Northern Ireland Bank Holidays 2026 and 2027

Northern Ireland has 10 bank holidays in 2026 and 10 in 2027, two more than England and Wales. The next is Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026, followed by the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December. In 2027 the first Northern Ireland-only date is St Patrick’s Day on Wednesday 17 March.

Bank holidays Northern Ireland had in 2026

• New Year’s DayThu 1 Jan
• St Patrick’s Day Northern Ireland onlyTue 17 Mar
• Good FridayFri 3 Apr
• Easter MondayMon 6 Apr
• Early May bank holidayMon 4 May
• Spring bank holidayMon 25 May
• Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) Northern Ireland onlysubstitute dayMon 13 Jul
• Summer bank holidayMon 31 Aug
• Christmas DayFri 25 Dec
• Boxing Daysubstitute dayMon 28 Dec

The Battle of the Boyne holiday moved to Monday 13 July 2026, because 12 July 2026 was a Sunday.

Northern Ireland bank holidays 2027

• New Year’s DayFri 1 Jan
• St Patrick’s Day Northern Ireland onlyWed 17 Mar
• Good FridayFri 26 Mar
• Easter MondayMon 29 Mar
• Early May bank holidayMon 3 May
• Spring bank holidayMon 31 May
• Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) Northern Ireland onlyMon 12 Jul
• Summer bank holidayMon 30 Aug
• Christmas Daysubstitute dayMon 27 Dec
• Boxing Daysubstitute dayTue 28 Dec

March 2027 is busy in Northern Ireland: St Patrick’s Day on Wednesday 17 March, Good Friday on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March, three bank holidays within two weeks. The Battle of the Boyne falls on Monday 12 July 2027, so no substitute day is needed. At Christmas both days fall at a weekend, and the bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December 2027.

How Northern Ireland differs from England & Wales

Of the 10 bank holidays Northern Ireland has in a normal year, 8 are the England and Wales days on the same dates; the other two are its own. The highlighted rows are the extra days.

Highlighted rows differ. 2027. Source: GOV.UK, checked 4 November 2026.

Unlike Scotland, Northern Ireland has Easter Monday and the late August summer bank holiday, and it does not have 2 January or St Andrew’s Day.

St Patrick’s Day: set by the 1971 Act

St Patrick’s Day is on the statutory list for Northern Ireland. Schedule 1, paragraph 3 of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 names “17th March, if it be not a Sunday or, if it be a Sunday, 18th March”. That rule produced substitute days on Monday 18 March 2019 and Monday 18 March 2024 in the GOV.UK data. More on dates, weekend rules and the rest of the UK is on the St Patrick’s Day bank holiday page.

Battle of the Boyne: set by royal proclamation

The Battle of the Boyne holiday on 12 July, also called Orangemen’s Day, is not in the 1971 Act. It is appointed by royal proclamation for Northern Ireland only. The July 2026 proclamation appoints Monday 12 July 2027, and the one made in 2025 appointed Monday 13 July 2026. When 12 July falls at a weekend, the holiday has moved to the following Monday, as in 2020, 2025 and 2026.

Source: GOV.UK bank holidays data (confirmed years), checked 4 November 2026. Later years are calculated from the usual rules and marked provisional.

The rest of Northern Ireland’s list follows England and Wales: Easter Monday, the last Mondays in May and August and Boxing Day are in the Act, Christmas Day and Good Friday are common-law holidays, and New Year’s Day and the early May bank holiday are appointed by the same proclamation as in England and Wales.

The Republic of Ireland is not covered

This site covers bank holidays in the United Kingdom only. The Republic of Ireland is a separate state with its own public holidays, which are not covered here.

Frequently asked questions

Do employers in Northern Ireland have to give St Patrick’s Day or 12 July off?

No. Bank and public holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, according to GOV.UK, and an employer can count them towards statutory annual leave. Whether you get 17 March or 12 July off, and whether you get extra pay for working, depends on your contract.

Is 12 July a bank holiday in England or Scotland?

No. The Battle of the Boyne is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland only. In the rest of the UK, 12 July is a normal working day.

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

Read next

1. Is today a bank holiday in Northern Ireland?
2. St Patrick's Day bank holiday
3. England and Wales bank holidays
4. Bank holiday substitute days