United Kingdom Public Holidays List 2026

New Year's Day (01 Jan) : 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 (02 Jan) : January 2 is an annual bank holiday and the last day of the Hogmanay (New Year) celebrations in Scotland.

Twelfth Night (05 Jan) : Twelfth Night is a observance and Christian holiday in the United Kingdom

Epiphany (06 Jan) : Epiphany marks the visit of the Magi to Jesus and celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ.

Orthodox Christmas Day (07 Jan) : Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom celebrate the Nativity of Christ (Jesus' birth) on the Orthodox Christmas Day.

Orthodox New Year (14 Jan) : Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom mark the start of a new calendar year on either January 1 or 14 in the Gregorian calendar.

Isra and Mi'raj (16 Jan) : Isra and Mi'raj marks the night when the Prophet Mohammad traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem, ascended to heaven, and returned.

Burns Night (25 Jan) : Burns Night celebrates the life and work of Robert Burns and Scottish culture in general. It is on or around January 25 each year.

Tu B'Shevat (Arbor Day) (02 Feb) : Tu B’Shevat is known as the “New Year for Trees”, is one of the four Jewish New Years.

Valentine's Day (14 Feb) : Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the UK as a day of love and falls on February 14 every year.

Carnival / Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day (17 Feb) : Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Tuesday in the United Kingdom.

Lunar New Year (17 Feb) : Lunar New Year in the United Kingdom (UK) marks the start of the New Year in the Chinese calendar.

Ramadan Start (18 Feb) : Muslims in the United Kingdom welcome Ramadan as a period of fasting, self-evaluation, and spiritual growth.

Carnival / Ash Wednesday (18 Feb) : Ash Wednesday is a Christian observance in the United Kingdom. It is the first day of Lent.

St. David's Day (01 Mar) : 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.

Purim (03 Mar) : Purim commemorates a time when Jewish people were saved from death around the fourth century BCE, according to the Book of Esther.

Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power) (15 Mar) : Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power, is the holiest day of the Islamic calendar year.

Mother's Day (15 Mar) : 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.

St Patrick's Day (17 Mar) : St Patrick's Day remembers the life and deeds of St Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints. It also celebrates Irish culture.

Eid ul Fitr (20 Mar) : Eid ul-Fitr is a Muslim celebration that marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.

March Equinox (20 Mar) : March Equinox in the United Kingdom (London)

Palm Sunday (29 Mar) : Palm Sunday in the United Kingdom celebrates Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. It is also the Sunday before Easter Sunday.

Daylight Saving Time starts (29 Mar) : Daylight Saving Time starts in the United Kingdom

Maundy Thursday (02 Apr) : Many Christians in the United Kingdom celebrate Maundy Thursday on the Thursday before Good Friday.

First day of Passover (02 Apr) : Passover marks the Israelites' liberation from slavery and their exodus from Egypt around 3000 years ago.

Good Friday (03 Apr) : Good Friday is just before Easter Sunday and is a public holiday in the United Kingdom.

Holy Saturday (04 Apr) : Holy Saturday is the day before Easter Sunday in the United Kingdom.

Easter Sunday (05 Apr) : Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's resurrection. The Easter egg hunt is one of the most popular Easter traditions

Easter Monday (06 Apr) : Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday. It is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland.

Easter Monday (06 Apr) : Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday. It is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland.

Last day of Passover (09 Apr) : 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 (10 Apr) : 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.

Orthodox Holy Saturday (11 Apr) : Many Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom remember Jesus Christ’s burial and his descent into Hades on Holy Saturday.

Orthodox Easter (12 Apr) : Many Orthodox Christians in the United Kingdom commemorate Jesus Christ’s resurrection on Easter Day, also known as Pascha.

Orthodox Easter Monday (13 Apr) : Many Orthodox churches in the United Kingdom observe Easter Monday on the day after the Orthodox Easter Sunday date.

Yom HaShoah (14 Apr) : Yom Hashoah, held on the 27th day of the month of Nisan, remembers the Holocaust victims who died during World War II.

Yom HaAtzmaut (22 Apr) : Celebrated on the fifth day of the Jewish month of Iyar, Yom Ha’Atzmaut is Israel’s Independence Day.

Stephen Lawrence Day (22 Apr) : Stephen Lawrence Day is an annual observance in the UK commemorating the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence.

St. George's Day (23 Apr) : St George's Day in England is a celebration of Saint George, a Christian martyr and soldier in the Roman army.

Shakespeare Day (23 Apr) : National Shakespeare Day, also known as Shakespeare Day, is annually held on April 23.

Early May Bank Holiday (04 May) : May Day, or the Early May Bank holiday, is on the first Monday of May each year.

Lag B'Omer (05 May) : Jewish people observe Lag BaOmer on the 18th day of the month of Iyar in the Jewish calendar.

