UK Public Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and start planning to make the most of your time off! Scroll down to view each year’s calendar or select from the shortcut menu below.
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These holidays, also called bank holidays, are observed throughout the United Kingdom and are required holidays when most businesses and non-essential services close down. The holidays were first officially observed when the 1871 Bank Holidays Act designated specific public holidays in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.
Today, the main statute that defines holidays is the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. This Act gives His Majesty the King the authority to grant one-time national holidays if he sees purpose.
2024 Holidays
This calendar contains all of this year’s public holidays for the UK.
Date | Day | Holiday | Countries |
---|---|---|---|
1 Jan | Mon | New Year's Day | National |
2 Jan | Tue | New Year Holiday | Scotland |
17 Mar | Sun | Saint Patrick's Day | Northern Ireland |
18 Mar | Mon | Saint Patrick's Day Holiday | Northern Ireland |
29 Mar | Fri | Good Friday | National |
1 Apr | Mon | Easter Monday | National except Scotland |
6 May | Mon | May Day | National |
27 May | Mon | Late May Bank Holiday | National |
12 Jul | Fri | Battle of the Boyne | Northern Ireland |
5 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | Scotland |
26 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | National except Scotland |
30 Nov | Sat | St Andrew's Day | Scotland |
2 Dec | Mon | St Andrew's Day Holiday | Scotland |
25 Dec | Wed | Christmas Day | National |
26 Dec | Thu | Boxing Day | National |
2025 Holidays
This calendar contains all of next year’s public holidays for the UK.
Date | Day | Holiday | Countries |
---|---|---|---|
1 Jan | Wed | New Year's Day | National |
2 Jan | Thu | New Year Holiday | Scotland |
17 Mar | Mon | Saint Patrick's Day | Northern Ireland |
18 Apr | Fri | Good Friday | National |
21 Apr | Mon | Easter Monday | National except Scotland |
5 May | Mon | May Day | National |
26 May | Mon | Late May Bank Holiday | National |
12 Jul | Sat | Battle of the Boyne | Northern Ireland |
14 Jul | Mon | Battle of the Boyne Holiday | Northern Ireland |
4 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | Scotland |
25 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | National except Scotland |
30 Nov | Sun | St Andrew's Day | Scotland |
1 Dec | Mon | St Andrew's Day Holiday | Scotland |
25 Dec | Thu | Christmas Day | National |
26 Dec | Fri | Boxing Day | National |
2026 Holidays
This calendar contains all 2026 public holidays across the UK.
Date | Day | Holiday | Countries |
---|---|---|---|
1 Jan | Thu | New Year's Day | National |
2 Jan | Fri | New Year Holiday | Scotland |
17 Mar | Tue | Saint Patrick's Day | Northern Ireland |
3 Apr | Fri | Good Friday | National |
6 Apr | Mon | Easter Monday | National except Scotland |
4 May | Mon | May Day | National |
25 May | Mon | Late May Bank Holiday | National |
12 Jul | Sun | Battle of the Boyne | Northern Ireland |
13 Jul | Mon | Battle of the Boyne Holiday | Northern Ireland |
3 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | Scotland |
31 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | National except Scotland |
30 Nov | Mon | St Andrew's Day | Scotland |
25 Dec | Fri | Christmas Day | National |
26 Dec | Sat | Boxing Day | National |
28 Dec | Mon | Boxing Day Holiday | National |
2027 Holidays
This calendar contains all 2027 public holidays across the UK.
Date | Day | Holiday | Countries |
---|---|---|---|
1 Jan | Fri | New Year's Day | National |
4 Jan | Mon | New Year Holiday | Scotland |
17 Mar | Wed | Saint Patrick's Day | Northern Ireland |
26 Mar | Fri | Good Friday | National |
29 Mar | Mon | Easter Monday | National except Scotland |
3 May | Mon | May Day | National |
31 May | Mon | Late May Bank Holiday | National |
12 Jul | Mon | Battle of the Boyne | Northern Ireland |
2 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | Scotland |
30 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | National except Scotland |
30 Nov | Tue | St Andrew's Day | Scotland |
25 Dec | Sat | Christmas Day | National |
26 Dec | Sun | Boxing Day | National |
27 Dec | Mon | Christmas Holiday | National |
28 Dec | Tue | Boxing Day Holiday | National |
Workers don’t have an automatic right to paid leave on bank and public holidays in the UK, though most full-time workers receive a paid day off work, and casual workers receive pay at higher penalty rates. Labor laws in the United Kingdom provide the employers with the option to give a paid day off in lieu for public holidays, most employers opt for the premium pay to keep businesses operational on other dates.
If a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday is normally postponed to the following week day, which is then referred to as a “substitute public holiday” or an “observed holiday”.
In Scotland, public holidays in Scotland are generally determined at the local level. National and country-level holidays may be substituted with local holidays, and additional local holidays also occur throughout the year.