Easter Trading Hours 2026: What’s Open (and Closed) This Long Weekend

Quick Snapshot: Easter 2026 Trading Days

• Holy Thursday (2 April): Last chance to grab essentials
• Good Friday (3 April): Most retail stores closed, essential services are open, some services vary state-by-state
• Easter Saturday (4 April): Largely normal trading nationwide
• Easter Sunday (5 April): Reduced hours, depending on your state
• Easter Monday (6 April): Public holiday trading hours

Every year, it sneaks up the same way. You’re halfway through the Easter long weekend, someone suggests a last-minute barbecue, or the esky needs a refill, and suddenly you’re standing in front of a locked bottle shop, wondering how you got caught out again.

Good Friday in particular still hits like a reset button across Australia. Shops shut. Hours change. And unless you’ve planned ahead, you’re relying on whatever’s left in the fridge.

Here’s what’s actually open, what isn’t, and where you’ll still have options.

Bottle Shops

This is where most Aussies get trapped during the long weekend. Either you’ve rocked up empty-handed, or there’s not enough to last the weekend. Regardless, you’ll have to restock the fridge somehow. Here’s when the stores are open:

• Good Friday: Closed in most states. No walk-in alcohol sales.
• Easter Saturday: Open as normal
• Easter Sunday: Open, but some reduced hours
• Easter Monday: Open with public holiday hours

Good Friday is a pretty dry day unless you’re ordering alcohol with a meal from venues that are allowed to trade. But outside of that, you just need a little bit of forward thinking to avoid running out.

Dan Murphy’s

• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday: Open (typically 9am–9pm)
• Easter Sunday: Reduced hours
• Easter Monday: Public holiday hours

BWS

• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday: Open (often extended hours)
• Easter Sunday: Reduced hours
• Easter Monday: Public holiday hours

Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, First Choice

• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday: Open as normal
• Easter Sunday: Reduced hours
• Easter Monday: Public holiday hours

If you’re planning anything social, buy ahead. By Thursday night, shelves usually tell you exactly how many people had the same idea (spoiler: it’s everyone).

Supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths, ALDI)

No one wants to be hungry over the long weekend. Nor do they want to run out of the essentials like paper towels. There’s always a mess to clean. But if you’ve forgotten a star ingredient, or just ran out of T-sauce, here’s when the shops are open:

• Good Friday: Closed nationwide
• Easter Saturday: Open as normal
• Easter Sunday: Mixed. Open in some states, closed in others
• Easter Monday: Open, but reduced hours

If you need groceries, Saturday is your safest bet, even if the morning rush can be a bit chaotic. Sundays, on the other hand, can be a bit inconsistent depending on where you are.

Don’t gamble your long weekend by leaving the shopping this late. Stock up beforehand to avoid the Easter rush.

Woolworths

• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday: Most stores open 7am–10pm
• Easter Sunday: Reduced hours (varies by state)
• Easter Monday: Public holiday hours (usually 8am–8pm)

Coles

• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday: Most stores open 7am–10pm
• Easter Sunday: Reduced hours (varies by state)
• Easter Monday: Public holiday hours (typically shorter than usual)

ALDI

• Good Friday: Closed
• Easter Saturday: Open (reduced hours, often 8:30am–7pm)
• Easter Sunday: Limited trading depending on location
• Easter Monday: Reduced hours

IGA

• Good Friday: Many stores open (independent operators)
• Easter Saturday: Open as normal
• Easter Sunday: Usually open
• Easter Monday: Open, hours vary

If you’re relying on IGA to save you on Friday, you won’t be alone. Expect shorter hours, fewer options and queues.

Petrol Stations & Convenience Stores

The current fuel crisis makes this section a little harder to predict. While there are no trading restrictions on petrol stations during the Easter Long Weekend, shortages are impacting bowsers across the country, so your mileage may vary depending on where and how far you’re travelling. As for snacks and essentials, you’ll still be paying a little extra for the convenience.

Cafés, Restaurants & Takeaway

• Good Friday: Open, but fewer options
• Easter Saturday – Monday: Most trading, often busy

Hospitality doesn’t slow down the same way retail does. If anything, this is one of their bigger weekends.

Which also means:

• Public holiday surcharges
• Longer wait times
• Bookings disappearing quickly

There might be a table at your local café, but if you’ve got a specific restaurant in mind, don’t wing it.

Shopping Centres & Retail Stores

If spending the long weekend shopping is more your bag, you’ll want to lock in a Saturday session.

• Good Friday: Closed (with very few exceptions)
• Easter Saturday: Normal trading
• Easter Sunday: Varies by state
• Easter Monday: Public holiday hours

Centres bounce back quickly on Saturday, but Friday is still one of the few days in the year when everything properly stops.

The One Thing People Always Forget

Ice. You’ll remember this the second someone opens the esky and there’s nothing left. Because while everyone is focusing on the food and drinks, we often forget there’s limited space in the fridge, which means ice. And a lot of it to keep everything from going warm. This ain’t England. We don’t do warm beers here.

Petrol stations, bottle shops and some supermarkets will have you covered, but since every man and his dog wants a cold one, it’s usually the first thing to sell out.

The same goes for basics like bread and milk heading into Friday. Everyone realises at the last moment what they’ve forgotten. It’s not panic buying, it’s just bad planning.

When Does Daylight Saving Time End?

One more thing to remember: Daylight saving time will end on Sunday, April 5, at 3am AEDT. So not only do you need to remember store hours, you’ll also need to adjust your clocks (or more likely, they’ll adjust themselves, because it’s 2026). Otherwise, you might end up at the shops at the wrong time and still out of luck.

Easter Essentials

• Plan for Friday to be closed. That’s the only day that really catches people.
• Saturday is your reset day. Everything’s open again.
• Sunday and Monday are workable, but patchy.

Treat Thursday night like your last proper shop, and you won’t get caught out. Sure, it’ll get busy, and there will be queues. But if you don’t get a head start, you’ll be at the servo paying $6 for milk and pretending it was always the plan.

Easter Long weekend Trading Hours, State-By-State

State	Good Friday (3 April)	Easter Sat (4 April)	Easter Sun (5 April)	Easter Mon (6 April)
NSW	Closed (Restricted)	Open (Normal)	Closed (Majors)	Open (Public Holiday)
VIC	Closed (Restricted)	Open (Normal)	Open (Most stores)	Open (Public Holiday)
QLD	Closed (Restricted)	Open (Normal)	Limited (Varies)	Open (Public Holiday)
WA	Closed (Restricted)	Open (8am–5pm)	Open (11am–5pm)	Open (8am–6pm)
SA	Closed (Strict)	Open (Until 5pm)	Closed (Majors)	Open (CBD Only)
TAS/ACT	Closed (Restricted)	Open (Normal)	Open	Open (Public Holiday)

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