How to Set Holiday Hours on Google (Christmas and Public Holidays)
Published:
Reading time:
Category:
Content
Set holiday hours on Google with Special hours, not by changing your normal weekly hours. Open your Business Profile, choose Edit profile, then Hours and Special hours, add each date, and set it to closed or your reduced hours. Do it at least a week before Christmas so customers don't turn up to a locked door.
Which dates should Victorian businesses set? (summer 2026 to 2027)
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December 2026 |
| Boxing Day | Saturday 26 December 2026 |
| Additional Boxing Day public holiday | Monday 28 December 2026 |
| New Year's Day | Friday 1 January 2027 |
| Australia Day | Tuesday 26 January 2027 |
Dates are from Business Victoria (2026, 2027). Add Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve too if your hours change on those days, even though they aren't public holidays.
How do you set special hours?
- Go to your Business Profile on Google Search or Maps.
- Choose Edit profile (on Maps, then Business information).
- Open Hours, then Special hours.
- Add each date and choose Closed or enter the hours you'll be open.
- Save, then check the profile from a phone that isn't signed in.
Google says special hours only show if your profile is set to "Open with main hours", and you can use them for closures of up to 6 days in a row (Google).
Should you confirm hours even if you're open as normal?
Yes. Google suggests confirming hours for official holidays even when they match your regular hours, so customers can see they're accurate (Google). Profiles without confirmed hours may show a warning that hours might differ on the holiday.
What if you close for more than six days over summer?
- Set special hours for each day you're closed, in blocks of up to six days
- Or, for a longer shutdown, consider marking the business as temporarily closed and reopening the profile on your return date, and set a reminder to do it
- Add a Google post with your closing and reopening dates
- Update your website banner and voicemail with the same dates
What do tradies need to think about?
- If you take emergency calls over Christmas, say so clearly and only claim what you'll actually cover
- Update your website's hours and your call bar text to match
- Set an out-of-office SMS reply with your return date
- Plan a post-holiday follow-up for enquiries that came in while you were away
What are the common mistakes?
- Changing your regular weekly hours for the holiday and forgetting to change them back
- Forgetting the extra Monday public holiday when Boxing Day falls on a weekend
- Setting hours on Google but not on the website, Facebook and voicemail
- Leaving it until Christmas Eve
Which other Victorian public holidays are coming up in 2027?
Christmas isn't the only time customers check whether you're open. Set special hours for each of these too. Dates are from Business Victoria (Business Victoria):
| Holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| Labour Day | Monday 8 March |
| Good Friday | Friday 26 March |
| Saturday before Easter Sunday | Saturday 27 March |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday 28 March |
| Easter Monday | Monday 29 March |
| ANZAC Day | Sunday 25 April (no replacement holiday) |
| King's Birthday | Monday 14 June |
| Friday before the AFL Grand Final | To be confirmed once the AFL schedule is released |
| Melbourne Cup Day | Tuesday 2 November (some non-metro councils have a local holiday instead) |
| Christmas Day | Saturday 25 December, with an additional holiday on Monday 27 December |
| Boxing Day | Sunday 26 December, with an additional holiday on Tuesday 28 December |
Put the whole year in your calendar now, with a reminder a week before each one to update Google, your website and your voicemail.
What if you're open on a public holiday?
Being open when competitors are closed is worth telling people about. Many customers assume small businesses are shut on public holidays and don't bother checking.
- Set special hours for the day with your actual opening times, even if they match a normal day, so Google shows them as confirmed (Google)
- Post on Google a few days before: "Open Boxing Day, 9am to 2pm"
- Add a line to your website banner and social posts
- If any services cost more on public holidays, say so up front
It's one of the easiest ways to pick up customers who would otherwise go elsewhere.
What should shops and cafés do differently in December?
Retail and hospitality hours often change several times in December, not just on the public holidays.
- Set special hours for late-night trading days and any extended weekend hours
- If you're in a shopping centre, match the centre's Christmas trading hours. See getting found inside a shopping centre
- Post about gift cards, bookings for Christmas functions or pre-orders if you offer them
- Plan the January quiet period: some cafés close for a week, so set those dates early
For many shops and cafés, December brings several changes to opening hours in a few weeks, and every one of them is a chance for the wrong hours to cost you a customer. Block out half an hour at the start of the month to set every date in one go, then check them again the week before Christmas.
How do you keep hours the same everywhere?
Customers may check your hours on Google, your website, Facebook, Instagram or a directory. If those disagree, they'll trust none of them, and the one that's wrong is usually the one they see. Update them together, in this order:
- Google Business Profile special hours
- A short banner on your website homepage with your holiday dates
- Your website's contact page and footer hours, if they'll change
- Facebook and Instagram hours, plus a post
- Your voicemail greeting and any automatic text or email replies
- Booking systems, so customers can't book a day you're closed
Take a screenshot of each once it's done. It takes a minute and makes it easy to check you haven't missed one.
What should your holiday Google post say?
A post makes your holiday plans obvious to anyone who views your profile. Keep it short and specific:
"We're closing for the holidays from [date] and back on [date]. For urgent jobs over the break, call [number] / We're not taking emergency calls over the break. Thanks for a great year, and see you in the new year."
- Add a photo of your team or shopfront
- Use the exact dates, not "over Christmas"
- Choose only one of the two middle sentences, whichever is true for you
- Post it a week before you close, and again on your last day
For more ideas, see 52 Google Business Profile post ideas.
What should you do when you reopen?
The days after a break are often busy, and it's easy to forget the admin that brings customers back.
- Check that your Google profile shows your normal hours again
- Remove the holiday banner from your website
- Change your voicemail and auto-replies back
- Return every call, message and form enquiry that came in while you were away, oldest first
- Post on Google that you're open again
If you marked the profile as temporarily closed, reopen it on the day you're back. Leaving it closed is one of the easiest ways to lose new customers in January.
Google's performance report shows how people interacted with your profile, including calls and website clicks (Google). Compare the holiday period with the same weeks last year.
- If calls stayed high while you were closed, customers may not have seen your hours; make the post and banner clearer next time
- If calls jumped on your first day back, your reopening message worked
- Note any complaints about turning up to a closed door, and which channel they'd checked
See reading your performance report for what each number means.
Morphic manages Google Business Profiles for Melbourne small businesses, including holiday hours, posts and updates all year. Get a free quote, or book a 30-minute call.
Related service. Google Business Profile management.
Related reading: 52 Google Business Profile Post Ideas for Tradies, Restaurant and Café Google Maps and Getting Found on Google Maps Inside a Shopping Centre.
Title 15 and Main Content 15: leave empty.
Related reading. Barber and Salon Websites.
Key Takeaways
Use Special hours for holidays; don't change your regular weekly hours.
Set Christmas, Boxing Day, the extra Monday holiday and New Year's Day at least a week ahead.
Confirm hours even on holidays when you open as normal.
Special hours only show when your profile is set to Open with main hours.
Match your website, social profiles and voicemail to your Google hours.
Emon Datta
Founder, Morphic Agency
Morphic Agency is a Melbourne-based UX design agency. We've shipped 50+ products across 15+ countries.
