Also on Bank Holidays UK: St Patrick’s Day 2027: Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland Only · Public Holidays in Norway 2026 & 2027: Complete Guide for UK Travellers · Bank Holidays 2027 Northern Ireland: All 10 Dates
There are 8 bank holidays in England and Wales in 2026, 10 in Scotland (including a one-off World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June) and 10 in Northern Ireland — 14 different dates across the UK. The one date that catches people out this year is Boxing Day: 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Monday 28 December, giving a four-day Christmas weekend from Friday 25 to Monday 28 December.
UK bank holidays 2026: the full list
All 14 dates observed somewhere in the UK during 2026, in calendar order. A tick marks a statutory bank holiday in that nation.
| Date | Bank holiday | Eng & Wales | Scotland | N. Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Jan | New Year’s Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fri 2 Jan | 2nd January | — | ✓ | — |
| Tue 17 Mar | St Patrick’s Day | — | — | ✓ |
| Fri 3 Apr | Good Friday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mon 6 Apr | Easter Monday | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Mon 4 May | Early May bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mon 25 May | Spring bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mon 15 Jun | World Cup bank holiday (one-off, Scotland) | — | ✓ | — |
| Mon 13 Jul | Battle of the Boyne (substitute day — 12 July is a Sunday) | — | — | ✓ |
| Mon 3 Aug | Summer bank holiday | — | ✓ | — |
| Mon 31 Aug | Summer bank holiday | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Mon 30 Nov | St Andrew’s Day | — | ✓ | — |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mon 28 Dec | Boxing Day (substitute day — 26 December is a Saturday) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
2026 has only two substitute days, both because a fixed-date holiday landed on a weekend: Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December, observed Monday 28 December, whole UK) and the Battle of the Boyne (Sunday 12 July, observed Monday 13 July, Northern Ireland). Everything else fell on a weekday — Christmas Day is a Friday and St Andrew’s Day a Monday, so neither needed moving.
Bank holidays 2026 by nation
England and Wales — 8
| # | Date | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday 1 January | New Year’s Day |
| 2 | Friday 3 April | Good Friday |
| 3 | Monday 6 April | Easter Monday |
| 4 | Monday 4 May | Early May bank holiday |
| 5 | Monday 25 May | Spring bank holiday |
| 6 | Monday 31 August | Summer bank holiday |
| 7 | Friday 25 December | Christmas Day |
| 8 | Monday 28 December | Boxing Day (substitute day) |
Detail for each nation: England and Wales (identical lists — St David’s Day on 1 March is not a bank holiday).
Scotland — 10
| # | Date | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday 1 January | New Year’s Day |
| 2 | Friday 2 January | 2nd January |
| 3 | Friday 3 April | Good Friday |
| 4 | Monday 4 May | Early May bank holiday |
| 5 | Monday 25 May | Spring bank holiday |
| 6 | Monday 15 June | World Cup bank holiday (one-off, for Scotland’s World Cup campaign) |
| 7 | Monday 3 August | Summer bank holiday |
| 8 | Monday 30 November | St Andrew’s Day |
| 9 | Friday 25 December | Christmas Day |
| 10 | Monday 28 December | Boxing Day (substitute day) |
Scotland opened 2026 with a four-day New Year weekend (Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 January) and will take St Andrew’s Day on its actual date, Monday 30 November — the first time since 2020 that it has fallen on a Monday without needing a substitute. Scottish councils also set their own local holidays: see the Scotland page.
Northern Ireland — 10
| # | Date | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday 1 January | New Year’s Day |
| 2 | Tuesday 17 March | St Patrick’s Day |
| 3 | Friday 3 April | Good Friday |
| 4 | Monday 6 April | Easter Monday |
| 5 | Monday 4 May | Early May bank holiday |
| 6 | Monday 25 May | Spring bank holiday |
| 7 | Monday 13 July | Battle of the Boyne (substitute day) |
| 8 | Monday 31 August | Summer bank holiday |
| 9 | Friday 25 December | Christmas Day |
| 10 | Monday 28 December | Boxing Day (substitute day) |
See the Northern Ireland page.
Christmas and New Year 2026/27: the dates that matter
| Date | Day | Bank holiday? |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December 2026 | Christmas Eve | No — a normal working day (many offices close early) |
| Friday 25 December 2026 | Christmas Day | Yes — whole UK |
| Saturday 26 December 2026 | Boxing Day | No bank holiday on the day itself (a Saturday) |
| Sunday 27 December 2026 | — | No — an ordinary Sunday (Sunday trading hours apply) |
| Monday 28 December 2026 | Boxing Day substitute | Yes — whole UK |
| Tuesday 29 – Thursday 31 December 2026 | — | No — three working days |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | New Year’s Day | Yes — whole UK |
| Saturday 2 January 2027 | 2nd January | No; Scotland observes it on Monday 4 January 2027 |
So the Christmas break is Friday 25 to Monday 28 December without taking any leave, and Friday 25 December to Sunday 3 January (ten days) with three days of leave on 29, 30 and 31 December. In Scotland the same three days stretch to Monday 4 January — eleven days. Add Monday 21 to Thursday 24 December (seven days of leave in total) and you are off from Saturday 19 December to Sunday 3 January: sixteen days. The detail of the December dates, including pay dates and what is open, is on bank holidays in December 2026; the January side is on New Year bank holidays 2027.
