Paint Juicy CONNECT, brand partnerships and event activations
Marketing Calendar 2027Every Date a QLD, NSW and NT Business Should Plan Around
Why Paint Juicy CONNECT? Because Paint Juicy connects!
This marketing calendar 2027 gathers the dates that genuinely move a local business in QLD, NSW and the NT: public holidays, each state's school breaks, the two big parents' Sundays, the end of the financial year, Christmas and the sales weekend shoppers wait for. Every month gets a compact table and a suggested "plan from" date, so the year arrives on your terms instead of ambushing you on a Thursday arvo.
We checked every public holiday and school date on 11/10/2026 against the official Queensland, NSW and NT government holiday pages and the school calendars published by each state's education department. Governments can add a holiday or shuffle one, so give anything that drives rosters or deliveries a second look as the day gets close.
The calendar comes from Paint Juicy CONNECT, which looks after brand partnerships for Paint, the mobile paint and sip night out. Our own year is one long run of themed nights, so circling dates early is a habit we live by.
No. 01
Getting the most from the marketing calendar 2027
Each month has a table with four columns. Date is DD/MM/YYYY with the weekday, because a Tuesday holiday behaves nothing like a Monday one. What names the holiday, school break or retail moment. Where says QLD, NSW, NT, or All when it applies across the three. Plan from is when to start planning, not when to start advertising: it's the day the offer, stock, staff and partners should start getting decided.
Our rule of thumb behind that last column: about four weeks for a single public holiday or school break, six for Easter and International Women's Day, eight for a gifting Sunday, and three months or more for the end of the financial year and Christmas.
Three habits turn a list of dates into a plan:
- Circle the handful of dates your customers really care about and let the rest sail past. A hardware supplier and a day spa should not have the same year.
- Work backwards from every circled date: the day the offer is locked, the day stock lands, the day staff are briefed, the day the first email goes.
- Mind the gaps between states. Queensland, NSW and the NT each run their own school calendar, so a business trading across a border often gets two or three smaller holiday seasons rather than one big one.
A little fine print. NSW publishes an Eastern division calendar for most of the state and a Western division calendar for schools in the far west, which start Term 1 a week later; both appear below. The NT publishes term dates rather than holiday ranges, so its breaks show up as one term ending and the next beginning. The Queensland Department of Education lists state schools with an extended summer holiday, mostly in remote northern and western areas, that start a seven-week break one week before the rest of the state, so check with local schools if you trade up that way. Queensland's regional show holidays for 2027 were not yet published when we checked, so only the Brisbane show holiday appears, while the NT's 2027 show days are listed in full.
Those regional dates are worth the ink. CommBank iQ research for Boomtown, published by Commonwealth Bank in August 2026, describes regional Australia as "a massive $250 billion market, accounting for 35% of total national consumer spend". A show day in a regional centre is a local event to plan around, not a footnote.
No. 02
January 2027: holiday hangover, then back to routine
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/01/2027 (Fri) | New Year's Day public holiday | All | 04/12/2026 |
| 26/01/2027 (Tue) | Australia Day public holiday | All | 29/12/2026 |
| 26/01/2027 (Tue) | Last day of the Queensland summer school holidays | QLD | 29/12/2026 |
| 27/01/2027 (Wed) | Queensland Term 1 starts; NT students start Term 1 | QLD, NT | 30/12/2026 |
| 27/01/2027 (Wed) | Last day of the NSW summer school holidays (Eastern division) | NSW | 30/12/2026 |
With Australia Day on a Tuesday, expect plenty of people to take the Monday as leave and stretch it into a four-day break, so staff holiday towns for a long weekend that isn't officially one. The first quiet weekday after school goes back is a small gift to every parent who has run the summer roster, and a "you made it" offer from a café, salon or boutique lands nicely that week. January is also when brands wanting a whole year of presence sit down and map it, which is exactly what a category partnership is built for.
No. 03
February 2027: a Sunday Valentine's Day
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/02/2027 (Wed) | NSW students start Term 1 (Eastern division); last day of summer holidays (Western division) | NSW | 06/01/2027 |
| 10/02/2027 (Wed) | NSW students start Term 1 (Western division) | NSW | 13/01/2027 |
| 14/02/2027 (Sun) | Valentine's Day | All | 20/12/2026 |
A Sunday Valentine's Day spreads demand across the weekend, so restaurants, florists and gift shops can sell Saturday dinners and Sunday brunches instead of one crammed evening. Widen the net past couples with a friends' night or a treat-yourself offer, because a good share of your customers are single, busy or simply not fussed.
