United Kingdom Public Holidays 2026
January
New Year's Day
New Year's Day marks the start of a new year in the Gregorian calendar, the official calendar used in the United Kingdom.
New Year's Day Observed
New Year's Day marks the start of a new year in the Gregorian calendar, the official calendar used in the United Kingdom.
2nd January
January 2 is an annual bank holiday and the last day of the Hogmanay (New Year) celebrations in Scotland.
2nd January (substitute day)
January 2 is an annual bank holiday and the last day of the Hogmanay (New Year) celebrations in Scotland.
Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night is an observance and Christian holiday in the United Kingdom
Epiphany
Epiphany marks the visit of the Magi to Jesus and celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ.
Isra and Mi'raj
Isra and Mi'raj (Isra Me'raj, Israa and Mi'raaj, Laylat Al-Isra wa Al-Miraj, Lailat al Miraj, Night Journey and Ascension to Heaven) marks the night that the Prophet Mohammad traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem, ascended to heaven and returned.
Orthodox Christmas Day
Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom celebrate the Nativity of Christ (Jesus' birth) on the Orthodox Christmas Day.
Orthodox New Year
Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom mark the start of a new calendar year on either January 1 or 14 in the Gregorian calendar.
Tu B'Shevat
Tu B'Shevat is known as the “New Year for Trees”, is one of the four Jewish New Years.
Burns Night
Burns Night celebrates the life and work of Robert Burns and Scottish culture in general. It is on or around January 25 each year.
February
Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year in the United Kingdom (UK) marks the start of the New Year in the Chinese calendar.
Ramadan Start
Muslims in the United Kingdom welcome Ramadan as a period of fasting, self-evaluation, and spiritual growth.
Carnival / Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day
Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Tuesday in the United Kingdom.
Carnival / Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a Christian observance in the United Kingdom. It is the first day of Lent.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is celebrated in the UK as a day of love and falls on February 14 every year.
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri is an annual festival dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu God of destruction. For devotees, is a day of reflection and meditation.
March
St. David's Day
People in Wales and Welsh communities around the world celebrate the life of their patron saint, St David, and the culture of their country on St David's Day.
Lailat al-Qadr
Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power, is the holiest day of the Islamic calendar year.
Mother's Day
Mother's Day, or Mothering Sunday, is traditionally a day to visit your mother church. It is now an occasion to bring gifts to your own mother.
Eid ul Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr is a Muslim celebration that marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.
St. Patrick's Day
St Patrick's Day remembers the life and deeds of St Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints. It also celebrates Irish culture.
Holi
Holi is a spring festival of colors celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and others. It celebrates the triumph of good over evil and the upcoming season of spring. The festival can last up to sixteen days.
Day off for St. Patrick's Day
St Patrick's Day remembers the life and deeds of St Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints. It also celebrates Irish culture.
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday in the United Kingdom celebrates Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem. It is also the Sunday before Easter Sunday.
Purim
Purim commemorates a time when Jewish people were saved from death around the fourth century BCE, according to the Book of Esther.
Maundy Thursday
Many Christians in the United Kingdom celebrate Maundy Thursday on the Thursday before Good Friday.
Good Friday
Good Friday is just before Easter Sunday and is a public holiday in the United Kingdom.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday is the day before Easter Sunday in the United Kingdom.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's resurrection. The Easter egg hunt is one of the most popular Easter traditions
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday. It is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland.
April
First day of Passover
Passover marks the Israelites' liberation from slavery and their exodus from Egypt around 3000 years ago.
Stephen Lawrence Day
Stephen Lawrence Day is an annual observance in the UK commemorating the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence.
St. George's Day
St George's Day in England is a celebration of Saint George, a Christian martyr and soldier in the Roman army.
Shakespeare Day
National Shakespeare Day, also known as Shakespeare Day, is annually held on April 23.
Last day of Passover
On the 8th and last day of Passover, Jews in the UK commemorate the Parting of the Red Sea and the Israelites' escape from Egypt.
Orthodox Good Friday
Many Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom remember the events leading up to Jesus Christ's crucifixion on Great Friday, also known as Holy Friday.
May
Orthodox Holy Saturday
Many Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom remember Jesus Christ's burial and his descent into Hades on Holy Saturday.
Orthodox Easter
Many Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom commemorate Jesus Christ's resurrection on Easter Day, also known as Pascha.
Orthodox Easter Monday
Many Orthodox churches in the United Kingdom observe Easter Monday on the day after the Orthodox Easter Sunday date.
Early May Bank Holiday
May Day, or the Early May Bank holiday, is on the first Monday of May each year.
Yom HaShoah
Yom Hashoah, held on the 27th day of the month of Nisan, remembers the Holocaust victims who died during World War II.
Lag B'Omer
Jewish people observe Lag BaOmer on the 18th day of the month of Iyar in the Jewish calendar.
The Coronation of King Charles III
The coronation of King Charles III took place on May 6 in London, with a bank holiday on May 8.
Bank Holiday for the Coronation of King Charles III
Bank Holiday for the Coronation of King Charles III is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom
Yom HaAtzmaut
Celebrated on the fifth day of the Jewish month of Iyar, Yom Ha'Atzmaut is Israel's Independence Day.
Ascension Day
Ascension Day is the 40th day of Easter and commemorates Jesus Christ's ascension into heaven, according to Christian belief.
