What's open and closed in Australia on Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Day

The festive season is well and truly upon us and that means things aren’t running like they normally do.

Here’s your handy guide to what’s open over Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year.

When does everything close on Christmas Eve?

Most supermarkets, bottle shops and shopping centres will have normal trading hours on Christmas Eve.

All Woolworths stores across Australia will be open on Christmas Eve, except for the Bourke Street and Collins Square stores in Melbourne, which will close on December 22 and reopen on January 2.

Coles will also have normal trading hours across the country on Monday for those after some last minute food essentials.

Most Dan Murphy’s and BWS liquor stores will be open on Christmas Eve from 9am until 9pm. Select BWS stores, including Bondi Junction in NSW and QV in Melbourne’s CBD, will stay open until 10pm.

All Westfield centres across NSW will be open on Christmas Eve until 6pm, except Penrith and Tuggerah which is open until 5.30pm and Kotara at Newcastle closing at 5pm.

Most Victorian, Queensland and Perth Westfield stores will be open until 6pm or 5.30pm if you live in Adelaide.

For Victorian shoppers, Chadstone will continue its iconic 34-hour trade from 8am on December 23 to 6pm on Christmas Eve.

All ALDI stores will be open on Monday with varying trading hours.

What’s open on Christmas Day?

Unfortunately for shoppers who forget something after the shops close on Monday, barely anything will be open on Christmas Day.

The best bet for food or alcohol on the day is finding a restaurant as a fair few choose to open.

However, for those in desperate need for some last minute additions to Christmas lunch, Coles Express stores across the country will be open.

Particular IGAs, local grocery stores and corner shops may choose at the owner’s discretion and it is best to check on your local store for alcohol and food offers on the 25th.

Some local bottle shops might also be open on the 25th. Most BP and other petrol stations should be trading on Christmas Day for those needing petrol, bags of ice or snacks.

There will also be extended trading at many locations in the days leading up to Christmas Day.

Can you go to the movie cinema on Christmas Day?

For those who need a bit of a break from the festivities, select Hoyts cinemas across the country will be screening films from 3pm on Christmas Day. Bumblebee, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and the Grinch will be some of the movies on offer.

In NSW, Bankstown, Blacktown, Broadway, Charlestown, Chatswood Westfield, Eastgardens, Erina,
Penrith, Warrawong, Warringah Mall and Wetherill Park Hoyts will be open.

Broadmeadows, Chadstone, Eastland in Victoria will also be showing, as will Forest Hill, Greensborough, Highpoint, Melbourne Central and Northland in Queensland.

Boxing Day sales and trading hours

Stores will reopen for Boxing Day and many shopping centres and retailers will have extended hours for bargain-hunters.

After the 24-hour closure, Coles will reopen on the 26th at all stores in the ACT, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

In NSW, all stores will be open except for Smithfield, Cooma and Glen Innes. Coles will also be trading everywhere in Victoria except for Coburg on Boxing day and in Western Australia, Narrogin will be the only Coles that stays shut.

Woolworths will be similar with all stores across the country reopening on the 26th except for Leichhardt Marketplace, Sydney Metcentre and 333 George Street in NSW.

Melbourne Central, Bourke Street and Collins Square in Victoria will also be the only ones in the state closed on Boxing Day.

All stores will be open on Wednesday 26th December except Leichhardt Marketplace, Sydney Metcentre and 333 George Street.

Chadstone will reopen on Boxing Day at 6am and will then be open every day, including New Year’s.

New Year’s Day trading

Most Woolworths supermarkets will be open on both the 31st of December and New Year’s Day.

The exceptions include the George Street, North Sydney and Sydney Metcentre Woolworths in NSW, and Melbourne Central, Bourke Street and Collins Square in Victoria, which will be closed New Year’s Day.

In Queensland, Weipa, Mission Beach, Mt Isa, Ayr, Bowen, Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Proserpine, Blackwater, Childers, Pittsworth, Chinchilla, Kingaroy and Roma Woolworths will also be closed on January 1.

In NSW, all Coles stores will be open New Year’s Day excluding Smithfield. Croydon North, Surrey Hills, Knox and Coburg in Victoria will be the only Coles to be shut on the 1st.

CBD stores in Adelaide will be open, but trading from 11am and closing at 5pm.

Most shopping centres and bottle shops will be open New Year’s Eve and Day.