No. 04
March 2027: International Women's Day, then an early Easter
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/03/2027 (Mon) | International Women's Day | All | 25/01/2027 |
| 25/03/2027 (Thu) | Queensland Term 1 ends | QLD | 25/02/2027 |
| 26/03/2027 (Fri) | Good Friday public holiday; Queensland school holidays begin (to 11/04/2027) | All | 15/02/2027 |
| 27/03/2027 (Sat) | Easter Saturday public holiday (Queensland lists it as the day after Good Friday) | All | 15/02/2027 |
| 28/03/2027 (Sun) | Easter Sunday public holiday | All | 15/02/2027 |
| 29/03/2027 (Mon) | Easter Monday public holiday | All | 15/02/2027 |
Easter comes early, so Valentine's Day, International Women's Day and the Easter long weekend all fall inside about six weeks; if you sell into more than one, plan them as a single run rather than three separate scrambles. For International Women's Day, substance beats a pink logo: spotlight the women who run, staff and supply your business, or team up with the women-led businesses on your street for something customers can join. Check your state's Easter trading hours rules before the signage goes to print.
No. 05
April 2027: clocks, school breaks and a solemn Sunday
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/04/2027 (Fri) | NT Term 1 ends (students back for Term 2 on 13/04/2027) | NT | 05/03/2027 |
| 04/04/2027 (Sun) | Daylight saving ends in NSW; clocks go back an hour at 3am | NSW | 22/03/2027 |
| 12/04/2027 (Mon) | Queensland Term 2 starts; NSW autumn school holidays begin (to 23/04/2027) | QLD, NSW | 15/03/2027 |
| 25/04/2027 (Sun) | Anzac Day (also listed as a public holiday in NSW) | All | 22/03/2027 |
| 26/04/2027 (Mon) | Public holiday for Anzac Day | All | 22/03/2027 |
Once NSW drops daylight saving on 04/04/2027, Queensland and NSW clocks match again until spring, so check scheduled posts, emails and booking slots either side of the change. Anzac Day is commemorative rather than commercial, and the word itself is protected: the Department of Veterans' Affairs says using "Anzac" in an official or commercial manner needs permission from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, and assessment can take up to four weeks, longer in the lead-up to 25 April. By the back half of the month, your Mother's Day plan should already be in motion.
No. 06
May 2027: a long weekend, then Mother's Day
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/05/2027 (Mon) | Labour Day public holiday | QLD | 05/04/2027 |
| 03/05/2027 (Mon) | May Day public holiday | NT | 05/04/2027 |
| 09/05/2027 (Sun) | Mother's Day (second Sunday in May) | All | 15/03/2027 |
NSW has no public holiday between the Anzac Monday and the King's Birthday in June, which makes May a clean month for a NSW campaign. For the gifting Sunday itself, our Mother's Day marketing ideas for 2027 have the full countdown.
No. 07
June 2027: King's Birthday and the end of the financial year
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/06/2027 (Mon) | King's Birthday public holiday | NSW, NT | 17/05/2027 |
| 18/06/2027 (Fri) | NT Term 2 ends (students back for Term 3 on 13/07/2027) | NT | 21/05/2027 |
| 25/06/2027 (Fri) | Queensland Term 2 ends; school holidays run 26/06/2027 to 11/07/2027 | QLD | 28/05/2027 |
| 30/06/2027 (Wed) | End of the financial year | All | 01/04/2027 |
Australia's financial year starts on 1 July and ends the following 30 June, so June is when businesses and households weigh up spending before the books close, and when anyone selling to other businesses should be sitting in the inbox. Leave the tax talk to an accountant and make your job being front of mind when the decision gets made. Queensland's winter break begins on 26/06/2027, more than a week ahead of NSW's, so a cross-border business gets a long, staggered holiday season through late June and July.
