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United Kingdom

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

DateDayHolidayCountries
1 JanWedNew Year's Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
2 JanThuNew Year Holiday Scotland
17 MarMonSaint Patrick's Day Northern Ireland
18 AprFriGood Friday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
21 AprMonEaster Monday England, Northern Ireland & Wales
5 MayMonMay Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
26 MayMonLate May Bank Holiday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
12 JulSatBattle of the Boyne Northern Ireland
14 JulMonBattle of the Boyne Holiday Northern Ireland
4 AugMonAugust Bank Holiday Scotland
25 AugMonAugust Bank Holiday England, Northern Ireland & Wales
30 NovSunSt Andrew's Day Scotland
1 DecMonSt Andrew's Day Holiday Scotland
25 DecThuChristmas Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
26 DecFriBoxing Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
Visit gov.uk for the original release.

2026 Bank Holidays

DateDayHolidayCountries
1 JanThuNew Year's Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
2 JanFriNew Year Holiday Scotland
17 MarTueSaint Patrick's Day Northern Ireland
3 AprFriGood Friday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
6 AprMonEaster Monday England, Northern Ireland & Wales
4 MayMonMay Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
25 MayMonLate May Bank Holiday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
12 JulSunBattle of the Boyne Northern Ireland
13 JulMonBattle of the Boyne Holiday Northern Ireland
3 AugMonAugust Bank Holiday Scotland
31 AugMonAugust Bank Holiday England, Northern Ireland & Wales
30 NovMonSt Andrew's Day Scotland
25 DecFriChristmas Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
26 DecSatBoxing Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
28 DecMonBoxing Day Holiday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
Visit gov.uk for the original release.

2027 Bank Holidays

DateDayHolidayCountries
1 JanFriNew Year's Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
4 JanMonNew Year Holiday Scotland
17 MarWedSaint Patrick's Day Northern Ireland
26 MarFriGood Friday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
29 MarMonEaster Monday England, Northern Ireland & Wales
3 MayMonMay Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
31 MayMonLate May Bank Holiday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
12 JulMonBattle of the Boyne Northern Ireland
30 AugMonAugust Bank Holiday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
30 NovTueSt Andrew's Day Scotland
25 DecSatChristmas Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
26 DecSunBoxing Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
27 DecMonChristmas Holiday England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales
28 DecTueBoxing 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.