Royal Queensland Show 2026

The Ekka public holiday falls on Wednesday 12 August 2026 and applies to the Brisbane area only. The rest of Queensland works a normal day.

Next date: Wednesday, 12 August 2026. Applies to Brisbane area only. The Royal National Agricultural (RNA) Show Day (Brisbane only) is held on the Wednesday during the RNA Show period.

Confirmed dates

YearDayDateApplies to
2026
Wednesday12 AugustBrisbane area only
2027
Wednesday11 AugustBrisbane area only
Dates and scope verified against Queensland Government, Public holidays (Queensland 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 Queensland. The gazetted scope is:

Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only)

The Ekka is the Royal Queensland Show, run by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland since 1876. Queensland gazettes a show holiday for the Brisbane area on the Wednesday of show week rather than a fixed calendar date, so it moves each year. Councils outside Brisbane gazette their own show day instead, which is why a Toowoomba or Cairns worker gets a different date, or none at all.

This is the single most misunderstood holiday in Queensland. Working in Brisbane is what matters, not living there. Under the Fair Work Act the test is the place where you are based for work purposes, so someone who commutes into Brisbane from the Gold Coast is covered, and a Brisbane resident who works at a Sunshine Coast site is not.

If you are outside that area, your normal Queensland 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.

For the full Queensland calendar including every statewide date, see public holidays in Queensland, or start from the Queensland leave calculator for annual leave, long service leave and final pay under QLD 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

Royal Queensland Show questions.

The entitlement questions people ask most about this day.

When is Ekka in 2026?
Royal Queensland Show falls on Wednesday, 12 August in 2026. The Royal National Agricultural (RNA) Show Day (Brisbane only) is held on the Wednesday during the RNA Show period.
Who gets Royal Queensland Show as a public holiday?
This holiday covers Brisbane area only. The gazetted scope is: "Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only)" 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 Royal Queensland Show?
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 Royal Queensland Show?
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 Royal Queensland Show 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 Royal Queensland Show?
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.