Ascension Day (14 May) : Ascension Day is the 40th day of Easter and commemorates Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven, according to Christian belief.

Shavuot (22 May) : Shavuot, also known as the Festival of Weeks, is one of three major Jewish festivals celebrated among Jewish people in the UK.

Pentecost (24 May) : Many Christians in the United Kingdom observe Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday or Whit Sunday.

Whit Monday (25 May) : Whit Monday is a Christian observance also known as Pentecost Monday. It is the day after Pentecost, or Whitsunday.

Spring Bank Holiday (25 May) : The spring bank holiday in the United Kingdom is on the last Monday of May each year.

Eid al-Adha (27 May) : Eid ul-Adha is an Islamic festival to remember Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son to God.

Trinity Sunday (31 May) : Trinity Sunday, which is the first Sunday after Pentecost, is a Christian feast that is observed in many churches in the United Kingdom.

Corpus Christi (04 Jun) : Corpus Christi is a Christian observance that honors the Holy Eucharist.

Muharram/Islamic New Year (17 Jun) : The first day of Muharram, which is the first month in the Islamic calendar, marks the Islamic New Year.

King's Birthday (20 Jun) : The King’s birthday is an annual public holiday in Australia celebrating the official birthday of King Charles III.

Father's Day (21 Jun) : Father's Day in the United Kingdom honors fathers and celebrates fatherhood.

June Solstice (21 Jun) : June Solstice in the United Kingdom (London)

Windrush Day (22 Jun) : Windrush Day is an annual observance in the UK honoring the British Caribbean community.

Ashura (26 Jun) : On Ashura, many Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husayn ibn Ali.

Battle of the Boyne (12 Jul) : Orangemen's Day is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne.

Battle of the Boyne observed (13 Jul) : Orangemen's Day is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne.

Tisha B'Av (23 Jul) : Tisha B’Av is a Jewish day of mourning, which falls on the ninth day of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar.

Summer Bank Holiday (03 Aug) : 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.

Assumption of Mary (15 Aug) : 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 (Mawlid) (26 Aug) : Milad un Nabi, also called Mawlid, marks the birthday of prophet Muhammad.

Summer Bank Holiday (31 Aug) : 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.

Janmashtami (Smarta) (03 Sep) : Janmashtami (Smarta) is a Hindu holiday in the United Kingdom

Janmashtami (04 Sep) : 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 (12 Sep) : Rosh Hashanah, also spelled Rosh Hashana, is commonly known as the Jewish New Year.

Yom Kippur (21 Sep) : Yom Kippur is arguably the holiest of the Jewish holidays. It is celebrated in October or November.

September Equinox (23 Sep) : September Equinox in the United Kingdom (London)

First day of Sukkot (26 Sep) : Sukkot is a Jewish holiday lasting 7 days. It begins on the 15th of Tishrei, which falls into September or October.

Hoshana Rabbah (02 Oct) : Jewish people in the UK celebrate Hoshana Rabbah, also spelled Hoshana Raba, on the last day of the Sukkot festival.

Shemini Atzeret (03 Oct) : Shemini Atzeret, also spelled Shmini Atzeret, is a joyous Jewish holiday that immediately follows the Sukkot festival.

Feast of St Francis of Assisi (04 Oct) : 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 (04 Oct) : Simchat Torah (Simchas Torah or Simhat Torah) is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the completion of the annual reading of the Torah.

Daylight Saving Time ends (25 Oct) : Daylight Saving Time ends in the United Kingdom

Halloween (31 Oct) : Halloween is an observance celebrated at the end of October by holding parties, dressing up and going 'trick-or-treating'.

All Saints' Day (01 Nov) : Many Christians in the United Kingdom observe All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, each year.

All Souls' Day (02 Nov) : All Souls’ Day is observed among some Christian communities in the United Kingdom on November 2 each year.

Guy Fawkes Day (05 Nov) : 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 (08 Nov) : 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 (29 Nov) : 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 (30 Nov) : St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and St Andrew's Day is a bank holiday in Scotland.

First Day of Hanukkah (05 Dec) : 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 (08 Dec) : The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the conception of Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, on December 8 each year.

Last day of Hanukkah (12 Dec) : The eighth and last day of Hanukkah marks the end of a period in which Jews commemorate the miracle of the cruse of oil.

December Solstice (21 Dec) : December Solstice in the United Kingdom (London)

Christmas Eve (24 Dec) : Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas Day. It is not a public holiday in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Christmas Day (25 Dec) : Christmas Day is a holiday that traditionally celebrates Jesus Christ's birth. It is on December 25 in the United Kingdom.

Boxing Day (26 Dec) : Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom that falls on December 26 each year.

Substitute Bank Holiday for Boxing Day (28 Dec) : 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 (31 Dec) : New Year's Eve, or Hogmanay in Scotland, is the last day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.