2026 Bank holidays: full list including Boxing Day switch up
2026 bank holidays: everything you need to know
As the new year passes and we all return to the office, thoughts inevitably turn to holiday planning as we start to think about where we’ll escape to next.
One of the earliest considerations are the 2026 bank holidays: when they fall, how many there are, and what this year’s bank holiday haul means for your annual leave and time off planning.
This year’s bank holidays have been announced by the UK Government and include a switch up to the classic Christmas Day followed by Boxing Day bank holiday formula, due to the way the weekends land in December.
Here is this year’s list of 2026 bank holidays in full
1 January – New Year’s Day
3 April – Good Friday
6 April – Easter Monday
4 May – Early May bank holiday
25 May – Spring bank holiday
31 August – Summer bank holiday
25 December – Christmas Day
28 December – Boxing Day (substitute day)
As Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year and Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, we’re being given the “substitute” bank holiday for Boxing Day on the following Monday 28 December.
Unlike last year when there were rumours of an extra bank holiday to earmark the end of World War II, this year there have been no conversations around extensions to the classic eight days.
Last year’s additional bank holiday was cancelled because there is a high price associated with shutting down the private sector for a day. Following rumours of last year’s additional day off, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe Day and Victory in Japan Day are moments of huge significance. We’ll honour them with fitting events, using the early May bank holiday for commemorative activities. There are no plans for an additional holiday.”
Britain has one of the lowest amounts of annual bank holidays in the world. The USA has 11 official federal holidays, Spain has 14, Italy has 12 and Australia has between 9 to 12 bank holidays annually.
How to maximise time off
It’s a good tactic to book annual leave around bank holidays in order to maximise the amount of time you can take away from the office over the course of the year.
Due to the Easter bank holidays you can get 10 days’ leave by taking only four days off from 3 – 12 April. You can get a string of 9 days’ leave in May from 2 – 10 or 23 – 31 by booking four days off each time, and similar patterns are available in August and September (1 – 4 September for nine consecutive days and similarly for 29 August – 6 September).
Next Christmas you can book seven days of annual leave and get 16 consecutive days off. Just book off 21 – 24 December and 29 – 31.