With the end of the year approaching, holidaymakers are looking to take their days off around bank holidays next year. In 2026, most of the bank holidays will be the same as 2025.

However, the government has announced slight changes to bank holidays in 2026, including an additional substitute day off as one of the bank holidays falls on a Saturday. As expected, the UK will be given New Year’s Day off on January 1 before a long Easter weekend with days off on April 3 for Good Friday and April 6 for Easter Monday.

Spring and summer bank holidays will follow: May Day Bank Holiday (May 4), late May Bank Holiday (May 25), and the late August Bank Holiday (August 31).

Christmas Day will be a bank holiday on December 25, but Boxing Day will not be a bank holiday as it falls on Saturday. Instead, an additional substitute day off will be granted on December 28, the government website confirms.

In 2027, the UK’s bank holiday calendar will see some more shifts. The most notable change occurs during the winter festive season. Since Christmas Day and Boxing Day both fall on a weekend in 2027, the statutory holidays will “roll over” to Monday, December 27, and Tuesday, December 28.