Also on Bank Holidays UK: St Patrick’s Day 2027: Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland Only · Easter 2027: Good Friday 26 March and Easter Monday 29 March · Bank Holidays 2027 Northern Ireland: All 10 Dates
Christmas 2027 falls on a weekend: Christmas Day is a Saturday and Boxing Day a Sunday. The bank holidays therefore move to Monday 27 December 2027 and Tuesday 28 December 2027 — substitute days that apply in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland alike.
Christmas bank holidays 2027: the dates
| Holiday | Actual date | Bank holiday (day off) | Applies in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Day | Saturday 25 December 2027 | Monday 27 December 2027 (substitute) | Whole UK |
| Boxing Day | Sunday 26 December 2027 | Tuesday 28 December 2027 (substitute) | Whole UK |
| New Year’s Day 2028 | Saturday 1 January 2028 | Monday 3 January 2028 (substitute) | Whole UK |
| 2 January 2028 | Sunday 2 January 2028 | Tuesday 4 January 2028 (substitute) | Scotland only |
All four rows are taken from GOV.UK, which publishes 2028 already. When a bank holiday lands on a weekend, a substitute weekday is designated so the number of holidays in the year stays the same. The 25th and 26th are still Christmas Day and Boxing Day for every other purpose — they are just not the statutory days off.
What the substitute days mean for your contract and pay
This is where December payroll disputes come from. Some contracts say you get “the bank and public holidays”; others name “Christmas Day and Boxing Day”. In 2027 those two wordings can point to different days: the bank holidays are the Monday and Tuesday, while the named days are the Saturday and Sunday. If you normally work weekends, or are paid a premium for working “Christmas Day”, ask your employer in writing which days they are applying.
- There is no statutory right to a day off, or to enhanced pay, on a bank holiday. Any premium is contractual — see bank holiday pay.
- Part-time workers who do not work Mondays or Tuesdays still accrue bank holiday entitlement pro rata if their employer counts bank holidays within leave — see bank holiday entitlement.
- If you are rostered over the substitute days, read working on bank holidays.
The 2027 Christmas leave hack: 3 days for 10 days off
Because Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day all fall on Saturdays or Sundays and are moved into the following weekdays, the working days between Christmas and New Year shrink to three: Wednesday 29 December, Thursday 30 December and Friday 31 December.
| Book these days | Where | Leave used | You get off | Days off in a row |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 29 Dec – Fri 31 Dec | E, W, NI | 3 | Sat 25 Dec → Mon 3 Jan 2028 | 10 |
| Wed 29 Dec – Fri 31 Dec | Scotland | 3 | Sat 25 Dec → Tue 4 Jan 2028 | 11 |
| Mon 20 Dec – Fri 24 Dec + Wed 29 Dec – Fri 31 Dec | E, W, NI | 8 | Sat 18 Dec → Mon 3 Jan 2028 | 17 |
Shops and supermarkets over Christmas 2027
Saturday 25 December
Large shops (more than 280 square metres of relevant floor area, broadly the selling space) must not open on Christmas Day in England and Wales under the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004, and in Scotland under the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Trading (Scotland) Act 2007. The ban follows the calendar date, so in 2027 it applies to the Saturday, not the substitute Monday. Small convenience stores can open.
Sunday 26 December
Boxing Day falls on a Sunday, so in England and Wales normal Sunday trading rules apply: large shops can open for any continuous six hours between 10am and 6pm. Any Boxing Day sale that opens on the 26th is limited to those Sunday hours in England and Wales.
Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December
No legal trading restrictions apply on the substitute days. Expect most shops and supermarkets to open, some on reduced hours; check each chain nearer the time on our supermarket opening hours, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Aldi pages. Northern Ireland has its own shop-trading legislation, so check local store hours.
Post, banks, bins and trains
Bank branches and most public offices close on both substitute days; Royal Mail does not deliver on bank holidays. Bin rounds almost always move over Christmas — check your council. Rail services are heavily reduced over the Christmas period and engineering works are common in the days that follow; check your operator. See Royal Mail, banks, bin collections and trains on bank holidays.
Christmas 2026, 2027 and 2028 compared
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec | Mon 27 Dec * | Mon 25 Dec |
| Boxing Day | Mon 28 Dec * | Tue 28 Dec * | Tue 26 Dec |
| New Year’s Day (following year) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 | Mon 3 Jan 2028 * | not yet published |
* substitute day. 2026 has only Boxing Day moved (to Monday 28 December 2026); 2027 moves both; in 2028 both days fall on weekdays again. The New Year’s Day that follows Christmas 2028 (1 January 2029) is not yet published by GOV.UK. Background: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and December 2026 bank holidays.
The New Year side of the break is covered in New Year bank holidays 2027; all dates are on UK bank holidays 2027 and UK bank holidays 2028. Scotland also has St Andrew’s Day 2027 four weeks before Christmas.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Christmas bank holidays in 2027?
Monday 27 December 2027 (Christmas Day, substitute day) and Tuesday 28 December 2027 (Boxing Day, substitute day), across the whole UK.
Why is the Christmas bank holiday on 27 December 2027?
Christmas Day 2027 falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday. When a bank holiday lands on a weekend, a substitute weekday is given, so the days off are the following Monday and Tuesday.
Is New Year’s Day 2028 a substitute day?
Yes. 1 January 2028 is a Saturday, so GOV.UK lists Monday 3 January 2028 as the New Year’s Day bank holiday across the UK. Scotland also has Tuesday 4 January 2028 for 2 January.
How can I get 10 days off at Christmas 2027?
Book Wednesday 29 December, Thursday 30 December and Friday 31 December. With the substitute days you are off from Saturday 25 December to Monday 3 January 2028 — 10 days, or 11 in Scotland.
Are shops open on Christmas Day 2027?
Large shops over 280 square metres must stay closed on Christmas Day, Saturday 25 December, in England, Wales and Scotland. Small shops may open. On Sunday 26 December normal Sunday trading hours apply in England and Wales.
Are shops open on 27 and 28 December 2027?
Yes, there are no legal trading restrictions on the substitute bank holidays. Most supermarkets open, some with shorter hours.
If I work on Christmas Day 2027, do I get bank holiday pay?
Only if your contract says so. There is no statutory right to enhanced pay on a bank holiday. Check whether your contract refers to the bank holidays (27 and 28 December) or to Christmas Day and Boxing Day themselves.
When are the Christmas bank holidays in 2028?
Monday 25 December 2028 and Tuesday 26 December 2028 — no substitute days needed.
- UK bank holidays — GOV.UK (dataset bank-holidays.json)
- Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004, section 1 — legislation.gov.uk
- Sunday Trading Act 1994, Schedule 1 — legislation.gov.uk
- Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Trading (Scotland) Act 2007 — legislation.gov.uk
Verified on 27 September 2026. Every bank holiday date on this page is taken from the official GOV.UK bank holidays dataset for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; the weekday for each date, the day counts and the leave calculations were generated by script from those dates rather than typed by hand. Shop, transport and school arrangements change — always confirm with the operator, retailer or council.