Long weekends in 2026
| Period | Where | Days off | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 – Sun 4 Jan | Scotland | 4 | New Year’s Day and 2 January on Thursday and Friday |
| Fri 3 – Mon 6 Apr | Eng, Wales, NI | 4 | Good Friday and Easter Monday |
| Fri 3 – Sun 5 Apr | Scotland | 3 | Good Friday only |
| Sat 2 – Mon 4 May | All UK | 3 | Early May bank holiday |
| Sat 23 – Mon 25 May | All UK | 3 | Spring bank holiday |
| Sat 11 – Mon 13 Jul | N. Ireland | 3 | Battle of the Boyne (substitute) |
| Sat 1 – Mon 3 Aug | Scotland | 3 | Scottish Summer bank holiday |
| Sat 29 – Mon 31 Aug | Eng, Wales, NI | 3 | Summer bank holiday |
| Sat 28 – Mon 30 Nov | Scotland | 3 | St Andrew’s Day |
| Fri 25 – Mon 28 Dec | All UK | 4 | Christmas Day on a Friday, Boxing Day substituted to Monday |
New Year’s Day 2026 was a Thursday, so England, Wales and Northern Ireland had no long weekend to open the year unless Friday 2 January was booked as leave; the five that needed no leave at all were Easter, Early May, Spring, Summer and Christmas. The full planner is at UK long weekends 2026.
2026 against 2025 and 2027
Same eight holidays each year in England and Wales; only the weekday changes. Dates marked * are substitute days.
| Bank holiday | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Wed 1 Jan | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan |
| Good Friday | Fri 18 Apr | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar |
| Easter Monday | Mon 21 Apr | Mon 6 Apr | Mon 29 Mar |
| Early May bank holiday | Mon 5 May | Mon 4 May | Mon 3 May |
| Spring bank holiday | Mon 26 May | Mon 25 May | Mon 31 May |
| Summer bank holiday | Mon 25 Aug | Mon 31 Aug | Mon 30 Aug |
| Christmas Day | Thu 25 Dec | Fri 25 Dec | Mon 27 Dec * |
| Boxing Day | Fri 26 Dec | Mon 28 Dec * | Tue 28 Dec * |
Next year is a different shape: Easter falls in March, and both Christmas Day and Boxing Day move into the following week. The complete 2027 calendar, with long weekends and leave planning, is at UK bank holidays 2027; last year’s dates are at bank holidays 2025.
Pay and time off in 2026
Nothing in UK law obliges an employer to give a bank holiday off or to pay extra for working it; the statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks’ paid leave a year, and bank holidays may be counted within it. Two 2026-specific points are worth checking in your contract: whether the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December is treated as a day off (contracts that name “Boxing Day” rather than “bank holidays” can leave weekend workers short), and whether a leave year running January to December lets you carry the 29–31 December booking over. Our guides: bank holiday pay, bank holiday entitlement, working on bank holidays and the pay calculator.
Each 2026 bank holiday
- New Year’s Day — Thursday 1 January 2026
- 2 January (Scotland) — Friday 2 January 2026
- Good Friday — Friday 3 April 2026 (see also bank holidays in April 2026)
- Easter Monday — Monday 6 April 2026 (Easter bank holiday)
- Early May bank holiday — Monday 4 May 2026 (May 2026)
- Spring bank holiday — Monday 25 May 2026
- Summer bank holiday — Monday 3 August (Scotland) / Monday 31 August 2026 (August 2026)
- St Andrew’s Day (Scotland) — Monday 30 November 2026
- Christmas Day — Friday 25 December 2026
- Boxing Day — Saturday 26 December, observed Monday 28 December 2026 (December 2026)
Frequently asked questions about 2026 bank holidays
How many bank holidays are there in 2026?
Eight in England and Wales, nine in Scotland (adds 2 January and St Andrew’s Day, drops Easter Monday, takes the Summer holiday on 3 August) and ten in Northern Ireland (adds St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne). Thirteen different dates in all.
Is Monday 28 December 2026 a bank holiday?
Yes, across the whole UK. It is the substitute day for Boxing Day, which falls on Saturday 26 December 2026.
Is Boxing Day 2026 a bank holiday?
Boxing Day itself — Saturday 26 December — is not a working day, so the bank holiday is moved to Monday 28 December. If you normally work Saturdays, whether the 26th is a day off depends on your contract, not on the bank holiday rules.
What is the next bank holiday after Christmas 2026?
New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January 2027, across the UK. Scotland then has its 2 January holiday on Monday 4 January 2027.
When was Easter 2026?
Easter Sunday was 5 April 2026; Good Friday 3 April and Easter Monday 6 April were the bank holidays. Easter 2027 is much earlier — Sunday 28 March — see Easter 2027.
Was there an extra bank holiday in 2026?
No additional UK-wide bank holiday was proclaimed for 2026. The last one-off holiday was the Coronation bank holiday on 8 May 2023.
How many working days are there in 2026?
253 in England and Wales: 261 weekdays minus 8 bank holidays. Scotland has 252 and Northern Ireland 251.
Is 2 January 2026 a bank holiday?
In Scotland, yes — Friday 2 January 2026. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it was a normal working day.