No. 08
July 2027: fresh budgets and the NT show season
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/07/2027 (Thu) | New financial year begins | All | 01/06/2027 |
| 02/07/2027 (Fri) | Alice Springs Show Day (regional public holiday) | NT | 04/06/2027 |
| 05/07/2027 (Mon) | NSW winter school holidays begin (to 16/07/2027) | NSW | 07/06/2027 |
| 09/07/2027 (Fri) | Tennant Creek Show Day (regional public holiday) | NT | 11/06/2027 |
| 12/07/2027 (Mon) | Queensland Term 3 starts | QLD | 14/06/2027 |
| 16/07/2027 (Fri) | Katherine Show Day (regional public holiday) | NT | 18/06/2027 |
| 23/07/2027 (Fri) | Darwin Show Day (regional public holiday) | NT | 25/06/2027 |
The NT runs four regional show days on four Fridays in a row, each applying only in its own region, so confirm which one covers your area before you set rosters or delivery days. A new financial year brings fresh budgets in plenty of businesses, which makes July a smart month to pitch a partnership or lock in a second-half plan. A brand that wants to work several Queensland and NSW towns in one push can map the route now through regional brand campaigns.
No. 09
August 2027: the quiet month worth using
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/08/2027 (Mon) | Picnic Day public holiday | NT | 05/07/2027 |
| 02/08/2027 (Mon) | Bank Holiday (retail bank branches and some financial institutions close; not a declared public holiday) | NSW | 05/07/2027 |
| 11/08/2027 (Wed) | Royal Queensland Show public holiday (Brisbane area only) | QLD | 14/07/2027 |
| 13/08/2027 (Fri) | Borroloola Show Day (regional public holiday) | NT | 16/07/2027 |
August has no big gifting day, and that's its charm: inboxes are calmer, and a launch or a sampling push has room to be noticed. If a new product is sitting in your storeroom, this is the month to put it in people's hands, and product sampling and goodie bags shows one way to do it in a room. Brisbane-area hospitality and retail also get a midweek holiday on 11/08/2027 that trades more like a Saturday.
No. 10
September 2027: Father's Day and the real start of Christmas
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/09/2027 (Sun) | Father's Day (first Sunday in September) | All | 12/07/2027 |
| 17/09/2027 (Fri) | Queensland Term 3 ends (holidays 18/09/2027 to 04/10/2027); NT Term 3 ends | QLD, NT | 20/08/2027 |
| 27/09/2027 (Mon) | NSW spring school holidays begin (to 08/10/2027) | NSW | 30/08/2027 |
Father's Day arrives early in the month, so its planning window opens in July, and gift-led businesses can rework whatever sold in May for a different buyer. September is also when Christmas quietly begins for anyone who takes end-of-year group bookings, hosts client thank-yous or relies on December stock. The calls you make this month decide how December feels.
No. 11
October 2027: one long weekend, two reasons
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/10/2027 (Mon) | King's Birthday public holiday | QLD | 06/09/2027 |
| 04/10/2027 (Mon) | Labour Day public holiday | NSW | 06/09/2027 |
| 05/10/2027 (Tue) | Queensland Term 4 starts; NT students start Term 4 | QLD, NT | 07/09/2027 |
| 12/10/2027 (Tue) | NSW students start Term 4 | NSW | 14/09/2027 |
Queensland and NSW share a Monday holiday on 04/10/2027 for different reasons, so a cross-border business gets one long weekend and can run one message in two markets. Daylight saving returns to NSW in spring, but the NSW Government page hadn't listed the 2027 start date when we checked, so confirm it before you schedule anything time-sensitive. By the end of October, Christmas creative, stock and staffing should be locked, and everything after that is execution.
No. 12
November 2027: the sales weekend, then December prep
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/11/2027 (Fri) | Black Friday (the day after US Thanksgiving, which falls on 25/11/2027) | All | 01/10/2027 |
| 29/11/2027 (Mon) | Cyber Monday, the close of the Black Friday weekend | All | 01/10/2027 |
In its 2025 forecast, the Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan tipped Australians to spend a record $6.8 billion AUD over the Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend, with around 6 million people expected to take part, 3.5 million of them women. You don't have to join the frenzy: a local business can skip it and pour that energy into Christmas, or take part by adding value instead of carving up margin. Gift guides, party packages and client gifts all need to be out this month, while people are still planning rather than panicking.
