UK Bank Holidays 2027
All UK bank holidays 2027 for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with long weekends, working days, the Christmas three-day week and a calendar download.
There are 8 bank holidays in 2027 in England and Wales, 9 in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland. The first is New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027. Easter is early, with Good Friday on 26 March, and because Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend, the Christmas bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December 2027.
England and Wales bank holidays 2027
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays in 2027, the usual number. Seven fall on a Monday or Friday, giving long weekends, and the two Christmas holidays are substitute days.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year's Day |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 29 March 2027 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 3 May 2027 | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 31 May 2027 | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 30 August 2027 | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 27 December 2027 | Monday | Christmas Day (substitute day) |
| 28 December 2027 | Tuesday | Boxing Day (substitute day) |
Scotland bank holidays 2027
Scotland has 9 bank holidays in 2027. It keeps 2 January as a holiday, which moves to Monday 4 January because 2 January is a Saturday, and marks St Andrew's Day on Tuesday 30 November. Easter Monday is not a bank holiday in Scotland, and the summer bank holiday is the first Monday of August rather than the last.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year's Day |
| 4 January 2027 | Monday | 2nd January (substitute day) |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 3 May 2027 | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 31 May 2027 | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 2 August 2027 | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 30 November 2027 | Tuesday | St Andrew's Day |
| 27 December 2027 | Monday | Christmas Day (substitute day) |
| 28 December 2027 | Tuesday | Boxing Day (substitute day) |
Many Scottish councils also set local holidays, such as spring and autumn holidays, which differ from town to town. Those are not bank holidays, so check with your employer or council. Our Scotland bank holidays page lists Edinburgh and Glasgow local holidays.
Northern Ireland bank holidays 2027
Northern Ireland has the most bank holidays in 2027, with 10. On top of the England and Wales dates it has St Patrick's Day on Wednesday 17 March and the Battle of the Boyne, often called the Twelfth, on Monday 12 July. See every date from 2026 to 2028 on our Northern Ireland bank holidays page.
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year's Day |
| 17 March 2027 | Wednesday | St Patrick's Day |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 29 March 2027 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 3 May 2027 | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 31 May 2027 | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 12 July 2027 | Monday | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) |
| 30 August 2027 | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 27 December 2027 | Monday | Christmas Day (substitute day) |
| 28 December 2027 | Tuesday | Boxing Day (substitute day) |
Long weekends: making the most of bank holidays 2027
Every 2027 bank holiday in England and Wales falls on a Monday, Friday or Tuesday, so each one gives at least a three-day weekend. With a few days of annual leave you can turn them into much longer breaks:
| Break | Book off | Leave used | Days off in a row |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easter | Tue 30 March to Fri 2 April | 4 days | 10 (26 Mar to 4 Apr) |
| Easter, two weeks | Mon 22 to Thu 25 March and Tue 30 March to Fri 2 April | 8 days | 16 (20 Mar to 4 Apr) |
| Early May | Tue 4 to Fri 7 May | 4 days | 9 (1 to 9 May) |
| Spring bank holiday | Tue 1 to Fri 4 June | 4 days | 9 (29 May to 6 Jun) |
| Late summer | Tue 31 August to Fri 3 September | 4 days | 9 (28 Aug to 5 Sep) |
| Christmas | Wed 29 to Fri 31 December | 3 days | 10 (25 Dec to 3 Jan 2028) |
Taking the two-week Easter break plus the other four uses 23 days of leave for 53 days off. In Scotland, Easter needs one more day because there is no Easter Monday, but Christmas gives an extra day, since Tuesday 4 January 2028 is also a bank holiday there. To see how much leave you have to play with, use the Holiday Entitlement Calculator.
The 2027 three-day week at Christmas
Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday and Boxing Day is a Sunday. When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a weekday becomes a substitute, so Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December are the Christmas bank holidays. That leaves only three working days that week: Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December.
New Year's Day 2028 is also a Saturday, so the next Monday, 3 January 2028, is a bank holiday too. Book the three working days off and you get 10 days in a row, from Saturday 25 December 2027 to Monday 3 January 2028. Add Christmas Eve, Friday 24 December, and it becomes 11. Expect those three days to be popular, so it is worth asking early. Our guide to the UK three-day week 2027 covers every nation, your pay and the same pattern this Christmas.
Easter 2027 bank holidays
Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, the earliest Easter since 2016. That puts the Easter bank holidays in March rather than April:
- Good Friday: 26 March 2027, a bank holiday everywhere in the UK
- Easter Sunday: 28 March 2027, not a bank holiday. The clocks also go forward one hour that morning.
- Easter Monday: 29 March 2027, a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland
For school holidays, leave planning and Easter dates up to 2032, see Easter 2027 dates and bank holidays.
An early Easter has a knock-on effect if your holiday year runs from April to March. The 2026/27 leave year catches both Easter 2026 and Easter 2027, so it holds 10 bank holidays in England and Wales. The 2027/28 leave year has none, because Easter 2028 is in April, so it holds only 6. If your contract gives 28 days including bank holidays, that means 18 days to book yourself in 2026/27 and 22 in 2027/28. The Holiday Accrual Calculator helps you track it.
