King’s Birthday

Australians celebrate the King’s Birthday (previously known as the Queen’s Birthday) with a public holiday (and long weekend) on Monday, June 9th, 2025.

Even though some shops and businesses will have limited trading hours, there are plenty of things to see and do over the King’s Birthday weekend.

A fascinating fact is that King Charles’ birthday is in November; however, the celebration is in June. The reason for this is twofold: The holiday was originally a celebration of ‘the monarch’s birthday’, which, at the time, was King George III, who had his birthday on the 4th of June. Once Elizabeth became the monarch, it was decided to leave the celebration in June as it more evenly spaced out the public holidays throughout the year and kept the celebration in the warm English summer.

In Australia, the King’s Birthday occurs during the winter season. However, many events are scheduled over the long weekend, and many attractions remain open, even on Monday, the public holiday.

Even though some smaller shops will close on the public holiday, most supermarkets and shopping centres are open on the King’s Birthday. Movie theatres, restaurants, petrol stations, and attractions in Sydney, such as the Taronga Zoo, SEA Life Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, and the Sydney Opera House, remain open.

The launch of the New South Wales snow season occurs over the King’s Birthday weekend, so gather your friends and head out to one of NSW’s many alpine resorts.