Public Holidays in United Kingdom
Statutory public holidays in United Kingdom, with the dates that give people the day off, how the calendar is set, and what it means for travel, cities and culture.
United Kingdom at a glance
The UK has public holidays known as bank holidays, and the four nations set their own lists, so the calendar differs between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Most fall on a Monday to create long weekends, and when Christmas or New Year falls at a weekend a substitute weekday is added.
United Kingdom public holidays 2026
United Kingdom has 9 public holidays in 2026 – the statutory days off. The table below lists those public holidays; observances and other non-statutory dates are not part of the total.
| Holiday | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Jan 1Thu | National |
| Good Friday | Apr 3Fri | National |
| Easter Monday | Apr 6Mon | National |
| May Day | May 4Mon | National |
| Spring Bank Holiday | May 25Mon | Bank |
| Summer Bank Holiday | Aug 31Mon | Bank |
| Christmas Day | Dec 25Fri | National |
| Boxing Day | Dec 26Sat | National |
| Boxing Day (observed) | Dec 28Mon | Substitute |
Showing 9 of 9 public holidays for 2026.
Major cities in United Kingdom
The urban centres that anchor most trips to United Kingdom.
London
A capital of parliaments, museums and markets along the Thames.
Edinburgh
A city of a medieval Old Town, a Georgian New Town and a castle on a crag.
Manchester
An industrial city transformed, with music, football and canal-side quarters.
Liverpool
A port city of a waterfront, two cathedrals and a famous musical heritage.
Cardiff
A compact capital with a castle, a bay and mountains an hour away.
Belfast
A city of shipyard history, murals and a reworked waterfront.
Top attractions in United Kingdom
The places that draw most visitors to United Kingdom.
Stonehenge
A Neolithic stone circle aligned to the solstices, on Salisbury Plain.
Edinburgh Old and New Towns
Two contrasting planned cities stacked on either side of a valley.
Lake District
Lakes, fells and stone villages, the birthplace of British romanticism.
Giant's Causeway
Basalt columns formed by ancient lava on the Antrim coast.
Tower of London
A Norman castle holding the Crown Jewels and a thousand years of history.
Scottish Highlands
Glens, lochs andMunro peaks stretching to the northern coast.
Festivals, food and getting around United Kingdom
What the calendar looks like on the ground, and how to move through the country around it.
Festivals behind the holidays
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New Year's Day
Falls on Jan 1
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2nd January
Falls on Jan 2
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Twelfth Night
Falls on Jan 5
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🎉
Epiphany
Falls on Jan 6
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Orthodox Christmas Day
Falls on Jan 7
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Orthodox New Year
Falls on Jan 14
Food & drink
Getting around
Trains link every city, though fares can be high; coaches are cheaper and buses cover rural areas.
Travelling around United Kingdom’s holidays
What the dates mean once you are there.
Book around the peaks
Transport and hotels in United Kingdom tighten around major holidays; reserve early for the busiest weeks.
Check opening hours
Museums, banks and government offices usually close on statutory holidays, and often on the nearest Monday.
Carry local currency
Small vendors and rural businesses frequently take cash only, especially on holidays when banks are shut.
Expect crowded transport
Long weekends produce the year's heaviest road, rail and air traffic. Build in extra travel time.
Confirm the official list
United Kingdom's holiday dates are confirmed by government announcement; check the year page for the final arrangement.
Plan the long weekends
Pairing a holiday with adjacent weekends gives the longest breaks of the year — and the busiest.
United Kingdom public holidays: common questions
How many public holidays does United Kingdom have?
United Kingdom has 9 public holidays in 2026, counting every date typed National, Substitute or Bank in our calendar. Observances, religious dates and regional holidays are listed separately and left out of the total, because they are not days off across the whole country.
Where can I find the full 2026 list?
The complete 2026 calendar for United Kingdom is on the year page, with every recorded date in order.
Are United Kingdom's public holidays paid?
Statutory national holidays are generally paid leave for employees. Observances and commemorative days are usually not.
Do holidays move if they fall on a weekend?
Where a holiday falls on a weekend, United Kingdom typically observes it on the nearest weekday. Check the year page for the confirmed arrangement.
Are there regional holidays in United Kingdom?
Some holidays are observed only in certain regions or by certain communities. The year page lists what applies nationally.
Which years are covered for United Kingdom?
Calendars are published for 2026, 2025.
School holidays in United Kingdom
Education is devolved and there is no single UK calendar. England dates are set by each local authority (shown: London Borough of Bexley maintained schools), Wales is harmonised by Welsh Government direction, Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own. Rows are labelled by region. Northern Ireland term boundaries are inferred from the Department of Education holiday list and are marked unconfirmed.
