6 days ago
When is the King's Birthday public holiday? Depends on where you live
King Charles's birthday isn't until November, but many will get a public holiday for it this month. ( Reuters: Temilade Adelaja )
Many Australians are about to have a long weekend thanks to the King's Birthday public holiday on Monday.
But not everyone will have the day off.
Here's why. Which states have a public holiday on Monday?
The following states have their King's Birthday public holiday on Monday, June 9: ACT
ACT New South Wales
New South Wales Northern Territory
Northern Territory South Australia
South Australia Tasmania
Tasmania Victoria Which states don't have a public holiday on Monday? Queensland
Queensland Western Australia
Queensland's public holiday for the sovereign's birthday is on October 6.
Generally speaking, Western Australia has its King's Birthday public holiday on September 29 this year.
However, we have to say "generally speaking" here, because some regional areas in the state take their day off on a different date. When is King Charles's actual birthday?
King Charles was born on November 14. Why isn't the public holiday on King Charles's actual birthday?
It goes back to a British tradition called Trooping the Colour — and has quite a bit to do with the weather over there.
Trooping the Colour is essentially a military parade that the British Army says dates back to the reign of King Charles II from 1660 to 1685.
"In 1748 it was decided that this parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the sovereign," the British army's website says.
"It became an annual event after George III became king in 1760." Trooping the Colour is held to honour the sovereign's birthday, but doesn't always match up with their actual date of birth. ( Reuters: Toby Melville )
While troops are trained to march in all kinds of conditions, it's generally better for a military parade to be staged during fine, sunny weather — especially if you want crowds of people lining the streets to watch.
And England's winters are notoriously un-sunny, so it was generally best to hold a parade in summer even if the reigning monarch's birthday was in a different month.
Here's how the royal family website explains it:
"Official celebrations to mark the Sovereigns' birthday have often been held on a day other than the actual birthday, particularly when the actual birthday has not been in the summer. King Edward VII, for example, was born on 9 November, but his official birthday was marked throughout his reign in May or June when there was a greater likelihood of good weather for the Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour."
Remember that the UK is in the Northern Hemisphere, which experiences summer while we in the Southern Hemisphere are in winter.
That means the English summer months are June, July and August.
To take advantage of the cheerier weather, the Trooping the Colour parade is generally held on the second Saturday of June every year.
While Australian state and territory governments can decide when to mark the public holiday, many have opted for a date that fairly closely aligns with the British celebrations. It's probably much easier to enjoy a military parade when you're not shivering in the cold, holding an umbrella to keep the rain off. ( Reuters: Kevin Coombs ) Why does Australia have a public holiday for King Charles?
Because, as a result of the colonisation of Australia, we're part of the British Commonwealth.
And King Charles is the head of the Commonwealth.
Technically, King Charles is Australia's head of state.
But this is largely a symbolic role as Australia is a constitutional monarchy.
This means we have a head of state but they have limited power, which is instead given to the elected government. When is the next public holiday?
There are only a few more public holidays left in the year.
Tap the drop-down box to see when the next public holiday will be in your state or territory.
Here are the rest of the ACT's public holidays for the year: Monday, October 6: Labour Day
Labour Day Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Christmas Day Friday, December 26: Boxing Day October 6: New South Wales
Here are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: Monday, October 6: Labour Day
Labour Day Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Christmas Day Friday, December 26: Boxing Day August 4: Northern Territory
Here are the rest of the Northern Territory's public holidays for the year: Monday, August 4: Picnic Day
Picnic Day Wednesday, December 24: Christmas Eve (from 7pm to midnight)
Christmas Eve (from 7pm to midnight) Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Christmas Day Friday, December 26: Boxing Day
Boxing Day Wednesday, December 31: New Year's Eve (from 7pm to midnight) October 6: Queensland
Here are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: Monday, October 6: King's Birthday
King's Birthday Wednesday, December 24: Christmas Eve (from 6pm to midnight)
Christmas Eve (from 6pm to midnight) Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Christmas Day Friday, December 26: Boxing Day October 6: South Australia
Here are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: Monday, October 6: Labour Day
Labour Day Wednesday, December 24: Christmas Eve (from 7pm to midnight)
Christmas Eve (from 7pm to midnight) Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Christmas Day Friday, December 26: Boxing Day
Boxing Day Wednesday, December 31: New Year's Eve (from 7pm to midnight) November 3: Tasmania
Here are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: Monday, November 3: Recreation Day (areas of the state that don't observe Royal Hobart Regatta)
Recreation Day (areas of the state that don't observe Royal Hobart Regatta) Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Christmas Day Friday, December 26: Boxing Day September 26: Victoria
Here are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: Friday, September 26: Friday before the AFL Grand Final
Friday before the AFL Grand Final Tuesday, November 4: Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Christmas Day Friday, December 26: Boxing Day September 29: Western Australia
Here are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: Monday, September 29: King's Birthday (however, some regional areas in WA hold the King's Birthday public holiday on a different date)
King's Birthday (however, some regional areas in WA hold the King's Birthday public holiday on a different date) Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Christmas Day Friday, December 26: Boxing Day
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman Posted 6m ago 6 minutes ago Tue 3 Jun 2025 at 6:54pm