Shavuot
Shavuot, also known as the Festival of Weeks, is one of three major Jewish festivals celebrated among Jewish people in the UK.
Pentecost
Many Christians in the United Kingdom observe Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday or Whit Sunday.
Spring Bank Holiday
The spring bank holiday in the United Kingdom is on the last Monday of May each year.
Pentecost Monday
Whit Monday is a Christian observance also known as Pentecost Monday. It is the day after Pentecost, or Whitsunday.
Eid al-Adha
Eid ul-Adha is an Islamic festival to remember Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son to God.
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday, which is the first Sunday after Pentecost, is a Christian feast that is observed in many churches in the United Kingdom.
June
Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi is a Christian observance that honors the Holy Eucharist.
Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday
Queen Elizabeth II usually celebrated her birthday on the second Saturday in June in the UK.
Muharram
The first day of Muharram, which is the first month in the Islamic calendar, marks the Islamic New Year.
King's Birthday
The King's birthday is an annual public holiday in Australia celebrating the official birthday of King Charles III.
Father's Day
Father's Day in the United Kingdom honors fathers and celebrates fatherhood.
Windrush Day
Windrush Day is an annual observance in the UK honoring the British Caribbean community.
Ashura
On Ashura, many Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husayn ibn Ali.
July
Battle of the Boyne
Orangemen's Day is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne.
Battle of the Boyne Observed
Orangemen's Day is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne.
Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av is a Jewish day of mourning, which falls on the ninth day of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar.
August
Summer Bank Holiday
The summer bank holiday is on the first Monday of August in Scotland and the last Monday of August in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival that is celebrated on the full moon of the Hindu month of Shravana (Shravan Poornima). The day is also sometimes referred to as Brother and Sister Day because it honors the relationship between brother and sister.
Assumption of Mary
The feast of the Dormition or Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated by some Christian denominations in the United Kingdom on August 15.
Milad un Nabi
Milad un Nabi, also called Mawlid, marks the birthday of prophet Muhammad.
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi is the great Ganesha festival that celebrates the birthday of Lord Ganesha during the Hindu Month of Bhadra, which usually falls between mid-August and mid-September. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi and can last up to 10 days.
September
Janmashtami (Smarta)
Janmashtami (Smarta) is a Hindu holiday in the United Kingdom
Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth incarnation of the god Vishnu. It is celebrated on the eighth day of the Hindu month of Bhadrava (Bhadrapada), which is usually in August or September.
Rosh Hashana
Rosh Hashanah, also spelled Rosh Hashana, is commonly known as the Jewish New Year.
State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
The state funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II draws attention from all over the world.
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur is arguably the holiest of the Jewish holidays. It is celebrated in October or November.
First day of Sukkot
Sukkot is a Jewish holiday lasting 7 days. It begins on the 15th of Tishrei, which falls into September or October.
Navaratri
Navaratri is a Hindu holiday in the United Kingdom
October
Hoshana Rabbah
Jewish people in the UK celebrate Hoshana Rabbah, also spelled Hoshana Raba, on the last day of the Sukkot festival.
Shemini Atzeret
Shemini Atzeret, also spelled Shmini Atzeret, is a joyous Jewish holiday that immediately follows the Sukkot festival.
Feast of St Francis of Assisi
Many churches in the United Kingdom celebrate the Feast of St Francis of Assisi to honor St Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment, on October 4 each year.
Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah (Simchas Torah or Simhat Torah) is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the completion of the annual reading of the Torah.
Dussehra
Dussehra is a Hindu holiday in the United Kingdom
Diwali/Deepavali
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year.
Halloween
Halloween is an observance celebrated at the end of October by holding parties, dressing up and going 'trick-or-treating'.
November
All Saints' Day
Many Christians in the United Kingdom observe All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, each year.
All Souls' Day
All Souls' Day is observed among some Christian communities in the United Kingdom on November 2 each year.
Guy Fawkes Day
Guy Fawkes' Night, or Bonfire Night, commemorates the prevention of a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605.
Remembrance Sunday
The United Kingdom observes Remembrance Day to remember those who sacrificed their lives during wars and conflicts, including World War I.
First Sunday of Advent
The first Sunday in Advent is the start of the liturgical or church year for many Christians as well as the Christmas season for people in the United Kingdom (UK).
St. Andrew's Day
St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and St Andrew's Day is a bank holiday in Scotland.
December
St. Andrew's Day Observed
St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and St Andrew's Day is a bank holiday in Scotland.
First Day of Hanukkah
Jewish people around the world celebrate Hanukkah to commemorate an event traditionally termed the miracle of the cruse of oil.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the conception of Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, on December 8 each year.
Last day of Hanukkah
The eighth and last day of Hanukkah marks the end of a period in which Jews commemorate the miracle of the cruse of oil.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas Day. It is not a public holiday in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is a holiday that traditionally celebrates Jesus Christ's birth. It is on December 25 in the United Kingdom.
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom that falls on December 26 each year.
Substitute Bank Holiday for Christmas Day
December 27 is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom only in some years, depending on which day Christmas Day or Boxing Day occur.
Substitute Bank Holiday for Boxing Day
December 28 is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom only in some years, depending on which day Christmas Day or Boxing Day occur.
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve, or Hogmanay in Scotland, is the last day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.