Summer hours, a public holiday, and a day not everyone marks the same way
Australia Day is January 26, a public holiday in the middle of summer. For a cafe, bakery or local shop it is mostly a practical post: are you open, until when, and what should people grab on the way to the park. It is also a day many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and others mark with grief or reflection, so a loud sale in flag colours is a bad fit for plenty of businesses.
Below are 36 ideas, two scripts, and a posting plan. January 26, 2027 falls on a Tuesday. Check your state or territory's holiday notice before you publish hours, because public holiday rules are set locally.
Updated 28 October 2026 ยท by Danish, who makes TallyReel
Each one is written as the first line of the video. Copy it, or press Make this and paste it into TallyReel.
For shops and cafes
Our Australia Day hours, so you can plan the day off workHours script below. Put it up two days before.Make this
Open on January 26? Here is what is coming off the grillMake this
Last coffee orders before we close for the public holidayMake this
Heading to the beach? Grab these on the way, listed with pricesMake this
Five things made in Australia that we sell on a normal weekMake this
A thank you to the team working the public holiday shiftMake this
Summer, not a northern Christmas
It is the middle of summer here, so this is a cold drink holidayMake this
Sunscreen and a hat: the useful post, not another flag filterMake this
Where to watch the official fireworks, taken from the council listMake this
The beach car park fills early. Here is the plan if you want a parkMake this
A park picnic list: water, shade, and no glass if the sign says soMake this
Our window in summer light, with no fake snow and no sleighMake this
The date, kept accurate
What January 26 marks, in one minute, with the year attachedFirst script below. Check the wording against a reliable history source.Make this
The First Fleet reached Sydney Cove in 1788, not Botany Bay that morningMake this
The public holiday is set by your state. Check this year's noticeMake this
A fact we checked, and the page we checked it against, named on screenMake this
Why a short video should not invent a speech from 1788Make this
Citizenship ceremonies are held this week. Explain them without hosting oneMake this
A quieter option
Not everyone spends January 26 the same way, and the caption can say soMake this
If your team would rather not film a celebration, post the hours and stopMake this
Do not put the Aboriginal flag on a discount posterMake this
A clinic or a law firm can stay quiet and still say when they reopenMake this
We are closed so the team can be with family. Back on this dateMake this
Neighbours, not a debate: what a small business post is actually forMake this
What to film
The bakery tray at seven in the morning, before the holiday rushMake this
Setting the tables outside, with nobody walking through the shotMake this
The closed sign, filmed straight on, so nobody crosses town for nothingMake this
Reopening the next morning: the first batch out of the ovenMake this
What sold out, told the week after, with no invented numbersMake this
A map of the local event, only if the council says you may share itMake this
For a facts channel
Six small things people get wrong about the date January 26Make this
Sydney Cove and Botany Bay are not the same morning in the storyMake this
The day has not always had this name. Say that only with a sourceMake this
A timeline card: 1788, then only the dates you can point toMake this
Next year the date falls on a different weekday. Check the holiday thenMake this
One sourced minute is better than a loud minute you cannot footnoteMake this
Scripts you can copy
About 30 seconds each when read aloud. Paste one into TallyReel as your own script, or change the details first.
Script 1
What January 26 marks
1
Australia Day is January 26. Here is the part that is safe to say, and the part to leave alone.
2
On January 26, 1788, the First Fleet came ashore at Sydney Cove and the British colony of New South Wales was proclaimed.
3
The ships had reached Botany Bay a few days earlier. Those are two places, not one.
4
For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and for others, the date is a day of mourning or reflection, not a party.
5
A shop can post its hours without a speech. A history video should name its source and skip any line it cannot check.
6
Do not invent words for people who were there. A short, accurate minute is enough.
Script 2
Our Australia Day hours
1
Planning January 26? Here are our hours, before you drive across town.
2
We are open from eight until one, then closed so the team can have the afternoon.
3
The holiday menu is cold drinks, a sausage roll, and a bag of ice if we still have it.
4
Last food order is twelve thirty. After that the oven is off.
5
We are back the next morning at seven, with the usual menu.
6
If you are out, take water and a hat. It is the middle of summer. See you on the other side of the holiday.
When to post
Hours, pre-orders and a picnic list belong two or three days before January 26. On the day, one short post is enough for a shop: open or closed, and until when. The morning after, a reopen post catches people who missed the holiday notice.
January 26, 2027 is a Tuesday. A Tuesday holiday still changes the coffee trade and the lunch trade, even without a long weekend. If your state moves the public holiday, follow the notice for that year rather than the date alone. History and facts channels can start a week earlier, because people search the meaning of the date through January.
One week before: one sourced history video, if that is your channel.
Two or three days before: hours, last orders, what to grab for the park.
January 26: one short post. Skip it if the team does not want a celebration on the account.
The next morning: we are open, usual menu.
Summer, and a day people do not share
Australia Day is not a winter holiday. Snow, sleighs and northern Christmas props look like a template from another country. Film the real season: a cold fridge, shade, a hat, the beach car park, the bakery at 7am.
The date marks the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788, and the proclamation of the colony of New South Wales. The fleet had reached Botany Bay shortly before. Those two details are often mixed up, so say them carefully or do not say them.
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and many other Australians, do not experience January 26 as a celebration. Some use the names Invasion Day or Survival Day. A small business does not have to host that conversation. It does have to avoid treating the day as a joke, and it should not put the Aboriginal flag or the Torres Strait Islander flag on a discount poster. Posting your hours, with no party, is a complete and respectful option. Official fireworks and event maps should come from the council or the organiser, not from last year's memory.
Making it in TallyReel
Type one idea, edit the script before it renders, and use footage of your own counter, oven and street. Stock shots of beaches and harbours are fine for a general summer line. They are not a substitute for your shop. Schedule the hours post a few days out, and the reopen post for the next morning, with TallyReel, so the holiday itself does not depend on someone remembering to upload.
Questions
When is Australia Day?
January 26. In 2027 that is a Tuesday. Public holiday arrangements are set by each state and territory, so check the current notice before you post your hours.
What does January 26 mark?
The First Fleet's landing at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation of the colony of New South Wales. The ships had arrived at Botany Bay a few days earlier. Many people also mark the date as a day of mourning or reflection.
What should a cafe post?
Whether you are open, your hours, last orders, and when you reopen. A celebration post is optional. Hours alone are enough.
Should a business use the Aboriginal flag in a sale post?
No. Do not put the Aboriginal flag or the Torres Strait Islander flag on a discount poster. Flag-filter sales are a poor fit for this date.
Type the idea into TallyReel, read the script, and it makes the video for you: in the browser, on your phone, or in Studio on your own computer. Start on the free plan.