Three weekdays of midnight trading permitted in Adelaide in lead up to Christmas trading period

With the holiday season on the horizon, the Adelaide Christmas trading hours have been announced with plenty of time for shoppers to grab what they need.

Christmas shoppers in Rundle Mall. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

The three weekdays of midnight trading permitted in Adelaide in the lead up to this year’s Christmas trading period will be Thursday, December 19, Friday the 20th and Monday the 23rd.

This is in addition to midnight trading on Black Friday on November 29.

The dates were chosen after consultation between businesses and unions.

Legislation allowing shops to open until midnight on Black Friday and on up to three weekdays in December came into effect on November 1, 2022.

The three weekdays of midnight trading permitted in Adelaide in the lead up to Christmas has been announced. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

The rest of regional SA is deregulated and shops can trade whenever they choose.

The legislation also allows shops across Adelaide to open at 9am on Sundays and to permanently allow Boxing Day trading in the city and suburbs, with the exception of larger supermarkets.

Businesses can still choose to open later than 9am or not at all on Sundays and Boxing Day if they wish. Workers can refuse to work on Sundays and public holidays.

Industrial Relations Minister Kyam Maher said the three days of midnight trading would allow shoppers ample opportunity to buy last minute gifts.

“The ability to shop late into the evenings on these three nights provides greater certainty for retailers and increases flexibility for shoppers as they fill their stockings for Christmas,” he said, noting the reforms protect workers rights while allowing greater flexibility for shoppers.

Adelaide Economic Development Agency executive manager for Rundle Mall, Andrew White, expects November and December to be the two busiest months of the year for the mall.

“We will be taking full advantage of the extra trading hours granted by the state government, with Rundle Mall staying open until midnight on Black Friday and on the Thursday, Friday and Monday before Christmas Day,” he said.

“Last year, we saw the number of visitors increase by up to 25 per cent and spending rise by up to 70 per cent on days when the Mall was open until midnight.”