The UK’s 2027 bank holiday calendar has been officially confirmed, with the most notable change affecting the Christmas period: because both Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend, substitute weekdays will be used so workers don’t lose their entitlement.
What’s changing in the UK’s 2027 bank holiday calendar?
The big shift is at the end of the year. In 2027, Christmas Day lands on Saturday 25 December and Boxing Day on Sunday 26 December. Under UK rules, when a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a “substitute” weekday is observed instead, normally the following Monday.
Because both holidays hit the weekend back-to-back, the substitute days are split across two weekdays:
- Monday 27 December 2027 – Christmas Day (substitute day)
- Tuesday 28 December 2027 – Boxing Day (substitute day)
This creates an unusual four-day weekend to close out the year (Saturday–Tuesday) for many workers in England and Wales.
Full list of 2027 bank holidays (Scotland)
For England and Wales, there will be eight bank holidays in 2027:
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
- January 4 – January 2nd (substitute day)
- March 26 – Good Friday
- May 3 – Early May bank holiday
- May 31 – Spring bank holiday
- August 2 – Summer bank holiday
- November 30 – St Andrew’s Day
- December 27 – Christmas Day (substitute day)
- December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)
Why do the dates move?
Bank holidays in the UK are fixed by statute but their observed dates can shift for two main reasons:
- Weekend fall: If a named bank holiday (like Christmas Day) falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute weekday is designated so people still get a day off.
- Easter’s movable date: Good Friday changes each year because Easter itself is based on a lunar calendar, which shifts the spring holidays.
In 2027, Easter is relatively early compared with some recent years, which pulls Good Friday forward into late March.
How to make the most of 2027’s long weekends
With the confirmed dates, you can plan annual leave to stretch your time off:
- Late December: With Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December as bank holidays, taking Wednesday 29–Friday 31 December off would give you a nine-day break from Saturday 25 December through Sunday 2 January 2028 (depending on your workplace and whether 1 January is treated separately).
- Spring and summer: The May and August bank holidays all fall on Mondays, so each already creates a three-day weekend; adding one or two days of annual leave can turn these into four- or five-day breaks.
Travel and accommodation tend to book up quickly around bank holiday weekends, especially the Christmas–New Year period, so early planning is advisable.
While eight dates that apply to England and Wales, other UK nations have extra holidays:
Scotland: Additional holidays such as 2 January (and a substitute if it falls on a weekend) and St Andrew’s Day.
Northern Ireland: Additional holidays including St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day).
