England and Wales Bank Holidays 2026 and 2027

England and Wales share one list of bank holidays: 8 days in 2026 and 8 in 2027. The next one is Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026, followed by the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December, because 26 December 2026 is a Saturday.

All bank holidays England and Wales have in 2026

• New Year’s DayThu 1 Jan
• Good FridayFri 3 Apr
• Easter MondayMon 6 Apr
• Early May bank holidayMon 4 May
• Spring bank holidayMon 25 May
• Summer bank holidayMon 31 Aug
• Christmas DayFri 25 Dec
• Boxing Daysubstitute dayMon 28 Dec

Seven of the eight 2026 dates are Mondays or Fridays, so most of them give a long weekend on their own. Easter was early in April 2026, with Good Friday on 3 April and Easter Monday on 6 April.

England and Wales bank holidays 2027

• New Year’s DayFri 1 Jan
• Good FridayFri 26 Mar
• Easter MondayMon 29 Mar
• Early May bank holidayMon 3 May
• Spring bank holidayMon 31 May
• Summer bank holidayMon 30 Aug
• Christmas Daysubstitute dayMon 27 Dec
• Boxing Daysubstitute dayTue 28 Dec

Two things stand out in 2027. Easter falls in March (Good Friday 26 March, Easter Monday 29 March), so April 2027 has no bank holiday. And Christmas Day and Boxing Day both fall at a weekend, which moves the bank holidays to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December 2027. The full UK picture, including Scotland and Northern Ireland, is on the 2027 bank holidays page.

Where do the bank holidays England and Wales share come from?

Three different sources fix the eight days, which is why some dates follow a strict rule and others are confirmed year by year.

The Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. Schedule 1, paragraph 1 lists the bank holidays for England and Wales: Easter Monday, the last Monday in May, the last Monday in August, 26 December “if it be not a Sunday”, and 27 December in a year in which 25 or 26 December is a Sunday.

Common law. Christmas Day and Good Friday are not in that list. They were customary holidays long before the Act and remain common-law holidays in England and Wales.

Royal proclamation. New Year’s Day and the early May bank holiday are appointed by royal proclamation under the 1971 Act, usually in the summer of the year before. The proclamation made in July 2026, for example, appoints Friday 1 January, Monday 3 May and Tuesday 28 December 2027 as bank holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The same power is used for one-off days such as the coronation bank holiday on 8 May 2023.

Does Wales have its own bank holidays?

No. The bank holidays England has are the same as in Wales: the 1971 Act treats England and Wales as one jurisdiction, and GOV.UK publishes a single list for both. St David’s Day on 1 March is not a bank holiday in Wales: it does not appear in Schedule 1 or in the GOV.UK data for any year from 2019 to 2028. In 2027, 1 March is a Monday and a normal working day in Wales, unless an employer gives the day off by its own choice.

How England and Wales differ from the rest of the UK

England and Wales have the shortest list in the UK. Scotland and Northern Ireland share the core days but differ in these points:

• Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland.
• The summer bank holiday is the last Monday in August in England and Wales (30 August 2027). Scotland’s is the first Monday in August.
• 2 January and St Andrew’s Day (30 November) are bank holidays in Scotland only. See the Scotland bank holidays page.
• St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne are extra bank holidays in Northern Ireland only. See the Northern Ireland bank holidays page.

Frequently asked questions

Do employers in England and Wales have to give bank holidays off?

No. GOV.UK states that bank or public holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, and an employer can include them in a worker’s statutory annual leave of 5.6 weeks (28 days for most people working a 5-day week). Your contract decides whether you get the day off.

Is the number of bank holidays in England always 8?

It is 8 in a normal year, but a royal proclamation can add a day. 2022 had 10 in England and Wales, with the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday on 3 June and the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September. 2023 had 9 because of the coronation. No extra day has been announced for 2027 at the time of checking.

Sources: GOV.UK bank holidays data and Privy Council proclamations. Checked 4 November 2026.

Read next

1. Scotland bank holidays
2. Northern Ireland bank holidays
3. Bank holiday substitute days
4. List of UK bank holidays