School Holiday Programs in Darwin

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

NT summer school holidays 2026-27

Friday 11 December 2026 to Tuesday 26 January 2027

Government schools finish Term 4 on Thursday 10 December 2026 and students go back on Wednesday 27 January 2027. Teachers finish Fri 11 Dec 2026 and return Mon 25 Jan 2027. Independent and Catholic schools can differ, so check your school's calendar.

Source: Northern Territory Government, checked October 2026.

Holiday programs in Darwin (7)

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.

Museums, science and libraries (5)

Discovery Centre Drop-In Activities (school holidays) (The Gardens): Sat 12 Dec to Wed 30 Dec 2026. Ages 3 to 12. Price not published. A drop-in activity space at MAGNT where children do play-based activities linked to current exhibitions, guided by their parent or carer. During NT school holidays it opens Tuesday to Thursday from 10.30am to 12.30pm, with extra weekend sessions on 12 and 13 December. Places are limited and no booking is needed. Tuesday to Thursday 10.30am-12.30pm during school holidays, plus Sat 12 and Sun 13. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Search | LEGO Minifigures at MAGNT! (The Gardens): Sat 12 Dec 2026 to Tue 26 Jan 2027. All ages. Free. LEGO Minifigures are hidden in the galleries and exhibition cases for children to find while exploring the museum. Families can do a LEGO count and share photos with the hashtag #MAGNTlegohunt. It is a free self-guided activity available across the December and January school holidays during museum opening hours. Daily 10am-4pm during museum opening hours; MAGNT is closed 25 December and 1. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Overnight Odyssey | LEGO Creatures (The Gardens): Tue 15 Dec to Wed 16 Dec 2026. Ages 6 to 12. Free. A museum sleepover with the MAGNT Education Team. Children explore the exhibitions after dark, build their own museum-inspired LEGO creature, search the natural science exhibits for LEGO minifigures by torchlight and watch a movie before sleeping in the Discovery Centre. An accompanying adult is required and bookings are essential. 5pm Tuesday to 9am Wednesday, parent-and-child overnight. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Exhibition in Focus for Children | From Jaws to Claws (The Gardens): Thu 17 Dec 2026. Ages 5 to 16. Free. A family tour of the Transformations natural science gallery with MAGNT Curator Emeritus of Molluscs Dr Richard Willan. Children see multiple crocodiles, touch real fossils and learn about marine stingers and mini monsters of the Northern Territory. An accompanying adult is required. 11am-12pm, one hour. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Children's Workshop | Inhabitants of the Monsoon Garden (The Gardens): Tue 22 Dec 2026. Ages 8 to 12. Free. Children work with the MAGNT Education Team to study the creatures living in the Monsoon Garden pond. Using digital microscopes they observe tiny invertebrates collected in water samples and learn to identify common freshwater creatures. It is a drop-off workshop; an accompanying adult is not required and bookings are essential. 1.30pm-3.30pm, two hours. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Arts, craft and performance (2)

Exhibition in Focus for Children | 2026 Telstra NATSIAA (The Gardens): Wed 16 Dec 2026. Ages 4 and up. Free. A guided tour for children with MAGNT Senior Curator of Art and NATSIAA Curator Dr Shannon Brett, who shares the stories behind artworks in the 2026 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. Children and families are encouraged to think creatively and share their own responses to the works. An accompanying adult is required. 4pm-5pm, one hour. Checked October 2026 on provider site
Sunday Funday | Magpie Geese (The Gardens): Sun 20 Dec 2026. All ages. Free. A hands-on STEAM workshop in the Discovery Centre run by the MAGNT Education Team. Participants create artworks inspired by magpie geese and learn about the species, which has its largest population in the Northern Territory. It is a free drop-in session for families and children of all ages. 11am-2pm, drop in any time. Checked October 2026 on provider site

Questions parents ask

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

NT government schools finish Term 4 on Thursday 10 December 2026 and students return on Wednesday 27 January 2027, so the holidays run 11 December 2026 to 26 January 2027. Teachers finish Fri 11 Dec 2026 and return Mon 25 Jan 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 Darwin 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.