England has eight bank holidays a year, the same eight as Wales and the joint fewest of the four UK nations. The next bank holiday in England is Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, followed by the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December 2026.
Bank holidays in England 2026
Eight dates, two of them still to come. The only irregularity this year is at Christmas: 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, so Boxing Day is observed on Monday 28 December, and the Christmas break runs from Friday 25 to Monday 28 December without a day of leave being booked.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | Thursday | New Year’s Day | — |
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday | Easter Sunday was 5 April |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday | — |
| 4 May 2026 | Monday | Early May bank holiday | — |
| 25 May 2026 | Monday | Spring bank holiday | — |
| 31 August 2026 | Monday | Summer bank holiday | — |
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day | Next bank holiday |
| 28 December 2026 | Monday | Boxing Day | Substitute day: 26 December is a Saturday |
The whole-UK picture for this year, with Scotland and Northern Ireland alongside England, is on UK bank holidays 2026; the Christmas week day by day is on bank holidays in December 2026.
Bank holidays in England 2027
Eight again. Easter is early (Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027), so three of the eight fall before April, and both Christmas dates slide into the following week because 25 December 2027 is a Saturday and 26 December a Sunday.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year’s Day | Three-day weekend |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday | Easter Sunday is 28 March |
| 29 March 2027 | Monday | Easter Monday | — |
| 3 May 2027 | Monday | Early May bank holiday | — |
| 31 May 2027 | Monday | Spring bank holiday | — |
| 30 August 2027 | Monday | Summer bank holiday | — |
| 27 December 2027 | Monday | Christmas Day | Substitute day: 25 December is a Saturday |
| 28 December 2027 | Tuesday | Boxing Day | Substitute day: 26 December is a Sunday |
Leave planning, working days per month and the employer notes for the year are on bank holidays 2027 in England. The Easter weekend, school holidays included, is on Easter 2027; the two Mondays in May on May bank holidays 2027; the last Monday of summer on August bank holiday 2027; the end of the year on Christmas bank holidays 2027.
Bank holidays in England 2028
New Year’s Day 2028 is a Saturday, so the year opens with a substitute Monday. Easter is late (Easter Sunday 16 April 2028) and Christmas Day is back on a weekday, so there are no substitute days in December.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 3 January 2028 | Monday | New Year’s Day (substitute day) |
| 14 April 2028 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 17 April 2028 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 1 May 2028 | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 29 May 2028 | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 28 August 2028 | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 25 December 2028 | Monday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December 2028 | Tuesday | Boxing Day |
Full detail on UK bank holidays 2028 and Easter 2028; the following year is already listed on UK bank holidays 2029.
How England differs from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
England and Wales share one list, published together by the UK government. Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own, and both are longer.
| Nation | Bank holidays a year | Compared with England |
|---|---|---|
| England | 8 | The baseline list above |
| Wales | 8 | Identical dates. St David’s Day (1 March) is not a bank holiday. |
| Scotland | 9 (10 in 2026) | Adds 2 January and St Andrew’s Day (30 November); has no Easter Monday; takes the Summer bank holiday on the first Monday in August; a one-off World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026. |
| Northern Ireland | 10 | Adds St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July). |
In practice: a worker in Manchester has the eight dates above; a colleague in Edinburgh has 2 January and St Andrew’s Day off but works on Easter Monday; a colleague in Belfast has two extra days, one in March and one in July. Six dates are common to all four nations: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, the two May Mondays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
St George’s Day is not a bank holiday
England’s national day, 23 April, is an ordinary working day: a Thursday in 2026, a Friday in 2027, a Sunday in 2028. England and Wales are the two UK nations whose patron saints’ days are not public holidays; Scotland has had St Andrew’s Day since the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007 and Northern Ireland has long had St Patrick’s Day.
The campaign to change that recurs every spring. Petitions to Parliament appear most years; Labour promised four new UK-wide bank holidays on the patron saints’ days in its 2017 manifesto; a government pre-consultation in 2011 floated moving the Early May holiday to St George’s Day or into the autumn. Nothing has been enacted. The standing objection is cost: Whitehall estimates for one extra bank holiday have ranged from about £1.2 billion to more than £2 billion in lost output, and England already has two bank holidays within five weeks of 23 April. A new one would need a royal proclamation or an Act of Parliament; neither is in prospect.
