lunar calendar and can differ by a day between regions.
September 2026
- Mon, Sep 28Bhagat Singh JayantiFixed date
October 2026
- Fri, Oct 2Gandhi JayantiFixed date
- Thu, Oct 15APJ Abdul Kalam Jayanti (World Students’ Day)Fixed date
- Sat, Oct 31HalloweenFixed date
- Sat, Oct 31Sardar Patel Jayanti (National Unity Day)Fixed date
November 2026
- Tue, Nov 24Guru Nanak JayantiConfirmedGurdwaras may announce a different date for the Sikh calendar. Depends on the lunar calendar and can differ by a day between regions.
- Thu, Nov 26Constitution Day (Samvidhan Diwas)Fixed date
December 2026
- Fri, Dec 4 to Dec 12HanukkahCalculatedBegins at sundown on the first date.
- Fri, Dec 25ChristmasFixed dateChurches that follow the Julian calendar celebrate on January 7.
- Fri, Dec 25Quaid-e-Azam DayFixed date
How these dates were checked
Fixed and rule-based dates, such as Christmas or the third Monday of January, are exact. Easter, Islamic festivals (from the Umm al-Qura calendar), Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival and Hanukkah are calculated from their calendars. Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain festival dates were cross-checked against several independent published calendars, and a date is left out when they disagree. Because lunar festivals depend on the moon, always confirm the exact day with your local calendar.
Frequently asked questions
Which festivals are in 2026?
This calendar lists 56 festivals and commemorative days for 2026, including Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Jewish festivals, national days and global celebrations.
Are these festival dates official?
No. They are checked against several published calendars (last checked 2026-10-21), but they are not official government notices. Lunar-calendar festivals can differ by a day between regions, and festivals marked “Expected” depend on moon sighting. Confirm with your local authority, temple, mosque or government holiday list before making plans.
Why do many festival dates change every year?
Many festivals follow lunar or lunisolar calendars, whose years are not the same length as the Gregorian year, so the Gregorian date moves from year to year. Festivals tied to a fixed date, such as Christmas or Independence Day, stay on the same day.