UK Bank Holidays
Discover upcoming bank 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.
These bank holidays are also known as public holidays 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 also gives His Majesty the King the authority to grant one-time national holidays if he sees purpose.
2025 Bank Holidays
Date | Day | Holiday | Countries |
---|---|---|---|
1 Jan | Wed | New Year's Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
2 Jan | Thu | New Year Holiday | Scotland |
17 Mar | Mon | Saint Patrick's Day | Northern Ireland |
18 Apr | Fri | Good Friday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
21 Apr | Mon | Easter Monday | England, Northern Ireland & Wales |
5 May | Mon | May Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
26 May | Mon | Late May Bank Holiday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
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 | England, Northern Ireland & Wales |
30 Nov | Sun | St Andrew's Day | Scotland |
1 Dec | Mon | St Andrew's Day Holiday | Scotland |
25 Dec | Thu | Christmas Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
26 Dec | Fri | Boxing Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
Visit gov.uk for the original release. |
2026 Bank Holidays
Date | Day | Holiday | Countries |
---|---|---|---|
1 Jan | Thu | New Year's Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
2 Jan | Fri | New Year Holiday | Scotland |
17 Mar | Tue | Saint Patrick's Day | Northern Ireland |
3 Apr | Fri | Good Friday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
6 Apr | Mon | Easter Monday | England, Northern Ireland & Wales |
4 May | Mon | May Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
25 May | Mon | Late May Bank Holiday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
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 | England, Northern Ireland & Wales |
30 Nov | Mon | St Andrew's Day | Scotland |
25 Dec | Fri | Christmas Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
26 Dec | Sat | Boxing Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
28 Dec | Mon | Boxing Day Holiday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
Visit gov.uk for the original release. |
2027 Bank Holidays
Date | Day | Holiday | Countries |
---|---|---|---|
1 Jan | Fri | New Year's Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
4 Jan | Mon | New Year Holiday | Scotland |
17 Mar | Wed | Saint Patrick's Day | Northern Ireland |
26 Mar | Fri | Good Friday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
29 Mar | Mon | Easter Monday | England, Northern Ireland & Wales |
3 May | Mon | May Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
31 May | Mon | Late May Bank Holiday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
12 Jul | Mon | Battle of the Boyne | Northern Ireland |
30 Aug | Mon | August Bank Holiday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
30 Nov | Tue | St Andrew's Day | Scotland |
25 Dec | Sat | Christmas Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
26 Dec | Sun | Boxing Day | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
27 Dec | Mon | Christmas Holiday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
28 Dec | Tue | Boxing Day Holiday | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales |
Visit gov.uk for the original release. |
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 bank 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, bank holidays 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.