Public holidays in United Kingdom
6 days in 2026 · 6 in 2027
Back to United KingdomNext public holiday
Christmas Day
After it: St. Stephen's Day, Monday 28 December
Friday, 25 December 2026
The United Kingdom keeps three lists of bank holidays, not one. England and Wales have eight a year, Scotland nine and Northern Ireland ten. Six fall on the same dates everywhere: New Year's Day, Good Friday, the early May and spring bank holidays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The summer bank holiday is kept in all four nations too, but on the first Monday in August in Scotland and the last Monday elsewhere.
A bank holiday that lands on a Saturday or Sunday is not lost. A weekday replaces it, normally the following Monday, and the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 does not allow a royal proclamation to cancel one without naming another day in its place. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, so the day off is Monday 28 December. In 2027 Christmas Day and Boxing Day both land on the weekend, and the days off become Monday 27 December and Tuesday 28 December.
Banks close on a bank holiday, and most employers give the day off or extra pay, but British law gives no right to paid leave on a bank holiday; where one is given, it counts towards the 28 days of statutory minimum leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998.
- Days off in 2026
- 6Nationwide public holidays
- On a weekday
- 6Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 0Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 4and 1 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in United Kingdom in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's DayScotland had it in the Bank Holidays Act 1871. England, Wales and Northern Ireland only made it a bank holiday on 1 January 1974.Thursday
- 3 April: Good FridayA common law holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, kept by custom rather than named in the 1871 Act; in Scotland it is statutory.FridayDate moves
- 4 May: Early May Bank HolidayThe first Monday in May, set by royal proclamation from 1978. It moved to 8 May in 1995 and in 2020 to mark the anniversaries of VE Day.MondayDate moves
- 25 May: Spring Bank HolidayThe last Monday in May, which replaced Whit Monday under the 1971 Act. For the jubilees of 2002, 2012 and 2022 it moved into June beside an extra day.MondayDate moves
- 25 December: Christmas DayA common law holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland an Act of Parliament abolished its observance in 1640, and the 1871 Act restored it as a bank holiday.FridayDate moves
- 28 December: St. Stephen's DayBoxing DayA bank holiday since 1871 in England, Wales and Ireland, and in Scotland only since 1974. On the weekend in 2026 and 2027 alike, so both years take it on 28 December.Monday
Long weekends
Long weekends in United Kingdom in 2026
Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.
- 4daysThu 1 Jan to Sun 4 JanWith Fri 2 Jan taken as leave · New Year's Day
- 3daysFri 3 Apr to Sun 5 AprGood Friday
- 3daysSat 2 May to Mon 4 MayEarly May Bank Holiday
- 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MaySpring Bank Holiday
- 4daysFri 25 Dec to Mon 28 DecChristmas Day, St. Stephen's Day
2027
Public holidays in United Kingdom in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
- 26 March: Good FridayFridayDate moves
- 3 May: Early May Bank HolidayMondayDate moves
- 31 May: Spring Bank HolidayMondayDate moves
- 27 December: Christmas DayMondayDate moves
- 28 December: St. Stephen's DayBoxing DayTuesday
Regional
Holidays kept in parts of United Kingdom
Public holidays in 2026 that are days off only in the regions listed, by their ISO 3166-2 codes.
- 2 January: 2 JanuaryGB-SCTScotland only, a second day of New Year kept by statute. Some banks now open with a limited service on it. On a Saturday in 2027, it passes to a substitute day on Monday 4 January.Friday
- 17 March: Saint Patrick's DayGB-NIRNorthern Ireland only. The Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903 added it for the whole of Ireland, then still part of the United Kingdom.Tuesday
- 6 April: Easter MondayGB-ENG · GB-WLS · GB-NIRA bank holiday since 1871 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland, where several councils give a local holiday instead.MondayDate moves
- 15 June: World Cup Bank HolidayGB-SCTA one-off bank holiday in Scotland on Monday 15 June 2026. It does not recur in 2027.MondayDate moves
- 13 July: Battle of the BoyneGB-NIRNorthern Ireland only, also called Orangemen's Day. Kept on 12 July, or on the Monday after when 12 July falls on a weekend, as in 2026.MondayDate moves
- 3 August: Summer Bank HolidayGB-SCTThe first Monday in August in Scotland, its date since 1871. The rest of the UK moved it to the last Monday in 1971, after a trial that put it in September in 1968 and 1969.MondayDate moves
- 31 August: Summer Bank HolidayGB-ENG · GB-WLS · GB-NIRThe first Monday in August in Scotland, its date since 1871. The rest of the UK moved it to the last Monday in 1971, after a trial that put it in September in 1968 and 1969.MondayDate moves
- 30 November: Saint Andrew's DayGB-SCTScotland's patron saint, a bank holiday under an Act of 2007. When 30 November falls on a weekend the statute itself moves it to the Monday.Monday
Scotland's list departs from the English one in four places. Easter Monday is not a bank holiday there, the summer bank holiday comes four weeks earlier, and 2 January and St Andrew's Day are added. Councils also set local holidays of their own, from the day after Up Helly Aa in Shetland to autumn Mondays in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Since Easter 1996 the Scottish clearing banks have closed on Easter Monday and on the last Monday in August to match England and Wales, and several councils have made Easter Monday a local holiday as a result.
