England and Wales have 8 bank holidays in 2026, from New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January to Boxing Day on Monday 28 December; Scotland has 10 and Northern Ireland 10. Boxing Day falls at a weekend, so the substitute day is Monday 28 December.
Scotland or Northern Ireland only, or the weekend date of a moved holiday
Weekend
2026 Calendar – United Kingdom (bank holidays in England and Wales)
January
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February
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March
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April
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May
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June
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July
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August
Mo
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September
Mo
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October
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November
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December
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UK bank holidays 2026
All bank holidays of the year in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. When a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute weekday (usually the following Monday) becomes the bank holiday.
Holiday
Date
Day
Where
Bank holiday if at a weekend
New Year's Day
Thursday
All of the UK
—
2nd January
Friday
Scotland
—
St Patrick's Day
Tuesday
Northern Ireland
—
Good Friday
Friday
All of the UK
—
Easter Monday
Monday
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
—
Early May bank holiday
Monday
All of the UK
—
Spring bank holiday
Monday
All of the UK
—
World Cup bank holiday
Monday
Scotland
—
Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day)
Sunday
Northern Ireland
(substitute day)
Summer bank holiday
Monday
Scotland
—
Summer bank holiday
Monday
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
—
St Andrew's Day
Monday
Scotland
—
Christmas Day
Friday
All of the UK
—
Boxing Day
Saturday
All of the UK
(substitute day)
Bank holidays by nation
England and Wales: eight bank holidays
Date
Bank holiday
New Year's Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Early May bank holiday
Spring bank holiday
Summer bank holiday
Christmas Day
Boxing Day (substitute day)
Scotland: ten bank holidays
Date
Bank holiday
New Year's Day
2nd January
Good Friday
Early May bank holiday
Spring bank holiday
World Cup bank holiday
Summer bank holiday
St Andrew's Day
Christmas Day
Boxing Day (substitute day)
Northern Ireland: ten bank holidays
Date
Bank holiday
New Year's Day
St Patrick's Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Early May bank holiday
Spring bank holiday
Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) (substitute day)
Summer bank holiday
Christmas Day
Boxing Day (substitute day)
Long weekends in 2026
Weekends extended by a bank holiday (Saturday and Sunday included).
Dates
Length
Bank holidays
Where
–
4 days
New Year's Day and 2nd January
Scotland
–
3 days
Good Friday
Scotland
–
4 days
Good Friday and Easter Monday
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
–
3 days
Early May bank holiday
All of the UK
–
3 days
Spring bank holiday
All of the UK
–
3 days
World Cup bank holiday
Scotland
–
3 days
Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day)
Northern Ireland
–
3 days
Summer bank holiday
Scotland
–
3 days
Summer bank holiday
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
–
3 days
St Andrew's Day
Scotland
–
4 days
Christmas Day and Boxing Day
All of the UK
When the clocks change in 2026
British Summer Time (BST) starts on , when clocks go forward one hour at 1:00 am GMT, and ends on , when clocks go back one hour at 2:00 am BST. The rest of the year the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The same dates apply in all four nations.
2026 at a glance
8bank holidays (England & Wales)
10bank holidays (Scotland)
10bank holidays (N. Ireland)
253working days (England & Wales)
11long weekends (any nation)
53ISO weeks
Thursday1 January
Mondayfirst day of the week
How UK bank holidays work
Substitute days. When New Year's Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or a nation's own fixed-date holiday (2 January, St Andrew's Day, St Patrick's Day, Battle of the Boyne) falls at a weekend, the bank holiday moves to the next weekday that is not already a bank holiday.
Scotland has no Easter Monday bank holiday but adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day (30 November), and its summer bank holiday is on the first Monday of August. Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July).
Paid leave. Banks and many offices close, but employers do not have to give bank holidays as paid leave; check your contract.
One-off holiday. Monday 15 June 2026 was an extra bank holiday in Scotland by Royal Proclamation, to mark the men's national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Frequently asked questions
How many bank holidays are there in 2026?
There are 8 bank holidays in England and Wales, 10 in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland in 2026.
When are the Christmas bank holidays in 2026?
Christmas Day is on Friday 25 December; Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Monday 28 December. New Year's Day 2027 is a bank holiday on Friday 1 January.
When is Easter 2026 in the UK?
Easter Sunday is Sunday 5 April. Good Friday (Friday 3 April) is a bank holiday in all of the UK; Easter Monday (Monday 6 April) is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland.
When is the August bank holiday in 2026?
The summer bank holiday is on Monday 31 August in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (last Monday in August) and on Monday 3 August in Scotland (first Monday in August).
When do the clocks change in 2026?
Clocks go forward on Sunday 29 March (start of British Summer Time) and back on Sunday 25 October.
Do employers have to give bank holidays off?
No. GOV.UK says bank or public holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, and an employer can choose to include bank holidays in a worker's statutory annual leave (5.6 weeks). Check your employment contract.