2026
| Region | Holiday | Starts | Ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | October week | 12 Oct 2026 | 16 Oct 2026 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Autumn half term | 26 Oct 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | official page |
| Wales | Autumn half term | 26 Oct 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | Halloween | 29 Oct 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | official page |
| Wales | Christmas holidayPowys ends the autumn term 22 December 2026. | 19 Dec 2026 | 3 Jan 2027 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Christmas holiday | 21 Dec 2026 | 1 Jan 2027 | official page |
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | Christmas holidays | 21 Dec 2026 | 5 Jan 2027 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | Christmas and New Year | 21 Dec 2026 | 1 Jan 2027 | official page |
2027
| Region | Holiday | Starts | Ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | Spring half term | 8 Feb 2027 | 12 Feb 2027 | official page |
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | February mid-term | 8 Feb 2027 | 12 Feb 2027 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | February mid-term | 11 Feb 2027 | 12 Feb 2027 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Spring half term | 15 Feb 2027 | 19 Feb 2027 | official page |
| Wales | Easter holiday | 20 Mar 2027 | 4 Apr 2027 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | Easter | 25 Mar 2027 | 2 Apr 2027 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Easter holiday | 26 Mar 2027 | 9 Apr 2027 | official page |
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | Easter holidays | 5 Apr 2027 | 16 Apr 2027 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Summer half term | 31 May 2027 | 4 Jun 2027 | official page |
| Wales | Summer half term | 31 May 2027 | 4 Jun 2027 | official page |
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | Summer holidaysPupils resume 12 August 2027. | 26 Jun 2027 | 11 Aug 2027 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | Summer holidayOfficial page gives the start date only. | 1 Jul 2027 | not published | official page |
| Wales | Summer breakSummer term ends 20 July 2027 (Powys 16 July). | 21 Jul 2027 | not published | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Summer breakOfficial page gives the start date only (26 July 2027). | 26 Jul 2027 | not published | official page |
Official sources: London Borough of Bexley - school term dates 2026 to 2027 (checked 10 Sep 2026) · Welsh Government - approved school term dates 2026 to 2027 (checked 10 Sep 2026) · North Lanarkshire Council - school term dates 2026-2027 (checked 10 Sep 2026) · Department of Education Northern Ireland - school holidays (checked 10 Sep 2026)
School term dates in United Kingdom
Term dates below are the periods when classes are in session.
2026
| Region | Term | Starts | Ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | Autumn term (part 1) | 19 Aug 2026 | 9 Oct 2026 | official page |
| Wales | Autumn termPowys ends 22 December 2026. | 1 Sep 2026 | 18 Dec 2026 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | Autumn termUnconfirmedInferred from the official holiday list; the department does not publish explicit term boundaries. | 1 Sep 2026 | 28 Oct 2026 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Autumn term (part 1) | 2 Sep 2026 | 23 Oct 2026 | official page |
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | Autumn term (part 2) | 19 Oct 2026 | 18 Dec 2026 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | First spring termUnconfirmedInferred from the official holiday list. | 31 Oct 2026 | 20 Dec 2026 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Autumn term (part 2) | 2 Nov 2026 | 18 Dec 2026 | official page |
2027
| Region | Term | Starts | Ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England (Bexley) | Spring term (part 1) | 4 Jan 2027 | 12 Feb 2027 | official page |
| Wales | Spring term | 4 Jan 2027 | 19 Mar 2027 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | Second termUnconfirmedInferred from the official holiday list. | 4 Jan 2027 | 10 Feb 2027 | official page |
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | Spring term (part 1) | 6 Jan 2027 | 5 Feb 2027 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | Third termUnconfirmedInferred from the official holiday list. | 15 Feb 2027 | 24 Mar 2027 | official page |
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | Spring term (part 2) | 16 Feb 2027 | 2 Apr 2027 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Spring term (part 2) | 22 Feb 2027 | 25 Mar 2027 | official page |
| Northern Ireland | Fourth termUnconfirmedThe summer holiday begins 1 July 2027. | 3 Apr 2027 | 30 Jun 2027 | official page |
| Wales | Summer termPowys ends 16 July 2027. | 5 Apr 2027 | 20 Jul 2027 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Summer term (part 1) | 12 Apr 2027 | 28 May 2027 | official page |
| Scotland (North Lanarkshire) | Summer term | 19 Apr 2027 | 25 Jun 2027 | official page |
| England (Bexley) | Summer term (part 2) | 7 Jun 2027 | 22 Jul 2027 | official page |
Official sources: London Borough of Bexley - school term dates 2026 to 2027 (checked 10 Sep 2026) · Welsh Government - approved school term dates 2026 to 2027 (checked 10 Sep 2026) · North Lanarkshire Council - school term dates 2026-2027 (checked 10 Sep 2026) · Department of Education Northern Ireland - school holidays (checked 10 Sep 2026)
School calendar data last updated 10 Sep 2026. Dates come from education ministries and local education authorities; always re-check with the school before booking travel.