Royal Launceston Show 2026

The Royal Launceston Show holiday falls on Thursday 8 October 2026 and applies to seven northern Tasmanian municipal areas, not the whole state.

Next date: Thursday, 8 October 2026. Applies to Northern Tasmania. Gazetted annually as the Thursday of the Royal Launceston Show, which is held in October.

Confirmed dates

YearDayDateApplies to
2026
Thursday8 OctoberNorthern Tasmania
2027
Thursday7 OctoberNorthern Tasmania
Dates and scope verified against WorkSafe Tasmania, Public holidays (WorkSafe Tasmania), checked 28 July 2026.

Who actually gets the day off

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

Municipal areas of Break O'Day, Dorset, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands, West Tamar.

Tasmania has more regional public holidays than any other Australian jurisdiction: nine of them, set by municipal area rather than by region. The Royal Launceston Show holiday covers the north, and it is entirely separate from the Royal Hobart Show holiday two weeks later, which covers the south. Neither is a statewide holiday.

The scope is defined by municipal area, not by distance from Launceston. Check the list above against your workplace council area rather than assuming, because neighbouring councils such as Devonport and Burnie are excluded and observe the Burnie Show instead.

If you are outside that area, your normal Tasmania 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.

Tasmania's other regional holidays

Tasmania has nine regional public holidays, more than any other Australian jurisdiction, each set by municipal area rather than by region.

Holiday20262027
Devonport Cup
Municipal area of Devonport
7 January6 January
Royal Hobart Regatta
South of and including Oatlands and Swansea excluding Bronte Park, Catagunya, Strathgordon, Tarraleah, Wayatinah & West Coast.
9 February8 February
Launceston Cup
Municipal areas of Break O'Day, Dorset, George Town, Glamorgan-Spring Bay (north of and including Cranbrook), Launceston excluding Launceston City centre and specified suburbs, Meander Valley excluding certain suburbs, Northern Midlands, Southern Midlands north of but not including Oatlands, West Tamar excluding certain townships.
25 February24 February
King Island Show
King Island only.
3 March2 March
Burnie Show
Municipal areas of Burnie, Waratah-Wynyard and West Coast.
2 October1 October
Royal Launceston Show
Municipal areas of Break O'Day, Dorset, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands, West Tamar.
8 October7 October
Flinders Island Show
Municipal area of Flinders Island.
16 October15 October
Royal Hobart Show
All of Tasmania south of and including Oatlands and Swansea also Bronte Park, Strathgordon, Tarraleah and Wayatinah. Excludes West Coast.
22 October21 October
Recreation Day
All parts of the state which do not observe Royal Hobart Regatta.
2 November1 November

A Hobart-based worker gets a different set of these from a Launceston-based one. The Hobart public holidays page lists the southern set in full.

For the full Tasmania calendar including every statewide date, see public holidays in Tasmania, or start from the Tasmania leave calculator for annual leave, long service leave and final pay under TAS 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 Launceston Show questions.

The entitlement questions people ask most about this day.

When is Launceston Show Day in 2026?
Royal Launceston Show falls on Thursday, 8 October in 2026. Gazetted annually as the Thursday of the Royal Launceston Show, which is held in October.
Who gets Royal Launceston Show as a public holiday?
This holiday covers Northern Tasmania. The gazetted scope is: "Municipal areas of Break O'Day, Dorset, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands, West Tamar." 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 Launceston 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 Launceston 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 Launceston 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 Launceston 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.