King’s Official Birthday in Australia Date in the current year: June 10, 2024

The tradition of celebrating the sovereign’s birthday in the United Kingdom started in 1748, during the reign of King George II. During the reign of Edward VII, it became customary to celebrate the official birthday of the monarch in June regardless of the date of his or her real birthday (King Edward was born in November and moved the celebration to summer hoping for good weather).

From Britain, the tradition spread to its then-colonies. The birthday of the monarch of the United Kingdom was first celebrated in Australia in 1788. The holiday was declared by Governor Arthur Phillip to mark the 50th birthday of King George III. Originally, the celebration coincided with the actual birthday of the incumbent monarch. After the death of King George V in 1936, it was decided to celebrate it on the second Monday in June in order to more evenly space out public holidays throughout the year.

On this day government offices, educational institutions, and most businesses in all of Australia (except for Western Australia and Queensland) are closed. The holiday is marked with various festive events and activities. One of them is the King’s Birthday match in the Australian Football League. It is played between the Melbourne and Collingwood Football Clubs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The match became an annual fixture in 2001. It was canceled in 2020 and temporarily relocated to Sydney in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Firework displays used to be a big part of the celebration, but most states and territories, except for the Northern Territory and Tasmania, have banned the sale of fireworks to the public since the 1980s.

The King’s Birthday typically marks the start of the ski season, since June is the first month of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also traditional to release the annual King’s Birthday Honours List, in which new members of the Order of Australia and other state honours are named, around the King’s Birthday weekend.

It should be noted that Western Australia and Queensland do not celebrate the birthday of the monarch with the rest of the country. In Western Australia, the date was changed because the King’s Birthday falls to close to Western Australia Day, celebrated on the first Monday of June to commemorate the founding of the Swan River Colony. The governor of Western Australia proclaims the date of the King’s Official Birthday each year; it usually falls in late September or early October, depending on the dates of the Perth Royal Show and school break. Queensland has celebrated the holiday of the first Monday of October since 2016.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Australian external territories may celebrate the King’s Official Birthday on other dates, and some don’t celebrate it at all.