Bank holiday dates 2027, and the trick to maximise your time off work
Start planning your 2027 holidays now...
The good news is that you have a four-day week. The bad? There are officially no more UK bank holidays until Christmas, but don't let that stop you planning ahead.
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The August Bank Holiday brought wetter weather in 2026 as thousands enjoyed Reading and Leeds festivals, as well as the return of the Premier League season.
After an unprecedented five heatwaves in the summer, it can feel a bit down to Earth with a mixed forecast for the month ahead and the new school term starting, while Parliament is also back from its recess.
The next bank holiday in 2026 will not be until December 25, Christmas Day. A quirk is that Boxing Day will be on a Saturday, which means that Monday, December 28 will also be a bank holiday, the final one of the year.
But what about 2027? Read on for all of the details.
2027 UK Bank Holiday dates
England and Wales
- Friday, January 1: New Year's Day,
- Friday, March 26: Good Friday,
- Monday, March 29: Easter Monday,
- Monday, May 3: May Day,
- Monday, May 31: Spring Bank Holiday / Whitsun,
- Monday, August 30: Summer Bank Holiday,
- Monday, December 27: Christmas Day (substitute),
- Tuesday, December 28: Boxing Day (substitute)
Additional bank holidays in Scotland
- Monday, January 4: January 2 Holiday (Substitute)
- Monday, August 2: Summer Bank Holiday
- Tuesday, November 30: St Andrew’s Day
*Scotland does not have Easter Monday, nor the late August holiday.
Additional bank holidays in Northern Ireland
- Monday, July 12: Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day)
- Wednesday, March 17: St Patrick’s Day
How to maximise your holidays in 2027
Using your time off, you can maximise the bank holidays in 2027 to string together a few days off while not totalling your balance. Here are some of the hacks where you can play the calendar to your advantage.
- Get January 1-10 off, only taking off five days (January 4-8),
- Take March 20-29 off, using only four days of leave (March 22-25),
- May 1-9 off work uses only four days of leave (May 4-7),
- May 22-June 6 can be obtained with four days of leave (June 1-4),
- Get August 28-September 5 off, using only four days of leave (August 31 - September 3),
- For Christmas, you can be off from December 25-January 2, using only three days of leave (December 29-31).