Scotland has ten bank holidays in 2026: the usual nine plus a one-off World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026, and nine again in 2027 and 2028. The next Scottish bank holiday is St Andrew’s Day, Monday 30 November 2026, followed by Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December.
Bank holidays in Scotland 2026
Ten dates in 2026, three of them still ahead. The extra one is the World Cup bank holiday: on 5 February 2026 the Scottish Government confirmed a Royal Proclamation making Monday 15 June 2026 a bank holiday across Scotland, the Monday after the national team’s opening match at its first World Cup finals since 1998. It was for 2026 only and does not recur.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | Thursday | New Year’s Day | — |
| 2 January 2026 | Friday | 2 January | Scotland only |
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday | Easter Monday 6 April was not a bank holiday |
| 4 May 2026 | Monday | Early May bank holiday | — |
| 25 May 2026 | Monday | Spring bank holiday | — |
| 15 June 2026 | Monday | World Cup bank holiday | One-off, by Royal Proclamation; Scotland only |
| 3 August 2026 | Monday | Summer bank holiday | First Monday in August; England takes 31 August |
| 30 November 2026 | Monday | St Andrew’s Day | Next bank holiday; Scotland only |
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day | — |
| 28 December 2026 | Monday | Boxing Day | Substitute day: 26 December is a Saturday |
All four nations for this year are set side by side on UK bank holidays 2026; the Christmas week is on bank holidays in December 2026.
Bank holidays in Scotland 2027
Back to nine. Two of them are substitute days: 2 January 2027 is a Saturday, so the holiday moves to Monday 4 January, and Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall at the weekend, so the holidays are Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. St Andrew’s Day lands on a Tuesday, with no long weekend attached.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year’s Day | — |
| 4 January 2027 | Monday | 2 January | Substitute day: 2 January is a Saturday |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday | Easter Sunday 28 March; Easter Monday 29 March is not a bank holiday |
| 3 May 2027 | Monday | Early May bank holiday | — |
| 31 May 2027 | Monday | Spring bank holiday | — |
| 2 August 2027 | Monday | Summer bank holiday | England takes 30 August |
| 30 November 2027 | Tuesday | St Andrew’s Day | — |
| 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 |
The year in detail, including why it has one day fewer than 2026, is on Scotland bank holidays 2027. Related dates: New Year bank holidays 2027, Easter 2027, August bank holiday 2027, St Andrew’s Day 2027 and Christmas bank holidays 2027.
Bank holidays in Scotland 2028
Nine dates. Both New Year holidays fall at the weekend, so Scotland starts 2028 with substitute days on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 January, a four-day break from Saturday 1 January. Easter is late and Christmas returns to weekdays.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 3 January 2028 | Monday | New Year’s Day (substitute day) |
| 4 January 2028 | Tuesday | 2 January (substitute day) |
| 14 April 2028 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 1 May 2028 | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 29 May 2028 | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 7 August 2028 | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 30 November 2028 | Thursday | St Andrew’s Day |
| 25 December 2028 | Monday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December 2028 | Tuesday | Boxing Day |
The UK-wide view is on UK bank holidays 2028, with Easter on Easter 2028; 2029 is on UK bank holidays 2029.
What makes the Scottish list different
Scotland’s bank holidays come from the same Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 as England’s, but Schedule 1 gives Scotland its own list. Four things set it apart.
- 2 January. A second New Year holiday, unique to Scotland and a legacy of Hogmanay. At the weekend it moves to the next working day: Monday 4 January in 2027, Tuesday 4 January in 2028. Background on why 2 January is a bank holiday in Scotland.
- No Easter Monday. Good Friday is a Scottish bank holiday; Easter Monday is not. The Scottish clearing banks have nonetheless closed on it since 1996, and councils including Glasgow and Edinburgh designate it a local holiday, so whether you work it depends on where you are and who employs you.
- Summer bank holiday on the first Monday in August rather than the last: 3 August 2026, 2 August 2027, 7 August 2028. A legacy of the trades holidays, when Scottish towns shut for the first fortnight of August.
- St Andrew’s Day, 30 November, added by the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007; at the weekend it moves to the Monday. Employers are not obliged to give it, and many do not; more on St Andrew’s Day.
| Nation | Bank holidays a year | Compared with Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 9 (10 in 2026) | The list above |
| England and Wales | 8 | No 2 January or St Andrew’s Day; Easter Monday is a bank holiday; Summer bank holiday on the last Monday in August |
| Northern Ireland | 10 | As England, plus St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July) |
Bank holiday or local holiday? Why “is today a bank holiday in Scotland” has two answers
Scotland runs two calendars at once. The bank holidays above are national and identical everywhere; they are what GOV.UK and mygov.scot publish. Local public holidays are set separately by each of the 32 councils, and these are the days that actually close schools, council offices and many local employers: Glasgow’s Fair Monday and September weekend, Edinburgh’s spring and autumn holidays, Dundee’s October Monday. A day can be a bank holiday without being a local holiday where you live, and the other way round.