No. 13
December 2027: a four-day Christmas break
| Date | What | Where | Plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/12/2027 (Thu) | NT students finish Term 4 | NT | 11/11/2027 |
| 10/12/2027 (Fri) | Queensland Term 4 ends (holidays 11/12/2027 to 23/01/2028) | QLD | 12/11/2027 |
| 20/12/2027 (Mon) | NSW Term 4 ends (summer holidays 21/12/2027 to 28/01/2028 in the Eastern division, to 04/02/2028 in the Western division) | NSW | 22/11/2027 |
| 24/12/2027 (Fri) | Christmas Eve part-day public holiday (6pm to midnight in QLD, 7pm to midnight in the NT) | QLD, NT | 01/11/2027 |
| 25/12/2027 (Sat) | Christmas Day public holiday | All | 01/09/2027 |
| 26/12/2027 (Sun) | Boxing Day public holiday | All | 01/09/2027 |
| 27/12/2027 (Mon) | Additional public holiday for Christmas Day | All | 01/11/2027 |
| 28/12/2027 (Tue) | Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | All | 01/11/2027 |
| 31/12/2027 (Fri) | New Year's Eve part-day public holiday (7pm to midnight) | NT | 03/12/2027 |
Christmas on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday push the extra public holidays to Monday 27/12 and Tuesday 28/12, so the break runs four days and your rosters, delivery cut-offs and opening hours all need to reflect it; tell customers your hours well before they go hunting for them. Early December is peak season for workplace parties and client thank-yous, and brand takeover nights cover hosting your best customers rather than simply posting them a card.
No. 14
Why Paint Juicy CONNECT? Because Paint Juicy connects!
Paint runs themed nights all year: 80s and 90s singalongs, ABBA, Movie Magic, Aussie Rock and plenty more. Each is up to 3 hours of painting, singing and catching up, mostly booked by groups of friends, sisters, mums and workmates. The headline rooms are something else again: Yeppoon booked 100 for a Saturday singalong on 01/08/2026, Currumbin hit 120, and the biggest rooms of the lot top out at 151.
That makes this calendar handy twice over for a brand. The dates show when your customers slip into a gifting, celebrating or treat-yourself mood, and a Paint night in the right town at the right moment puts your brand in a room that's already feeling it. Bring us the dates you've circled and we'll match them to themes and towns that fit.
No. 15
Calendar questions businesses ask
Do Queensland, NSW and NT school holidays line up in 2027?
Rarely. Queensland's autumn break starts on Good Friday, 26/03/2027, while NSW's doesn't begin until 12/04/2027, the day Queensland students go back. Winter is staggered too, with Queensland off from 26/06/2027 and NSW from 05/07/2027, and the NT follows its own term pattern again. If you trade across state lines, treat each state as its own season.
Which 2027 holidays shift to a weekday?
Three of them, leaving Easter aside. Anzac Day falls on Sunday 25/04/2027, and Queensland, NSW and the NT all list Monday 26/04/2027 as a public holiday. Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on the weekend, so all three add Monday 27/12/2027 and Tuesday 28/12/2027. New Year's Day and Australia Day both land on weekdays, so nothing moves.
Are Mother's Day and Father's Day public holidays?
No. Mother's Day, Sunday 09/05/2027, and Father's Day, Sunday 05/09/2027, don't appear on the Queensland, NSW or NT public holiday lists. They're gifting days, so normal Sunday trading applies. The planning still starts weeks ahead, because most of the shopping happens before the Sunday itself.
Which dates need the longest run-up?
Christmas, the end of the financial year and the two parents' Sundays. Christmas decisions really get made in September and October, the financial year end is won in May and June, and Mother's Day and Father's Day reward anyone with the offer, stock and partners sorted eight weeks out. A single public holiday usually needs only a month.
Why aren't Queensland's regional show holidays listed?
Because the Queensland Government hadn't published its 2027 show holiday list when we checked on 11/10/2026. These holidays vary by town, and some areas have more than one. Check the official Queensland show holiday list once the 2027 dates appear, especially if you roster staff or schedule deliveries in a regional centre.
Your move
Plan your 2027 with us
Got a date circled and a town in mind? Tell us which moments matter to your customers and we'll show you where a Paint night fits around them. Why Paint Juicy CONNECT? Because Paint Juicy connects!
Want to see which towns and themes are already on sale? Pick your state.
