Public holidays in United Kingdom 2026
The United Kingdom has 8 public holidays in 2026 (England and Wales). 7 fall on a weekday and 1 on the weekend, with 1 substitute day off marked as observed, which leaves 253 working days out of 365. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday.
8public holidays
8weekday days off, substitutes included
253working days in 2026
104weekend days
The dates listed are the bank holidays for England and Wales, which is what most searches for UK bank holidays mean. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own calendar: Scotland adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day and moves the summer bank holiday to early August, while Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne.
Holiday dates 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | New Year's Day | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Easter Monday | |
| Monday | May Day | |
| Monday | Spring Bank Holiday | |
| Monday | Late Summer Bank Holiday | |
| Friday | Christmas Day | |
| Saturday weekend | Boxing Day | |
| Monday | Boxing Day observed |
Observed marks a substitute day off granted because the holiday itself falls on a weekend.
Working days per month in 2026
A working day is any day that is neither a weekend day (Saturday and Sunday) nor a public holiday. Holidays that fall on the weekend do not reduce the count.
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend days | Holidays on weekdays | Working days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 |
| February 2026 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 |
| March 2026 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 22 |
| April 2026 | 30 | 8 | 2 | 20 |
| May 2026 | 31 | 10 | 2 | 19 |
| June 2026 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 |
| July 2026 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 23 |
| August 2026 | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 |
| September 2026 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 |
| October 2026 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 22 |
| November 2026 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 21 |
| December 2026 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 21 |
| Total 2026 | 365 | 104 | 8 | 253 |
public holidayweekendbridge day
Jan21 wd
Feb20 wd
Mar22 wd
Apr20 wd
May19 wd
Jun22 wd
Jul23 wd
Aug20 wd
Sep22 wd
Oct22 wd
Nov21 wd
Dec21 wd
Long weekends and bridge days in 2026
Breaks of three days or more that need no annual leave at all.
- 4 daysFri 3 to Mon 6 April 2026Good Friday, Easter Monday
- 3 daysSat 2 to Mon 4 May 2026May Day
- 3 daysSat 23 to Mon 25 May 2026Spring Bank Holiday
- 3 daysSat 29 to Mon 31 August 2026Late Summer Bank Holiday
- 4 daysFri 25 to Mon 28 December 2026Christmas Day, Boxing Day
Take one day of leave on the date shown and turn a holiday into a longer break.
- 4 daysTake off Friday 2 January 2026 for Thu 1 to Sun 4 January 2026New Year's Day
Questions about 2026 in United Kingdom
- How many working days are there in United Kingdom in 2026?
- 253 working days. 2026 has 365 days, 104 of them weekend days and 8 public holidays on weekdays.
- How many public holidays does United Kingdom have in 2026?
- 8 public holidays, plus 1 substitute day off. 1 falls on the weekend.
- Which 2026 holidays fall on a weekend?
- Boxing Day (26 December 2026).
- What counts as the weekend in United Kingdom?
- Saturday and Sunday. The calculator lets you change this if your organisation works a different week.
- What about 2027?
- See public holidays in United Kingdom 2027 or go back to 2025.
Cite or reuse this data
The United Kingdom has 8 public holidays and 253 working days in 2026.
Source: OpenWorkdays, https://openworkdays.com/united-kingdom/2026/ (dataset holidays 0.103, CC BY 4.0).
Machine readable: JSON, Markdown, ICS, CSV.