Buying alcohol over the Easter break can often cause confusion. The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Sales on Anzac Day Morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day) Amendment Act 2026, which takes effect on Good Friday 2026, has relaxed some prior Easter trading rules.
Here are four things you need to know so you don't get caught dry:
1. Most off licences can’t sell alcohol on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. That includes all supermarkets, bottle stores, wineries, breweries and anywhere that sells alcohol to take away.
2. There’s an exception to off-licence rules for wineries. These businesses are allowed to sell wine off-licence from their cellar door if they make the wine on site or harvest the grapes used to make the wine on site.
3. On licences like bars, restaurants, and cafes with a licence to sell alcohol to be drunk on-site can sell alcohol on Good Friday and Easter Sunday within their authorised opening hours. Old restrictions that required consumers to be a guest at the premises or be “on the premises to dine” to be eligible to be served alcohol were abolished in 2026.
4. Trading on Saturday and Monday is not affected.
