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 20160 | August 4, 20160 Monday | 32 | 6623522 |
| Picnic Day 20161 | August 3, 20161 Monday | 32 | 6623886 |
| Picnic Day 20162 | August 2, 20162 Monday | 31 | 6624250 |
| Picnic Day 20163 | August 1, 20163 Monday | 31 | 6624614 |
| Picnic Day 20164 | August 6, 20164 Monday | 32 | 6624985 |
| Picnic Day 20165 | August 5, 20165 Monday | 32 | 6625349 |
| Picnic Day 20166 | August 4, 20166 Monday | 32 | 6625713 |
| Picnic Day 20167 | August 3, 20167 Monday | 32 | 6626077 |
| Picnic Day 20168 | August 1, 20168 Monday | 31 | 6626441 |
| Picnic Day 20169 | August 7, 20169 Monday | 32 | 6626812 |
| Picnic Day 20170 | August 6, 20170 Monday | 32 | 6627176 |
| Picnic Day 20171 | August 5, 20171 Monday | 32 | 6627540 |
| Picnic Day 20172 | August 3, 20172 Monday | 32 | 6627904 |
| Picnic Day 20173 | August 2, 20173 Monday | 31 | 6628268 |
| Picnic Day 20174 | August 1, 20174 Monday | 31 | 6628632 |
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