Also on Bank Holidays UK: Bank Holiday April 2026 — Easter Weekend · UK Long Weekends 2026 — Bank Holiday Planner · Bank Holiday December 2026 — Christmas & Boxing Day
The UK has eight statutory bank holidays in England and Wales, nine in Scotland and ten in Northern Ireland. This is the complete list of UK bank holidays — every one of them, with 2026 dates, history, regional rules and what shuts on each day. Last reviewed Wednesday 6 May 2026.
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At a glance — all UK bank holidays summary table
This is the master list of UK bank holidays in 2026, with the date in each region. The next one to come (as of 6 May 2026) is the Spring Bank Holiday on 25 May — see our live countdown.
| Holiday | 2026 date | Eng | Wales | Scot | NI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thu 1 Jan 2026 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2nd January (Scotland) | Fri 2 Jan 2026 | — | — | ✓ | — |
| St Patrick’s Day (NI) | Tue 17 Mar 2026 | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Good Friday | Fri 3 Apr 2026 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Easter Monday | Mon 6 Apr 2026 | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Early May Bank Holiday | Mon 4 May 2026 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spring Bank Holiday | Mon 25 May 2026 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Battle of the Boyne (NI) | Mon 13 Jul 2026 | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Summer Bank Holiday (Scot.) | Mon 3 Aug 2026 | — | — | ✓ | — |
| Summer Bank Holiday (E/W/NI) | Mon 31 Aug 2026 | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| St Andrew’s Day (Scotland) | Mon 30 Nov 2026 | — | — | ✓ | — |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec 2026 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Boxing Day (substitute) | Mon 28 Dec 2026 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
The eight common UK bank holidays explained
New Year’s Day — Thursday 1 January 2026
The first bank holiday of the year and the only one fixed on a calendar date rather than a particular weekday. New Year’s Day became a UK-wide bank holiday in 1974 (it was already a public holiday in Scotland by long tradition). When 1 January falls on a weekend the next Monday becomes the substitute day — that happened most recently in 2023.
Good Friday — Friday 3 April 2026
Good Friday is technically a common-law holiday rather than a statutory bank holiday — it was already observed before the 1871 Bank Holidays Act and so was simply preserved. It is still one of the most widely observed UK bank holidays and falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday. See our full Good Friday 2026 page.
Easter Monday — Monday 6 April 2026
The Monday after Easter Sunday. Created by Sir John Lubbock’s original Bank Holidays Act 1871. Notably not a bank holiday in Scotland — though most Scottish employers still grant it customarily. See Easter bank holiday 2026.
Early May Bank Holiday — Monday 4 May 2026
The youngest of the eight, introduced in May 1978 by Labour’s Michael Foot, then Lord President of the Council. Always falls on the first Monday in May. Closely associated with traditional May Day celebrations — see Early May Bank Holiday 2026.
Spring Bank Holiday — Monday 25 May 2026
Replaced the religious “Whit Monday” holiday in 1971. Always the last Monday of May, so the date moves between 25 and 31 May. Coincides with school half-term in England and Wales. This is the next UK bank holiday — see our live countdown.
Summer Bank Holiday — Monday 31 August 2026 (E/W/NI) · Monday 3 August 2026 (Scotland)
The only common holiday that falls on different dates in different nations. England, Wales and Northern Ireland take the last Monday of August; Scotland takes the first Monday of August by long-standing convention preserved when the modern bank-holiday system was codified in 1971. See Summer Bank Holiday 2026.
Christmas Day — Friday 25 December 2026
The most universally observed UK holiday, also a common-law rather than statutory bank holiday. Banks, government and most retail close. When Christmas Day lands on a weekend the substitute day rule applies — but in 2026 it falls cleanly on Friday 25 December.
Boxing Day — Saturday 26 December 2026 → substituted to Monday 28 December
The day after Christmas Day. Because 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, the bank holiday is “moved” to the next available weekday — Monday 28 December 2026. The actual 26th remains Boxing Day in name and tradition, but is not a bank holiday this year.
Regional bank holidays beyond the common eight
Scotland — adds two extra days
| Holiday | 2026 date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd January | Fri 2 Jan 2026 | Hangover-friendly post-Hogmanay holiday, statutory in Scotland only since 1973. |
| St Andrew’s Day | Mon 30 Nov 2026 | National day; became a Scottish bank holiday in 2007 under the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007. When 30 November falls on a weekend it moves to the next Monday — this year 30 Nov is itself a Monday. |
Scotland also takes the Summer Bank Holiday on the first Monday of August (3 August 2026) and skips Easter Monday — a net +1 day vs England. Full Scotland bank holiday calendar.