Royal proclamation also adds one-off days. The Platinum Jubilee gave Friday 3 June 2022, the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II Monday 19 September 2022, and the coronation of King Charles III Monday 8 May 2023. In 2026 gov.uk lists a World Cup bank holiday for Scotland alone, on Monday 15 June.
The first bank holidays were named in the Bank Holidays Act 1871, brought in by the banker and Liberal politician Sir John Lubbock; some called them St Lubbock's Days. The Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 replaced it and still governs them.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in United Kingdom
How many bank holidays does the UK have in 2026?
It depends on the nation. England and Wales have eight. Northern Ireland has ten, with St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne added. Scotland normally has nine but has ten in 2026, because gov.uk lists a one-off World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June. In 2027 Scotland returns to nine.
Is Easter Monday a bank holiday in Scotland?
No. Easter Monday has been a bank holiday in England, Wales and Ireland since 1871, but Scotland's statutory list never included it; Scotland has Good Friday alone. Since the Scottish clearing banks began closing on Easter Monday in 1996, a number of councils, Edinburgh and Glasgow among them, have made it a local holiday, so many Scottish workers get the day off anyway.
What happens when a bank holiday falls on a weekend?
A substitute day replaces it, normally the following Monday. In 2026 the Battle of the Boyne falls on Sunday 12 July and Northern Ireland takes Monday 13 July. Scotland's 2 January lands on a Saturday in 2027, and Monday 4 January is kept instead. When Christmas Day and Boxing Day both land on the weekend, as in 2027, the substitutes run Monday and Tuesday. St Andrew's Day moves to the Monday under its own Act, with no proclamation needed.
When is the August bank holiday?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the last Monday in August: 31 August 2026 and 30 August 2027. In Scotland, the first Monday: 3 August 2026 and 2 August 2027. The split dates from 1971, when the rest of the UK moved its day to the end of the month, after a trial from 1965; in 1968 and 1969 that trial put the holiday in September.
Do employers have to give paid leave on bank holidays?
No. British law gives no right to a paid day off on a bank holiday, nor to extra pay for working one. The Working Time Regulations 1998 set a minimum of 28 days of paid leave a year, or 5.6 weeks, and bank holidays given as leave may count towards it. Whether a worker gets the day, or a premium for working it, depends on the contract.
Why does Northern Ireland have two more bank holidays?
St Patrick's Day, 17 March, was added for Ireland by the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903, and Northern Ireland kept it. The Battle of the Boyne, or Orangemen's Day, is proclaimed for 12 July, or the Monday after when that date falls on a weekend. In 2026 they fall on Tuesday 17 March and Monday 13 July, in 2027 on Wednesday 17 March and Monday 12 July.
What is the World Cup bank holiday in Scotland?
A one-off bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026, listed by gov.uk for Scotland only; England, Wales and Northern Ireland did not have it. It is not part of the regular list, and 2027 has no equivalent. Extra days of this kind have marked royal weddings, jubilees, a coronation and the millennium.
When are the Christmas bank holidays in 2026 and 2027?
In 2026 Christmas Day falls on a Friday and Boxing Day on a Saturday, so the bank holidays are 25 and 28 December, and the break runs four days from Friday to Monday. In 2027 both days land on the weekend, and the bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.
Is St Andrew's Day a day off in Scotland?
It is a bank holiday under the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007, on 30 November or the Monday after when that falls on a weekend: Monday 30 November 2026 and Tuesday 30 November 2027. Unlike the other days, the Act meant it to be taken in lieu of another bank holiday, and whether it is a day off is left to each employer or council.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-26. The page counts from Monday, 28 September 2026, the day it was built.