May bank holidays 2027 and the August bank holiday
The early May bank holiday is Monday 3 May 2027 and the spring bank holiday is Monday 31 May 2027, the same across the UK. The August bank holiday 2027 is Monday 30 August in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland's summer bank holiday comes four weeks earlier, on Monday 2 August 2027.
Working days in 2027
2027 has 261 weekdays. Take off the 2027 bank holidays and a Monday to Friday worker has 253 working days in England and Wales, 252 in Scotland and 251 in Northern Ireland:
| Month | Weekdays | England and Wales | Scotland | N 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 | 261 | 253 | 252 | 251 |
To count working days between any two dates, use the Working Days Calculator. Working days matter for pay as well as planning. Daily rates, pro rata holiday and some notice periods are all based on them. If you are paid a salary, the salary calculator shows your take-home pay per working day.
How the 2027 bank holiday dates are set
Most UK bank holidays follow fixed rules. The early May bank holiday is the first Monday in May, the spring bank holiday is the last Monday in May, and the summer bank holiday is the last Monday in August, or the first Monday in August in Scotland. Good Friday and Easter Monday move with Easter each year.
When a fixed-date holiday such as Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day or 2 January falls on a weekend, the next weekday becomes a substitute day. The government can also move a bank holiday or add an extra one by royal proclamation, as it did for the coronation in 2023. No extra bank holiday has been announced for 2027. For a live countdown and every date from 2026 to 2028, see UK bank holidays and the next bank holiday.
Days that are not bank holidays in 2027
- Christmas Eve (Friday 24 December) and New Year's Eve (Friday 31 December)
- Easter Sunday (28 March)
- St David's Day (Monday 1 March) in Wales and St George's Day (Friday 23 April) in England
Bank holidays 2027, pay and your annual leave
Bank holidays are not an extra legal entitlement. Almost every worker gets 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for a five-day week, and employers can count bank holidays as part of it. So someone on 28 days including bank holidays has 20 days to book themselves in England and Wales in 2027. Read more in Does 28 days holiday include bank holidays?
- Working on a bank holiday: there is no legal right to time off or extra pay. Any enhanced rate, such as time and a half, or a day off in lieu, comes from your contract.
- Part-time staff: get the same 5.6 weeks pro rata. If you do not work Mondays, you can lose out on bank holidays unless your employer pro-rates them. The Part-Time Holiday Calculator works this out.
- Holiday pay: a paid bank holiday is paid like any other day of leave. See what a day off is worth with the Holiday Pay Calculator.
- NHS staff: Agenda for Change staff get the 8 public holidays on top of their contractual leave. The NHS Annual Leave Calculator covers the details.
Looking ahead to 2028
GOV.UK has already published 2028. The first bank holiday of 2028 is Monday 3 January, the substitute day for New Year's Day. Easter is late in 2028, with Good Friday on 14 April and Easter Monday on 17 April.
Sources
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, 2026 to 2028
- GOV.UK, Holiday entitlement: bank and public holidays
- Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971
Bank holidays 2027: frequently asked questions
Quick answers about the 2027 bank holiday dates.
How many bank holidays are there in 2027?
There are 8 bank holidays in England and Wales in 2027, 9 in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland. Scotland adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day but has no Easter Monday. Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne.
When is the first bank holiday in 2027?
New Year's Day, Friday 1 January 2027, is the first bank holiday of 2027 in every part of the UK. In Scotland there is a second one straight after: Monday 4 January 2027 is the substitute day for 2 January, which falls on a Saturday.
When is Easter 2027?
Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, the earliest Easter since 2016. Good Friday, 26 March 2027, is a bank holiday across the UK. Easter Monday, 29 March 2027, is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland.
When are the May bank holidays in 2027?
The early May bank holiday is Monday 3 May 2027 and the spring bank holiday is Monday 31 May 2027. Both apply in every part of the UK.
When is the August bank holiday in 2027?
The summer bank holiday is Monday 30 August 2027 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its summer bank holiday earlier, on Monday 2 August 2027.
Is there an extra bank holiday in 2027?
No extra bank holiday has been announced for 2027. The GOV.UK list, checked on 23 September 2026, shows the usual 8 bank holidays for England and Wales. Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend, so they move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December rather than adding extra days.
What is the three-day week in 2027?
Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2027 fall on a Saturday and Sunday, so the bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. That leaves only three working days that week: 29, 30 and 31 December. Booking those three days off gives 10 days in a row, from Saturday 25 December 2027 to Monday 3 January 2028.
Do I get paid for bank holidays?
There is no legal right to paid time off on a bank holiday in the UK, and no legal right to extra pay for working one. Your contract decides both. Most employers include bank holidays in the 5.6 weeks of paid holiday every worker is entitled to, which is 28 days for someone working five days a week.