Northern Ireland — adds two extra days
| Holiday | 2026 date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| St Patrick’s Day | Tue 17 Mar 2026 | Bank holiday in NI only. Becomes a substitute Monday if 17 March falls on a weekend. |
| Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) | Mon 13 Jul 2026 | Commemorates the 1690 victory of William of Orange. Always 12 July or — when 12 July is a weekend — the following Monday; in 2026 the 12th is a Sunday, so the holiday moves to Monday 13 July. |
Full Northern Ireland bank holiday calendar.
Crown Dependencies (not UK but often confused)
The Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey are not part of the UK and have their own legislatures, but their bank-holiday calendars closely mirror England’s. They each add a small number of local holidays — for example Tynwald Day on 5 July in the Isle of Man, and Liberation Day on 9 May in Jersey and Guernsey.
Why does the UK have exactly eight bank holidays?
The number is largely an accident of Victorian banking law. Sir John Lubbock’s Bank Holidays Act 1871 formally created four bank holidays in England, Wales and Ireland (Easter Monday, Whit Monday, the first Monday in August, and Boxing Day) and added five in Scotland. The list quietly accumulated additions over a century: New Year’s Day became universally observed in 1974, the Early May Bank Holiday was added in 1978, and the August holiday was moved from the first to the last Monday of the month in 1971 in England.
The UK total has stayed at eight common days ever since, occasionally topped up by one-off royal jubilee or coronation holidays — most recently the King’s Coronation on 8 May 2023.
By international comparison the UK is at the low end. The European average is 11–12 days; only Hungary, Denmark and the Netherlands are comparably stingy.
Bank holiday vs public holiday vs statutory holiday — what’s the difference?
| Term | Strict legal meaning in the UK |
|---|---|
| Bank holiday | A day designated under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 (or proclaimed by Royal Proclamation) on which banks are not required to settle bills of exchange. Eight common days plus regional add-ons. |
| Public holiday | An informal, broader term that in everyday speech means the same as bank holiday. There is no separate UK statute called “the Public Holidays Act”. |
| Common-law holiday | A day already observed by tradition before 1871 — Christmas Day, Good Friday, and (in Scotland) New Year’s Day. They have effectively the same status as statutory bank holidays. |
| Statutory leave (paid annual leave) | The 5.6 weeks (28 days for a five-day week) of paid holiday entitlement under the Working Time Regulations 1998 — which can include bank holidays at the employer’s discretion. |
For most practical purposes — paying staff, opening/closing offices, scheduling Direct Debits — “bank holiday” and “public holiday” mean the same thing in Britain. See our deeper dive on bank holiday vs public holiday.
Frequently asked questions
How many bank holidays does the UK have in 2026?
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays in 2026. Scotland has 9 (it adds 2 January and St Andrew’s Day, and observes the Summer Bank Holiday on 3 August rather than 31 August, but skips Easter Monday). Northern Ireland has 10 (it adds St Patrick’s Day on 17 March and the Battle of the Boyne on 13 July).
Is the list of UK bank holidays the same every year?
The set of holidays is the same — only the dates shift, because most are fixed by reference to a Monday or the moveable Easter date. Easter and the linked Easter Monday change by up to five weeks year to year; the May, Spring and Summer holidays move within a one-week window.
Are bank holidays paid days off in the UK?
Not automatically. UK statute guarantees 5.6 weeks of paid leave per year, which an employer is allowed to count bank holidays towards. Whether a bank holiday is a paid day off, an unpaid day off, a normal working day or paid at an enhanced rate depends entirely on your contract. Read our bank holiday pay guide for what is normal in 2026.
Do banks really close on bank holidays?
Branches do, yes. The term originated with the Bank of England’s closure days. Online banking, mobile apps and ATMs work as usual. Faster Payments still settle in real time, but BACS, Direct Debits and CHAPS are typically delayed by one working day.
When was the UK’s most recent new bank holiday added?
St Andrew’s Day in Scotland, added by the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act in 2007. Across the UK as a whole the most recent permanent addition was the Early May Bank Holiday in 1978. One-off additions for the Diamond Jubilee (2012), Platinum Jubilee (2022) and the Coronation (2023) are not part of the permanent list.
Is May Day always on 1 May in the UK?
No — confusingly, the British “May Day” bank holiday is the first Monday of May, not 1 May. So in 2026 it falls on Monday 4 May. Many other European countries (France, Germany, Italy) keep the holiday fixed on 1 May. See Early May Bank Holiday 2026.