Do the clocks go back on Sunday?
Yes: at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026 the clocks go back 1 hour. Sunset and dark times for 12 UK cities that weekend.
Dates & time · Bank holidays
UK bank holidays 2027 and leave planner
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays in 2027, Scotland 9 and Northern Ireland 10. At Christmas 2026, Boxing Day moves to Monday 28 December, and New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January 2027. Scotland also gets Monday 4 January 2027 (2nd January substitute day).
Dates from GOV.UK’s bank holidays data, fetched 2026-10-22 00:50 UTC. Always check GOV.UK’s bank holidays page for changes.
8 · 9 · 10Bank holidays in 2027: England & Wales · Scotland · Northern Ireland
Christmas 2026
Christmas 2026 and New Year bank holidays
Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026. Boxing Day falls on Saturday 26 December, so the bank holiday is the substitute day, Monday 28 December. New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January 2027. Booking Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 December (3 days of leave) gives 10 days off in a row, Fri 25 Dec 2026 to Sun 3 Jan 2027, in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland. In Scotland, where Monday 4 January is also a bank holiday, the same 3 days give 11 days, to Mon 4 Jan 2027.
| Nation | Bank holidays, December 2026 to January 2027 | Off in a row with 29–31 Dec booked |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Christmas Day Boxing Day (substitute day) New Year’s Day | Fri 25 Dec 2026 to Sun 3 Jan 2027: 10 days |
| Scotland | Christmas Day Boxing Day (substitute day) New Year’s Day 2nd January (substitute day) | Fri 25 Dec 2026 to Mon 4 Jan 2027: 11 days |
| Northern Ireland | Christmas Day Boxing Day (substitute day) New Year’s Day | Fri 25 Dec 2026 to Sun 3 Jan 2027: 10 days |
Leave planner: the longest breaks for your leave days
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Where do you work?
How many days of leave do you want to use in one go?
Best breaks for 3 days of leave in England & Wales
- Book Tue 29 Dec 2026, Wed 30 Dec 2026 and Thu 31 Dec 2026 (3 days of leave) to get Fri 25 Dec 2026 to Sun 3 Jan 2027 off: 10 days in a row. Includes 3 bank holidays.
- Book Wed 29 Dec 2027, Thu 30 Dec 2027 and Fri 31 Dec 2027 (3 days of leave) to get Sat 25 Dec 2027 to Mon 3 Jan 2028 off: 10 days in a row. Includes 3 bank holidays.
- Book Tue 23 Mar 2027, Wed 24 Mar 2027 and Thu 25 Mar 2027 (3 days of leave) to get Tue 23 Mar 2027 to Mon 29 Mar 2027 off: 7 days in a row. Includes 2 bank holidays.
- Book Wed 28 Apr 2027, Thu 29 Apr 2027 and Fri 30 Apr 2027 (3 days of leave) to get Wed 28 Apr 2027 to Mon 3 May 2027 off: 6 days in a row. Includes 1 bank holiday.
- Book Wed 26 May 2027, Thu 27 May 2027 and Fri 28 May 2027 (3 days of leave) to get Wed 26 May 2027 to Mon 31 May 2027 off: 6 days in a row. Includes 1 bank holiday.
- Book Wed 25 Aug 2027, Thu 26 Aug 2027 and Fri 27 Aug 2027 (3 days of leave) to get Wed 25 Aug 2027 to Mon 30 Aug 2027 off: 6 days in a row. Includes 1 bank holiday.
Each option books consecutive working days (Monday to Friday, not a bank holiday) between 1 November 2026 and 31 December 2027, and counts the weekends and bank holidays either side. Longest breaks first; options that overlap a longer one are left out. Breaks that have already ended are hidden when the page runs in your browser.
2027 dates
Bank holidays 2027 in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2027 fall on a Saturday and Sunday, so the bank holidays are the substitute days, Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December 2027.
| Date | Bank holiday |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | |
| Good Friday | |
| Easter Monday | |
| Early May bank holiday | |
| Spring bank holiday | |
| Summer bank holiday | |
| Christmas Day (substitute day) | |
| Boxing Day (substitute day) |
| Date | Bank holiday |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | |
| 2nd January (substitute day) | |
| Good Friday | |
| Early May bank holiday | |
| Spring bank holiday | |
| Summer bank holiday | |
| St Andrew’s Day | |
| Christmas Day (substitute day) | |
| Boxing Day (substitute day) |
| 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) | |
| Summer bank holiday | |
| Christmas Day (substitute day) | |
| Boxing Day (substitute day) |
Working days
Working days in 2027 by month
Working days are Monday to Friday, less any bank holiday on a weekday. 2027 has 261 weekdays, so there are 253 working days in England and Wales, 252 in Scotland and 251 in Northern Ireland. Your own total also depends on your shift pattern and any days your workplace closes.
| Month | Weekdays | England & Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 |
| February | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| March | 23 | 21 | 22 | 20 |
| April | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| May | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| June | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| July | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
| August | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| September | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| October | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| November | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 |
| December | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Total 2027 | 261 | 253 | 252 | 251 |
Before you book
Bank holidays and your annual leave
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 as part of a worker’s statutory annual leave. Check your contract before you plan around them. Shops, hospitals and other services that open on bank holidays may need you to work, and the planner assumes a Monday to Friday week. See GOV.UK: holiday entitlement.
Sources: GOV.UK, UK bank holidays; GOV.UK bank holidays data (JSON), fetched 2026-10-22 00:50 UTC. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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Helpful answers
Bank holiday FAQs.
Is 28 December 2026 a bank holiday?
Yes, in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Boxing Day, 26 December 2026, is a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to the substitute day, Monday 28 December 2026. Christmas Day is Friday 25 December, so it does not move.
Is 2 January a bank holiday in Scotland in 2027?
2 January 2027 is a Saturday, so Scotland’s 2nd January bank holiday moves to Monday 4 January 2027 (a substitute day). New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January 2027 in every part of the UK. England, Wales and Northern Ireland do not have a 2 January bank holiday.
How many working days are there in 2027 in the UK?
2027 has 261 weekdays (Monday to Friday). Taking off the bank holidays that fall on weekdays leaves 253 working days in England and Wales, 252 in Scotland and 251 in Northern Ireland. All of 2027’s bank holidays fall on weekdays.
When is Easter 2027?
Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. Good Friday, 26 March 2027, is a bank holiday everywhere in the UK, and Easter Monday, 29 March 2027, is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland.
When is the next bank holiday?
In England and Wales: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026. In Scotland: St Andrew’s Day, Monday 30 November 2026. In Northern Ireland: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026. (As of Sunday 25 October 2026, when this page was last built.)