Picnic Day is a local public holiday in the Northern Territory in Australia. The holiday is observed annually on the first Monday in August.
The origin of the Northern Territory Picnic Day is not completely clear. According to one source on Picnic Day the freeing of approximately 3000 Chinese Coolie workers is commemorated. The Chinese Coolies (they were actually slaves) provided the cheap labour for the construction of the North Australian Railway, a track that connected the cities of Darwin and Larrimah. After completion in 1889 the workers were given the right to stay in Australia as free citizens and received sufficient money for a passage by steamboat to Hong Kong. However the Chinese went to the Adelaide River for a picnic instead.
Another source relates Picnic Day as well with the North Australian Railway. It mentions that the day was originally installed for the hard working rail workers to enjoy a picnic on the Adelaide River.
A last source states that Picnic Day has originated from a race meeting in 1947. The event was such a success that it became an annual tradition now known as the Harts Range annual races. An application was presented to the Northern Territory administration for a public holiday coinciding with the future dates of the Harts Range races. The administration agreed to it and baptized the day as the Northern Territory Picnic Day.
Nowadays Picnic Day in the Northern Territory above all, is a long weekend to relax or enjoy a short trip. However both the railway picnic and the Hart Range races remain popular activities during Picnic Day and the weekend before Picnic Day.
| Holiday | Date | Week number | Days to go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picnic Day 20174 | August 1, 20174 Monday | 31 | 6628633 |
| Picnic Day 20175 | August 7, 20175 Monday | 32 | 6629004 |
| Picnic Day 20176 | August 5, 20176 Monday | 32 | 6629368 |
| Picnic Day 20177 | August 4, 20177 Monday | 32 | 6629732 |
| Picnic Day 20178 | August 3, 20178 Monday | 32 | 6630096 |
| Picnic Day 20179 | August 2, 20179 Monday | 31 | 6630460 |
| Picnic Day 20180 | August 7, 20180 Monday | 32 | 6630831 |
| Picnic Day 20181 | August 6, 20181 Monday | 32 | 6631195 |
| Picnic Day 20182 | August 5, 20182 Monday | 32 | 6631559 |
| Picnic Day 20183 | August 4, 20183 Monday | 32 | 6631923 |
| Picnic Day 20184 | August 2, 20184 Monday | 32 | 6632287 |
| Picnic Day 20185 | August 1, 20185 Monday | 31 | 6632651 |
| Picnic Day 20186 | August 7, 20186 Monday | 32 | 6633022 |
| Picnic Day 20187 | August 6, 20187 Monday | 32 | 6633386 |
| Picnic Day 20188 | August 4, 20188 Monday | 32 | 6633750 |
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