Australia Day is an official national holiday in Australia celebrated on the 26th of January every year. It is held to commemorate the establishment of the first permanent European settlement on this continent. Australia Day 2024, like every other year, involves lots of celebrations, including concerts or sports events. Do you wish to learn more about this holiday? Perfect – just read on!

What and When is Australia Day?

Australia Day, also known as Anniversary Day or Foundation Day, has been somewhat celebrated for almost 200 hundred years. At first, however, it wasn’t an official national holiday. Instead, it involved politicians and businessmen of New South Wales, who organized private dinner celebrations. Later the holiday grew, and the celebrations started, including the Australia Day regatta in the Sydney Harbour, with 1838 marking the first official public celebration. However, Australia Day became an official national holiday much later – in 1938.

When is Australia Day celebrated? As mentioned in the introduction, it’s held on the 26th of January every year. The modern celebrations include contests for the Australian of the Year (in two categories: young and senior), along with choosing the local Australian heroes of the year. However, there are also many other, smaller ways to honor this holiday, namely concerts, sporting events like horse races and regattas, and lots of fireworks.

Australia Day

How to Celebrate Australia Day 2024?

You can celebrate Australia Day 2024 in many different ways, including joining some official events or organizing something of your own. Let’s take a look at some fun ways to enjoy this holiday.

  • Barbecue – Like May Day celebrations in Poland, Australia Day celebrations in Australia involve throwing a barbecue. Just get your friends together and enjoy this time in your backyard – be sure to wait for the evening and watch the fireworks together!
  • Evening at a beach – Since many celebrations take place in the harbors, it might be a great idea to simply lay down on the beach and enjoy watching regattas and fireworks displays. You get to both chill out and see something that you wouldn’t experience otherwise.
  • Go to a parade – How often do you see parades in big cities? Just a few times a year. Thus, going to one commemorating Australia Day 2024 is a great idea – you’ll spend time in a unique way and have lots of fun!
  • Go to a restaurant – Many diners will offer special Australia Day menus with traditional dishes, so why don’t you treat yourself to a delicious dinner?
  • See a local concert – Don’t opt for the big names, but rather for your local artists and go to their concert. Not only will you support the growing talents in the Australian music industry, but you’ll also have a marvelous time and perhaps discover a hidden gem.

Australia Day Celebrations with YouMap

Did you know that you could use YouMap, our social mapping app, to find Australia Day celebrations and share your thoughts and recommendations with other people? It’s all plain simple. You just need to download the app and search for maps dedicated to this holiday where the best celebrations in the area are listed.

There’s no such map? So create your own and share it around – after all, you can embed it into your social media or blog. This way, you’ll be the one letting people know about fun Australia Day Celebrations near you.

You can also create a collaborative map where you and other users can share info on the local celebrations. It’s especially useful if you live abroad – you can create a map, send it to the Aussies you know that live near you, and tell them to share it further, and this way, discover all the events that are planned for Australia Day 2024 in your location – ain’t that convenient?

The Takeaway

So, what are you going to do to celebrate this year’s Australia Day? Whether it’s going to be a barbecue, a concert or a display of fireworks, we’re sure you’ll have fun! Remember to check out YouMap for holiday events near you – you don’t want to miss out on some fun celebrations in your area, do you?

You may also read: Reflecting on 2023: Creating a Year-in-Review Map with YouMap