School holidays in England around the bank holidays
England has no national term calendar. GOV.UK sends parents to their local council’s website for term dates, and academies and free schools may set their own. The 2026/27 pattern most councils have published is indicative only: autumn half-term Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026; Christmas break from about Friday 18 December to Monday 4 January 2027; February half-term 15 to 19 February 2027; Easter holidays from Thursday 25 March to Monday 12 April 2027, so Good Friday and Easter Monday fall in the first days of the break; summer half-term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027, opening on the Spring bank holiday; summer holidays from about Friday 23 July 2027. Schools close on every bank holiday in term time; see Are schools closed on bank holidays?.
Is it a bank holiday in England? Quick answers
- Is 28 December 2026 a bank holiday in England? Yes. It is the substitute day for Boxing Day, which falls on a Saturday in 2026.
- Is Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve a bank holiday? No, in any year. Many offices close early by custom; there is no entitlement.
- Is 2 January a bank holiday in England? No. Scotland only; in 2027 the Scottish holiday is taken on Monday 4 January.
- Is Easter Sunday a bank holiday? No. Good Friday and Easter Monday are. Easter Sunday is one of the two days a year on which large shops in England and Wales must close, with Christmas Day.
- Is St George’s Day a bank holiday? No. See above.
- Is St Patrick’s Day a bank holiday in England? No. 17 March is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland only, as is 12 July.
- Is the King’s birthday a bank holiday? No, neither the official birthday in June nor 14 November. See the King’s Birthday.
- Is 27 December a bank holiday? Only when it is a substitute day: Monday 27 December 2027 is (for Christmas Day); 27 December 2026 and 2028 are not.
Time off and pay on an English bank holiday
A bank holiday in England carries no automatic right to a day off. The legal minimum is 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year, 28 days on a five-day week, and a contract may count the eight bank holidays inside that figure or add them on top. Nor is there any statutory premium for working the day: time-and-a-half or a day in lieu exists only where the contract says so. See bank holiday entitlement, bank holiday pay, working on a bank holiday and the pay calculator for part-time hours.
What closes on a bank holiday in England
Banks and the Post Office close, Royal Mail does not deliver, most GP surgeries shut with NHS 111 cover, supermarkets trade on reduced hours except on Christmas Day, trains run a Sunday-style timetable and bin collections usually slip a day. Our guides: shops, banks, Royal Mail, trains, GPs and pharmacies, bin collections, parking.
Frequently asked questions
How many bank holidays are there in England?
Eight a year: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May, Spring (late May), Summer (late August), Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The count only changes when the government proclaims a one-off day, as for the Coronation in 2023. Wales also has eight; Scotland nine; Northern Ireland ten.
When is the next bank holiday in England?
Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, then the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December 2026. The first of 2027 is New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January.
Is 28 December 2026 a bank holiday in England?
Yes. Because 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, the Boxing Day bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December across the whole UK. Christmas Day stays on Friday 25 December.
What are the English bank holidays in 2026?
Thursday 1 January, Friday 3 April, Monday 6 April, Monday 4 May, Monday 25 May, Monday 31 August, Friday 25 December and Monday 28 December 2026.
Why does England have fewer bank holidays than Scotland?
Scotland’s list, set under the same 1971 Act, includes 2 January and, since 2007, St Andrew’s Day, while leaving out Easter Monday: nine against England’s eight. Northern Ireland adds St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne to the English list, making ten.
Are bank holidays the same in England and Wales?
Yes. GOV.UK publishes a single England and Wales list and the dates are identical every year. Wales has no bank holiday for St David’s Day, despite repeated requests from the Welsh Government.
Is Easter Monday a bank holiday in England?
Yes, every year: Monday 29 March in 2027, Monday 17 April in 2028. Scotland is the only part of the UK where it is not.
When was the last new bank holiday added in England?
The Early May bank holiday, in 1978. One-off days have been proclaimed since, for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022 and the Coronation in 2023, but none has become permanent.
Bank holidays by year and by nation
- By year: 2025 · 2026 · 2027 · 2028 · 2029
- England in detail: bank holidays 2027 England · London · Manchester · Birmingham
- Other nations: Wales · Scotland · Northern Ireland
- Planning: next UK bank holiday · bank holiday Mondays · long weekends 2026 · long weekends 2027 · how many bank holidays in the UK · complete list of UK bank holidays