Royal Show gets exclusive new public holiday as part of major shakeup by the State Government

Organisers of the Perth Royal Show have welcomed its new public holiday as a chance to celebrate an iconic event that has brought West Australians together for nearly two centuries.

The new public holiday announced on Saturday is part of a major shakeup by the State Government to introduce two new public holidays from 2028.

One of the holidays revealed was Show Day — a public holiday dedicated to the Royal Show.

It will coincide with the first Monday of the September school holidays, replacing the King’s Birthday holiday which will move to June to align with the Eastern States.

Royal Agricultural Society of WA CEO Robyn Sermon said the new holiday not only acknowledged the importance of the State’s agricultural and food industry but also the iconic tradition the show had created for WA’s community.

“For almost 190 years, the Perth Royal Show has been part of the cultural fabric of WA, connecting city and country, bringing generations of families together and celebrating the very best of our State,” she said.

“This dedicated public holiday will ensure families, agricultural schools and regional communities can continue to share in one of WA’s most iconic traditions.

“We thank the WA Government for recognising the show’s significance to our community and our State’s history.”

Show Day will align with Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, who all have dedicated show holidays, as well as the Sydney Easter Show and Melbourne Royal Show that have significant public holidays coincide with their events.

Ms Sermon said RASWA worked closely with the State Government so the timing would continue to coincide with the first weekend of the school holidays.

“This is good news for schools that take part in the Show and for many farmers that need to return home for harvest preparations in early October,” she said.

Premier Roger Cook has not yet ruled out whether admission to the Perth Royal Show would be made free for Show Day.

“That’s part of our cost-of-living measures and it also brings everyone here and makes it an even better event,” he said.

“So we’ll continue to look at how we can enhance that.”

The other additional public holiday is for Easter Saturday, which will join Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday — bringing WA into line with every State and Territory except Tasmania.

Parliamentary Secretary Daniel Pastorelli said more than 10,000 submissions were received during consultation on the proposal, with support for a new public holiday “overwhelming across all sectors”.

But the increase in public holidays from 11 to 13 is likely to infuriate business, with the State Government’s own analysis showing WA employers would have to fork out an extra $147 million a year in additional wages.

The Public and Bank Holidays Amendment Bill 2025, to enable the changes to be made, is expected to be introduced into the WA Parliament this week.