The King’s Birthday is a special holiday in most parts of Australia, celebrated on the second Monday in June. It gives everyone a fun long weekend! This holiday is to celebrate the birthday of the king or queen who rules. For a long time, it was called the “Queen’s Birthday” because Queen Elizabeth II was the queen for over 70 years. Now, it’s called the King’s Birthday to honor the current king.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 Jun | Mon | King’s Birthday | National except QLD & WA |
| 29 Sep | Mon | King’s Birthday | WA | |
| 6 Oct | Mon | King’s Birthday | QLD | |
| 2026 | 8 Jun | Mon | King’s Birthday | National except QLD & WA |
| 28 Sep | Mon | King’s Birthday | WA | |
| 5 Oct | Mon | King’s Birthday | QLD | |
| 2027 | 14 Jun | Mon | King’s Birthday | National except QLD & WA |
| 27 Sep | Mon | King’s Birthday | WA | |
| 4 Oct | Mon | King’s Birthday | QLD |
The King’s Birthday is a fun holiday in most parts of Australia, usually celebrated on the second Monday in June. It gives everyone a long weekend to enjoy! But in Western Australia, they celebrate it at the end of September or early October because they already have a holiday in June called Western Australia Day. In South Australia, the King’s Birthday is also called Volunteer’s Day to honor people who help others.
Right now, King Charles III is the king of 16 countries, including Australia, and he’s also the leader of the Church of England. He was born on November 14, 1948, but we don’t celebrate his real birthday. Instead, we pick a special day for the holiday. In Britain, they’ve been celebrating the monarch’s birthday since 1748, and in Australia, we’ve done it every year since the First Fleet arrived in 1788.
A long time ago, the holiday was always on the monarch’s actual birthday. But in 1936, after King George V (Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather) passed away, things changed. His birthday was June 3, and since then, the holiday has been celebrated around early June. A newspaper Sydney Morning Herald wrote about this change on May 26.
The Premier (Mr. Stevens) said last night that the celebration of King’s Birthday, including levees, flying of flags, etc., would take place this year on June 9, which would be known as King’s Day…
… The Acting Prime Minister (Dr. Page) announced… that Wednesday, June 9, had been fixed for the official celebration of his Majesty’s birthday in the United Kingdom this year, and that this day would be observed in Australia for celebrations usually associated with the King’s birthday. It had been arranged to fly flags on Commonwealth Government buildings throughout Australia onJune 9, and it was hoped that the general public would follow the same practice.
The King’s Birthday is a super fun holiday in Australia, and lots of cool things happen during this long weekend in June! Here’s what you don’t want to miss:
- Honour’s Lists: Twice a year, Australia celebrates people who do amazing things. On the King’s Birthday in June, they announce a special list called the King’s Birthday Honour’s List. It includes people who get awards like the Order of Australia, Conspicuous Service Cross, Public Service Medal, and others for being brave or helping the community.
- King’s Birthday Parade at Duntroon: At the Royal Military Academy in Duntroon, there’s a big parade called the Trooping of the King’s Colour. It’s a fancy event where soldiers march and show off a special flag called the King’s Colour. This tradition started in the United Kingdom and is now a big deal in Australia too!
- Football Fun: The King’s Birthday is a huge day for Australian football! Since 1897, when the Victorian Football League (now called the Australian Football League, or AFL) began, they’ve played games on this holiday. Since 2001, there’s a special game every year where the Collingwood team plays the Melbourne team at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This tradition goes way back to 1958 when almost 100,000 people came to watch!
- Snow Season Kickoff: The King’s Birthday long weekend is also when the snow season officially starts in the snowy mountain areas of New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, and Tasmania. It’s a great time to visit the mountains and play in the snow!
The King’s Birthday is full of exciting events, from parades to football to snowy adventures!
Previous Years
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10 Jun | Mon | King’s Birthday | National except QLD & WA |
| 23 Sep | Mon | King’s Birthday | WA | |
| 7 Oct | Mon | King’s Birthday | QLD | |
| 2023 | 12 Jun | Mon | King’s Birthday | National except QLD & WA |
| 25 Sep | Mon | King’s Birthday | WA | |
| 2 Oct | Mon | King’s Birthday | QLD |