School Holiday Programs in Canberra

Summer 2026-27 holiday dates for ACT, and real holiday programs with dates, ages and prices, each checked on the provider's own site.

ACT summer school holidays 2026-27

Saturday 19 December 2026 to Sunday 31 January 2027

Government schools finish Term 4 on Friday 18 December 2026 and students go back on Monday 1 February 2027. New students start Mon 1 Feb 2027; continuing students Tue 2 Feb 2027. Independent and Catholic schools can differ, so check your school's calendar.

Source: ACT Government (Education), checked October 2026.

Holiday programs in Canberra (4)

Every program here has published dates and was checked on the provider's own page. Where a provider has not published a price or age range, the entry says so rather than guessing.

Arts, craft and performance (3)

Dinosaur World Live (Canberra City): Fri 8 Jan to Sun 10 Jan 2027. Ages 3 and up. Premium $69.90, Premium Groups 4+ $64.90 per person, A Reserve $59.90. A transaction fee applies.. An interactive stage show for families in which explorer Miranda leads the audience through a prehistoric world of large lifelike dinosaur puppets, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Triceratops. Ticketed theatre performance of about 50 minutes with no interval. Sessions on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Fri 8 Jan 6pm; Sat 9 Jan 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm; Sun 10 Jan 10am and 12.30pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Cirque Nouvelle (Canberra City): Tue 12 Jan 2027. Ages 3 and up. $55.00 to $75.00 plus a transaction fee (Premium, A Reserve, B Reserve; child, concession, family of four and group pricing). A circus show presented by Cameo Rascale Entertainment with acrobats, jugglers, aerialists and balancers led by a ringmaster character. One evening performance of about 1 hour 15 minutes with no interval. Child, concession and family-of-four tickets are offered. 6pm, one session. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Hook's Neverland (Canberra City): Thu 21 Jan to Sun 24 Jan 2027. Ages 8 and up. $79.90 – $149.90* (Premium $119.90, A Reserve $99.90, B Reserve Sight-Affected $79.90, VIP Package $149.90). A transaction fee applies.. A live family show that mixes circus, magic, comedy and visual effects in a retelling of Peter Pan's Neverland centred on Captain Hook. The story moves through Fairyland, the Lost Boys' hideout and a pirate ship. Runs about 1 hour 20 minutes with no interval, with matinee and evening sessions. Thu 21 Jan 6.30pm; Fri 22 and Sat 23 Jan 2.30pm and 6.30pm; Sun 24 Jan 10.30am and 2.30pm. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Events and shows (1)

Floriade Family Activities (Parkes): Sat 12 Sep to Sun 11 Oct 2026. All ages. Price not published. The Floriade program includes family activities such as gnome painting, plant-potting workshops, rides, games and live entertainment. Choose sessions carefully because inclusions, pricing and capacity vary across the program. Checked September 2026 on provider site

Questions parents ask

When are the ACT summer school holidays in 2026-27?

ACT government schools finish Term 4 on Friday 18 December 2026 and students return on Monday 1 February 2027, so the holidays run 19 December 2026 to 31 January 2027. New students start Mon 1 Feb 2027; continuing students Tue 2 Feb 2027. Independent and Catholic schools set their own dates.

How do we choose what goes on this page?

Only programs with published dates for the holidays, read on the provider's own website. Each entry shows the dates, ages and price the provider published, and links to that page. If a provider has not published its summer dates yet, it is not listed.

Do school holiday programs in Canberra need to be booked?

Day camps, workshops and zoo or museum sessions almost always do, and popular weeks sell out. Library and council drop-in sessions often do not. The link on each entry goes to the provider's own page where the current availability is shown.