Australia Day | History, Meaning, Date, Celebrations, & Facts (2024)

Australia Day, holiday (January 26) honouring the establishment of the first permanent European settlement on the continent of Australia. On January 26, 1788, Arthur Phillip, who had sailed into what is now Sydney Cove with a shipload of convicts, hoisted the British flag at the site. In the early 1800s the date, called Foundation Day, was celebrated by politicians and businessmen of New South Wales with private dinners. It then began to be called Anniversary Day, and in 1836 the first Anniversary Regatta, still held as the Australia Day Regatta and the oldest such sailing race in the world, was run in Sydney Harbour. In 1838, on the 50th anniversary of the settlement, official public celebrations were held for the first time. There were centenary celebrations throughout the continent in 1888, and in 1938, on the 150th anniversary, the day was proclaimed an official holiday. In 1988, January 26 became a national public holiday, and, in an effort to end the practice in some areas of celebrating the day on the closest Monday, agreement was reached in 1994 that the holiday would be observed on the actual date.

Government and military officials have long taken a prominent role in the celebration of Australia Day, which includes many public ceremonies, and beginning in the 1940s, with increased immigration to Australia, the day became a time for naturalization ceremonies. Sporting events, including horse races and regattas, have continued to be an important part of the celebrations, and the day’s festivities often end with fireworks. Since the late 20th century, Aboriginals and their supporters have criticized Australia Day celebrations as excessively nationalistic and have sought greater recognition both of the indigenous inhabitants of the continent and of the effect on them of European settlement.