📅 holiday

Adelaide Cup Day

Monday, March 9, 2026

— days to go

Adelaide Cup Day in South Australia falls on the second Monday of every March and is also known as March Public Holiday. The main event of this holiday, the Adelaide Cup horse race, occurs at this time. In 2027, Adelaide Cup Day falls on Monday 8 March. The holiday will be on Monday 13 March in 2028. While Adelaide Cup has held official holiday status since only 1973, the race itself has been going on since 1864. Originally, it took place in May but was moved to its present date in 2006 to take advantage of fairer weather and generate more income. Adelaide Cup is the second-oldest horse race in Australia, only the Melbourne Cup outdating it. It is held at the Morphettville Racecourse in Morphettville, which is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia’s capital and largest city. Originally, the race was a distance of 13 furlongs but was later raised to 16 furlongs and, finally, put on the metric system for a 3,200-meter race. That translates into about two miles. Once a “Group One” race, it is now “Group Two” but still draws the best jockeys and horses in South Australia into the action, along with some from other Australian states. Partly, they come just to test their horses’ durability in what is a relatively long race, the prize winnings of $400,000 (Australian Dollars) and the flurry of betting going on are also factors. There are actually eight races that occur during the Adelaide Cup, the first commencing around noon. Each race is spaced about 40 minutes from the last one, giving the crowd a chance to place bets, get refreshments, and socialise. Since the Adelaide Cup Carnival is going on nearby, there is more to do than “just watch horses,” and since Adelaide Cup Day holiday creates a three-day weekend, many go out on the town or the countryside, instead of or in addition to attending the Adelaide Cup. Things for the tourist to do if in South Australia for Adelaide Cup Day include:

History

The main event of this holiday, the Adelaide Cup horse race, occurs at this time. While Adelaide Cup has held official holiday status since only 1973, the race itself has been going on since 1864. Originally, it took place in May but was moved to its present date in 2006 to take advantage of fairer weather and generate more income. Originally, the race was a distance of 13 furlongs but was later raised to 16 furlongs and, finally, put on the metric system for a 3,200-meter race. There are actual

How It's Celebrated

Other Years

2027 Mon

8 Mar

2028 Mon

13 Mar

2026 Mon

9 Mar

2025 Mon

10 Mar

Countries

🇦🇺 AU

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🌍 observance Jan 26

Australia

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AUUS

📅 holiday Feb 10

Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck

The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a holiday unique to Malta because it was on Malta that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked around the year A.D. 60. In 2027, Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck falls on Wednesday 10 February. The holiday will be on Thursday 10 February in 2028. The feast is kept on February 10th each year, and as Paul is the patron saint of Malta, it is a much-anticipated event. Out of dozens of “saint days” on the church calendar in Malta, the Feast of Saint Paul is one of only a handful that have the status of a national holiday. The account of Paul’s shipwreck and three-month, wintertime stay on Malta is found in the Bible’s Acts 27:27 through 28:11. He was being taken to Rome as a prisoner to eventually stand trial before Caesar. God let him know in advance he would be shipwrecked but would spare the lives of all on board, which promise was later kept and in answer to Paul’s prayers for their lives. The Bible says the storm was in the Adriatic Sea, though Malta borders the Ionian Sea, because in ancient times, the Adriatic’s boundaries were considered to extend much farther south. The ship broke up on the rocks near the shores of Malta, and all swam ashore. The local population greeted them, but thought he might be a murderer whom the “goddess of justice” had finally caught up with after he was bitten by a poisonous snake. After he lived, however, they supposed him to be, perhaps, a god. Paul, however, soon showed them it was God’s power at work in a mere man by healing the governor of the island, Publius, and many others who were sick or disabled among the island’s population. No doubt, Paul preached the Gospel to them as well, and when he left Malta, the inhabitants gave him all necessary supplies out of gratitude. The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is kept at the “Parish Church of Saint Paul Shipwrecked” in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. It is also a day of processions and family get-togethers. Three things to do should you visit Malta, though hopefully not be shipwrecked there, on February 10th are:

🌍 observance Feb 13

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In 2004, National. Apology Day Inception. This holiday was officially recognized in Australia as a day to encourage apologies for past wrongdoings, and starting afresh