Darwin Show Day 2027

Darwin Show Day fell on Friday 24 July 2026 and next falls on Friday 23 July 2027. It applies to the Darwin region only, not the whole Northern Territory.

Next date: Friday, 23 July 2027. Applies to Darwin region only. Gazetted annually as the Friday of the Royal Darwin Show. The Northern Territory sets five separate regional show days, one per show town.

Confirmed dates

YearDayDateApplies to
2026
Already passed
Friday24 JulyDarwin region only
2027
Friday23 JulyDarwin region only
Dates and scope verified against NT Government, NT public and regional holidays (Northern Territory Government), checked 28 July 2026.

Who actually gets the day off

This is a regional public holiday, so it does not cover the whole of Northern Territory. The gazetted scope is:

Darwin Show Day, region: Darwin

The Northern Territory is unusual in gazetting five regional show days rather than one territory-wide show holiday. Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, Darwin and Borroloola each get their own day, spread across July and August, so that each town has a holiday on the Friday of its own show. Picnic Day, on the first Monday in August, is the separate territory-wide holiday.

The five NT show days are not interchangeable. A Darwin worker does not get Katherine Show Day, and an Alice Springs worker does not get Darwin Show Day. If you work across several NT towns, your entitlement follows the place you are based for work purposes.

If you are outside that area, your normal Northern Territory public holiday calendar applies instead, and this day is an ordinary working day for you.

What you are paid

If you do not work the day and it is a day you would ordinarily work, you are paid your base rate for the ordinary hours you would have worked. That obligation sits in the National Employment Standards, not your award, so it applies whether or not an award covers you.

Fair Work Act 2009, section 116: an employer must pay an employee at the employee's base rate of pay for the ordinary hours the employee would have worked had the day not been a public holiday. Section 114 gives the right to be absent, subject to a reasonable request to work.

If you do work it, the penalty rate comes from your award or enterprise agreement rather than the NES. Customer-facing awards commonly set public holiday rates between 200% and 250% of the base rate. Work out what a specific day is worth with the public holiday pay calculator, and check your own award on the modern award pay pages.

Casual employees are the common exception. A casual has no ordinary hours, so there is nothing to be paid for on a day not worked. A casual who does work the day gets the public holiday penalty rate in the award, usually on top of casual loading. The casual versus permanent guide sets out how the two interact.

If it falls during your annual leave

You keep the day. A public holiday that falls inside a period of paid annual leave is not deducted from your balance, so a week of leave containing this holiday costs you four days of leave rather than five.

Fair Work Act 2009, section 89: if a period of paid annual leave includes a day that is a public holiday in the place where the employee is based for work purposes, the employee is taken not to be on paid annual leave on that day.

That phrase, "the place where the employee is based for work purposes", is what makes a regional holiday like this one worth checking. It is your work base that decides the entitlement, not your home address. Model the effect on a balance with the annual leave calculator.

The other Northern Territory show days

The Territory gazettes five separate show days. If you are based in another show town, yours is below.

Show dayRegion20262027
Alice Springs Show Day
Alice Springs3 July2 July
Tennant Creek Show Day
Tennant Creek10 July9 July
Katherine Show Day
Katherine17 July16 July
Borroloola Show Day
Borroloola14 August13 August

Picnic Day, on the first Monday in August, is the separate territory-wide holiday that every NT worker gets regardless of town. It is listed on the NT public holidays page.

For the full Northern Territory calendar including every statewide date, see public holidays in Northern Territory, or start from the Northern Territory leave calculator for annual leave, long service leave and final pay under NT rules. For every state at once, see the public holidays hub and public holidays 2027. If you are planning leave around it, the long weekends page shows which dates fall next to a weekend, and a public holiday inside a booked break does not consume your balance: check it on the annual leave calculator.

Q & A

Darwin Show Day questions.

The entitlement questions people ask most about this day.

When is Darwin Show public holiday in 2027?
Darwin Show Day falls on Friday, 23 July in 2027. Gazetted annually as the Friday of the Royal Darwin Show. The Northern Territory sets five separate regional show days, one per show town.
Who gets Darwin Show Day as a public holiday?
This holiday covers Darwin region only. The gazetted scope is: "Darwin Show Day, region: Darwin" Under the Fair Work Act the test is the place where you are based for work purposes, not where you live.
Do I get paid if I do not work on Darwin Show Day?
Yes, if it is a day you would ordinarily work. Section 116 of the Fair Work Act 2009 requires payment at your base rate of pay for the ordinary hours you would have worked. Casuals are not paid for a public holiday they do not work, because they have no ordinary hours.
What am I paid if I work on Darwin Show Day?
Public holiday penalty rates come from your award or agreement, not the National Employment Standards. Rates commonly run between 200% and 250% of the base rate in customer-facing awards. Check your specific award, because the NES sets no penalty rate of its own.
What if Darwin Show Day falls during my annual leave?
You do not lose the day. Section 89 of the Fair Work Act says that if a public holiday falls inside a period of paid annual leave, you are taken not to be on annual leave that day, so it is paid as a public holiday and not deducted from your leave balance.
Can my employer make me work on Darwin Show Day?
Only if the request is reasonable. Section 114 of the Fair Work Act gives you the right to be absent on a public holiday, but an employer may make a reasonable request for you to work, and you may refuse if that request is unreasonable or your refusal is reasonable. The Act lists the factors, including the nature of the work, your personal circumstances and how much notice you were given.