# Public holidays in United Kingdom

Bank holidays in England and Wales. Is today a holiday, what is on this week, and when is the next day off — worked out for Europe/London time.

## United Kingdom public holidays at a glance

United Kingdom has 8 public holiday dates in 2026 plus 1 substitute day off: the first is New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January and the last is Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December. The same data for 2020–2030 is available as JSON from `/api/holidays?country=GB&year=2026`.

## About holidays in United Kingdom

England and Wales share one list of bank holidays. Scotland adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day and drops Easter Monday; Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne. A bank holiday that lands on a weekend moves to the next weekday, shown here as the substitute day.

## All United Kingdom public holidays in 2026

| Date | Holiday |
| --- | --- |
| Thursday 1 January | New Year's Day |
| Friday 3 April | Good Friday |
| Monday 6 April | Easter Monday |
| Monday 4 May | Early May bank holiday |
| Monday 25 May | Spring bank holiday |
| Monday 31 August | Summer bank holiday |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas Day |
| Saturday 26 December | Boxing Day |
| Monday 28 December | Boxing Day (day off in lieu) |

Full month-by-month calendars: [2026 calendar](https://whathappen.today/holidays/united-kingdom/2026/) · [2027 calendar](https://whathappen.today/holidays/united-kingdom/2027/).

## Sources

- [GOV.UK — UK bank holidays](https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays) — official list to confirm dates (checked 2026-10-10)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-10)

## Questions and answers

How many public holidays does United Kingdom have in 2026?

This list has 8 holiday dates in 2026, plus 1 substitute day off. It covers bank holidays in England and Wales.

Which United Kingdom holidays fall on a weekend in 2026?

Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December). Where the rules give a substitute day off, it is listed separately.

Which dates could still change?

None of the 2026 dates depend on a moon sighting, but governments can still add one-off holidays during the year.

Which time zone does “today” use on this page?

Europe/London, the country's time zone. The status box at the top is worked out in your browser from your device clock.

Where are the official dates published?

[GOV.UK — UK bank holidays](https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays). When this page and the official source disagree, the official source is right.

For reference only — governments can add, move or cancel holidays at short notice. Confirm with the official source: [GOV.UK — UK bank holidays](https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays). Data: the open-source `holidays` library (MIT), spot-checked against official 2026 calendars.

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/holidays/united-kingdom/