Pubs are steering clear of using the words 'Australia Day' in advertising for upcoming events on the January 26 public holiday, with some avoiding festivities altogether. 

In Sydney, hotels in Darlinghurst, Double Bay, Miranda, Cronulla and others are marketing their party events for the controversial date as 'public holiday eve'.

It comes as debate ramps up before this year's Australia Day public holiday - which commemorates the date in 1788 when the first fleet arrived from Britain into Sydney's Port Jackson. 

The Australia Day public holiday is traditionally a day where Australians take to the beaches, pubs, sporting events, BBQs and outdoor concerts to celebrate. 

But indigenous advocates and communities who consider January 26 to be 'Invasion Day' have repeatedly called for the date of national celebration to be changed.

For them the day represents the pain and suffering first Australians experienced after the arrival of the colonising fleet more than 200 years ago. 

The Burdekin Hotel in Sydney's inner-city Darlinghurst is one venue branding their party events as a 'public holiday eve' the night before January 26. 

Burdekin Hotel manager Aaron told Daily Mail Australia naming his event as an Australia Day party was 'insensitive to first nations people'. 

'I think there are better ways to approach the day. Rather than a celebration of the first fleet arriving it should be about Aboriginal culture,' he said. 

'There are still effects that are flowing down to first nations people [from colonisation].'

Other pubs putting on celebrations while avoiding the Australia Day title are the Golden Sheaf pub in Double Bay, the Miranda Hotel and Northies Cronulla Hotel.

The Clovelly Hotel, which often celebrates public holidays at its venue in the eastern suburbs, is also putting on a party on the eve of Australia Day without using those words in their marketing. 

Licensee Dan Murphy told the Daily Telegraph the day used to be one of his favourite days growing up - a celebration of Australian culture. 

'It's a sign of the times ... Now while it's still a culturally significant day, learning more about what it means to parts of the community, to tie in a celebration with that would be inappropriate,' he said.

'This is not a political stand. As a business we are trying to be neutral, like Switzerland. We don't want to dictate what other people do with the day.'

While remaining open, other pubs are avoiding Australia Day celebrations altogether this week, including the popular Watson's Bay Hotel in the city's east. 

It comes after organisers of the Australian Open chose not to stage any events marking Australia Day in order to avoid conflict over the under-fire national holiday.

While the tournament held a First Nations Day last week and will hold a Pride Day this Friday, January 26 won't get the same treatment because the occasion has become a magnet for controversy as a growing number of Australians believe the date should be changed.

The tournament will instead celebrate the women's game on January 26, according to a statement from Tennis Australia.

Conservative commenter Sydney Watson said the attack against Australia's national holiday needs to stop. 

'I am sick to death of this,' Ms Watson wrote to her 452,000 Twitter followers. 

'Australia Day is basically the one day where Aussies are actually openly patriotic.

'A fraction of the population can't stand it. So they push and shove to have the day blacked out entirely. Every year they successfully chip away at it a little more. It's despicable.'