A new UK bank holiday has been confirmed for 2026
04:44, 22 Mar 2026Updated 07:25, 22 Mar 2026
Most people get bank holidays off work(Image: Maremagnum via Getty Images)
The Government has confirmed all of the bank holidays scheduled across the UK through to the end of 2026.
Different UK nations often have varying bank holiday dates. The forthcoming Easter weekend, for example, will include two bank holidays on Good Friday, April 3, and Easter Monday, April 6, for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland, however, recognises Good Friday as a bank holiday, but Easter Monday is not observed. Government officials have recently set out the remaining bank holiday dates for this year via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Several posts confirm that UK-wide bank holidays will fall on Good Friday, as previously mentioned, alongside Mondays May 4 and 25. All UK nations will also observe bank holidays on Christmas Day, December 25, and Monday, December 28 (a substitute for Boxing Day, which this year falls on a Saturday).
Meanwhile, Monday, July 13, marks the Battle of the Boyne bank holiday for Northern Ireland, while in Scotland, Monday, August 3, represents the Summer bank holiday. The rest of the UK, namely England, Wales and Northern Ireland, will observe this year’s Summer bank holiday on Monday, August 25.
On Monday, November 30, Scotland alone will celebrate the St Andrew’s Day bank holiday. And as confirmed last month, Scotland will enjoy an additional bank holiday this year.
Buckingham Palace declared on Wednesday, February 4: “To mark the achievement of Scotland’s men’s football team competing at the Fifa World Cup for the first time in 28 years, we consider it desirable that Monday, the fifteenth day of June in the year 2026 should be a bank holiday in Scotland.
“Now, therefore, we, in pursuance of section 1(3) of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, do hereby appoint Monday, the fifteenth day of June in the year 2026 to be a bank holiday in Scotland.”
Full list of UK bank holidays for 2026:
England and Wales
- Thursday, January 1 – New Year’s Day
- Friday, April 3 – Good Friday
- Monday, April 6 – Easter Monday
- Monday, May 4 – Early May bank holiday
- Monday, May 25 – Spring bank holiday
- Monday, August 31- Summer bank holiday
- Friday, December 25 – Christmas Day
- Monday, December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)
Scotland
- Friday, April 3 – Good Friday
- Monday, May 4 – Early May bank holiday
- Monday, May 25 – Spring bank holiday
- Monday, June 15 – World Cup bank holiday
- Monday, August 3 – Summer bank holiday
- Monday, November 30 – St. Andrew’s Day
- Friday, December 25 – Christmas Day
- Monday, December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)
Northern Ireland
- Tuesday, March 17 – St Patrick’s Day
- Friday, April 3 – Good Friday
- Monday, April 6 – Easter Monday
- Monday, May 4 – Early May bank holiday
- Monday, May 25 – Spring bank holiday
- Monday, July 13 – Battle of the Boyne (substitute day)
- Monday, August 31 – Summer bank holiday
- Friday, December 25 – Christmas Day
- Monday, December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)
