Australia Holidays And Festivals

Banks, museums, and other public buildings are often closed or have reduced hours during holidays and festivals. Tourism generally peaks during school holidays. Although dates differ between regions, summer holidays typically run from mid-December through January, and winter holidays run from late June through early July. Virtually every Australian town boasts a festival of some sort during the year; listed below are only a few of the major ones. More specific festival info can be found in the Festivals sections throughout this book.

2009 Date	Holiday	Description
Jan. 1	New Year’s Day	National public holiday
Jan. 16-25	Tamworth Country Music Festival (Tamworth, NSW)	Over 2500 performances and golden guitars galore in Australia’s country music capital (www.tamworthcountrymusic.com.au)
Jan. 26	Australia Day	National day to commemorate the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, with festivities centered in Sydney (www.australiaday.com.au)
Feb. 14-Mar. 7	Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras	Famous display of pride that culminates in a spectacular street parade (www.mardigras.org.au)
Late Feb. to mid-Mar.	Adelaide Fringe Festival	The largest independent alternative festival in Australia; held annually to showcase cutting-edge artists (www.adelaidefringe.com.au)
Mar. 17-22	Australian Surf Life Saving Championships	Grueling ironman and ironwoman contests, as well as the world’s biggest surf party (www.slsa.asn.au)
Apr. 10	Good Friday	National public holiday
Apr. 13	Easter Monday	National public holiday
Apr. 25	ANZAC Day	National commemoration that marks the anniversary of WWI ANZAC troops in Gallipoli (www.anzacday.org.au)
June 8	Queen’s Birthday	National public holiday
Mid July to early Aug.	Melbourne International Film Festival	Once a year, buffs, stars, and critics flock to this exhibition of world film (www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au)
Nov. 3	Melbourne Cup	The horse race that entrances the nation (www.melbournecup.com)
Dec. 25-26	Christmas Day and Boxing Day	National public holiday