So “is today a bank holiday in Scotland?” means checking the national list first, then your council. As of 4 November 2026 the answer is no; the next national bank holiday is St Andrew’s Day on Monday 30 November. Whether your employer closes on either kind of day is a matter of contract, not law. Our council-by-council table of Scottish local holidays lists the local dates, trades holidays in Scotland explains the summer fortnights, and bank holiday vs public holiday covers the legal distinction.
Local holidays in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee
The four largest councils follow long-established patterns. Dates below are the usual rule and the resulting 2026 and 2027 Mondays; councils confirm them year by year, so check the city page or the council before relying on one.
| City | Local holidays (usual rule) | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | Easter Monday; Glasgow Fair (third Monday in July); September weekend (last Monday in September) | 6 April; 20 July; 28 September | 29 March; 19 July; 27 September |
| Edinburgh | Good Friday and Easter Monday; spring holiday (third Monday in April); Victoria Day (Monday before 24 May); autumn holiday (third Monday in September) — see Edinburgh trades holiday | 3 and 6 April; 20 April; 18 May; 21 September | 26 and 29 March; 19 April; 17 May; 20 September |
| Aberdeen | Good Friday; a spring Monday in April (varies); Fair holiday (second Monday in July); last Monday in September | 3 April; 13 July; 28 September | 26 March; 12 July; 27 September |
| Dundee | Spring holiday (first Monday in April); last Monday in May; last Monday in July; first Monday in October | 6 April; 25 May; 27 July; 5 October | 5 April; 31 May; 26 July; 4 October |
School holidays in Scotland
Scottish school terms are set by each council, not nationally, and the shape differs from England’s: the year starts in mid-August and ends in late June, with a long weekend in September, an October week and a short February break rather than English half-terms. In 2026/27 the published calendars have pupils back between 12 and 13 August 2026, an October break in the week of 12 or 19 October, Christmas from 18 to 22 December until 5 or 6 January 2027, and summer from Friday 25 June 2027. The Easter break is where councils diverge most: some wrap the Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays inside a fortnight off, others take the two weeks after Easter. Indicative only: check your own council. Whether a bank holiday closes a school is covered on Are schools closed on bank holidays?.
NHS Scotland public holidays
NHS Scotland staff do not follow the bank holiday list either. Under Agenda for Change the standard allocation is eight public holidays a year and each Health Board decides which eight, which is why Good Friday and Easter Monday count in some Boards and not others. The 2026 World Cup bank holiday was granted to NHS staff as an extra public holiday by Scottish Government circular. Board intranets are the authoritative source; GP surgeries and pharmacies on these days are covered on GP surgeries and pharmacies on bank holidays.
Time off and pay in Scotland
Holiday law is UK law: 5.6 weeks’ paid leave a year as the minimum, bank holidays either counted within it or added on top according to the contract, and no statutory extra pay for working one. The Scottish twist is substitution: it is common for a workplace to work Good Friday or St Andrew’s Day and take a local trades Monday instead. See bank holiday entitlement, bank holiday pay and working on a bank holiday.
Frequently asked questions
How many bank holidays are there in Scotland in 2026?
Ten: 1 and 2 January, 3 April, 4 and 25 May, 15 June, 3 August, 30 November, 25 and 28 December. The tenth is the one-off World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026.
Why does Scotland have an extra bank holiday in 2026?
To mark the men’s team reaching the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998. The First Minister proposed the Monday after Scotland’s first match, the King approved the Royal Proclamation and the Scottish Government announced it on 5 February 2026. It applies to 2026 only.
How many bank holidays does Scotland have in 2027?
Nine: 1 and 4 January, 26 March, 3 and 31 May, 2 August, 30 November, 27 and 28 December. Detail on Scotland bank holidays 2027.
When is the next bank holiday in Scotland?
St Andrew’s Day, Monday 30 November 2026, then Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December. 2027 opens with New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January and the 2 January holiday on Monday 4 January.
Is today a bank holiday in Scotland?
Not as of this check (4 November 2026). The remaining 2026 dates are 30 November, 25 December and 28 December. Council holidays are separate: a day off in Glasgow or Dundee may be a working day everywhere else.
Is Easter Monday a bank holiday in Scotland?
No, in no year. Scottish banks close on it anyway and several councils make it a local public holiday, so many Scots do have the day off. It falls on 29 March in 2027 and 17 April in 2028.
Is 2 January a bank holiday in Scotland?
Yes, every year, and only in Scotland. Friday 2 January in 2026; Monday 4 January in 2027, because 2 January is a Saturday; Tuesday 4 January in 2028.
When is the August bank holiday in Scotland?
The first Monday in August: 3 August 2026, 2 August 2027, 7 August 2028. England, Wales and Northern Ireland take the last Monday, four weeks later.
Are Scottish bank holidays the same as English ones?
Six dates are shared: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, the two May Mondays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Scotland adds 2 January and St Andrew’s Day, drops Easter Monday and takes the Summer bank holiday in early rather than late August.
Bank holidays by year and by nation
- Scotland by year: Scotland bank holidays 2027 · Scottish local holidays by council · trades holidays
- UK by year: 2025 · 2026 · 2027 · 2028 · 2029
- Other nations: England · Wales · Northern Ireland
- Planning: next UK bank holiday · long weekends 2026 · long weekends 2027 · how many bank holidays in the UK