A destination website’s year is shaped by a handful of dates it doesn’t choose: school holidays, long weekends, the big events, the industry calendar and, in 2027, a change to consumer law. Most of the website work for each one happens a month before the date, not on it. Here are the 2027 dates worth putting in your plan now, and the job each one gives the site.

January to March: summer, the Open and Easter

The summer holidays run into late January and early February. In Victoria, government schools finish on Friday 18 December 2026 and students return on Thursday 28 January (Victorian Government⁠ (opens in a new tab)). Other states return between late January and early February, so check your state education department’s calendar for the markets you draw from.

The Australian Open runs 11-31 January at Melbourne Park, with Opening Week from 11 January and the main draw from 17 January (Melbourne Park⁠ (opens in a new tab)), and Australia Day is Tuesday 26 January (Fair Work Ombudsman⁠ (opens in a new tab)), which makes a long weekend for many.

The 150th Anniversary Test, Australia against England, is at the MCG on 11-15 March (ABC News⁠ (opens in a new tab)). It is a day-night match, which matters if you are writing for visitors who will have mornings free.

Easter falls early: Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday 29 March (Fair Work Ombudsman⁠ (opens in a new tab)). In Victoria and Queensland the autumn school holidays start at Easter; in NSW and South Australia they come two weeks later.

What to do on the site: have Easter content live by late February, because families book early for an early Easter. Publish summer event pages by early December with dates, venues and booking links (our event pages checklist covers what each needs). And keep the crisis page ready through the fire season; our crisis-ready checklist covers it.

April to June: Anzac Day, ATE and a law change

Anzac Day is Sunday 25 April. Some states and territories add or move a public holiday to Monday 26 April, so check yours (Fair Work Ombudsman⁠ (opens in a new tab)). Where they do, it makes a long weekend.

The Australian Tourism Exchange is in Sydney, 16-20 May, at ICC Sydney, delivered by Tourism Australia with Destination NSW (Tourism Australia⁠ (opens in a new tab)). International buyers look at destination sites before and after the meetings, so the pages for trade audiences and the itineraries that show how a region fits into a wider trip deserve a refresh in April.

On 1 July, new consumer rules start. According to McCullough Robertson’s summary of the law, which has passed, unfair trading practices will be banned from 1 July 2027; businesses must clearly and prominently display any additional per-transaction charges near the base price; and where customers can sign up online, they must be able to cancel online (McCullough Robertson, July 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab)). This is not legal advice, but the website consequence is clear: any booking, ticketing or membership flow on your site, or run by your organisation, needs checking before July.

What to do on the site: schedule an April review of trade and itinerary pages ahead of ATE, and a May audit of any page where you sell something (event tickets, memberships, merchandise) against the new pricing and cancellation rules.

July to September: winter and the Netball World Cup

The Netball World Cup is in Sydney from 25 August to 5 September (Netball World Cup 2027⁠ (opens in a new tab)). For regions within reach of Sydney, it is a reason to publish short-break itineraries aimed at visiting fans and their families.

Winter school holidays fall in early July in most states, and the spring break runs from late September into early October. Day-trip content matters in both; the June-quarter figures showed how fast day-trip spending grew in 2026 (Day-trip spending rose 23%).

October to November: a Rugby World Cup in seven cities

The Men’s Rugby World Cup runs from 1 October to 13 November 2027. It opens in Perth, with matches in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Newcastle and Townsville, and the final at Stadium Australia in Sydney on 13 November (World Rugby⁠ (opens in a new tab)).

Matches are spread across seven cities over six weeks, so many visitors will travel between them. A region within a few hours of a host city can win them on the days between matches.

What to do on the site: international visitors plan months ahead, so draft these pages in March and have them live by June. Answer a match-goer’s questions: how far you are from the stadium city, how to get there without a car, what to do on a rest day, and where to stay. Name the tournament and the dates; don’t imply an official link you don’t have. Then October’s spring fire outlook returns, and the crisis page needs its annual check.

All year: the quarterly numbers

Tourism Research Australia publishes domestic and international results each quarter, and its 2027 release dates were not yet announced when we wrote this. Put a reminder in the week after each release to read your state’s figures, update the one or two numbers your board papers quote, and note anything that should change what the website leads with.

A one-page 2027 checklist

  • February: Easter pages live; summer event pages updated with what’s left of the season.
  • March: day-trip and short-break content for the autumn holidays; Rugby World Cup pages drafted.
  • April: trade and itinerary pages refreshed ahead of ATE in May.
  • May: booking, ticketing and membership flows checked against the 1 July rules.
  • June: winter holiday content; Rugby World Cup pages live.
  • August: Netball World Cup itineraries live.
  • September: Rugby World Cup pages checked against the final schedule; crisis page reviewed.
  • November: summer events and the holiday season.

Pin it above the desk, and check each date on its source page before you act on it. Some will move, and a few 2027 industry dates were still to be announced when we wrote this.