UK Bank Holidays 2027 by Nation
In 2027 England and Wales get eight bank holidays, Scotland nine and Northern Ireland ten. Christmas Day and Boxing Day both fall at the weekend, so all three nations take a double substitute on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. The table below is the England and Wales list; Scotland’s and Northern Ireland’s dates follow underneath.
Dates in 2027
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2027 | Friday | New Year's DayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| March 26, 2027 | Friday | Good FridayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| March 29, 2027 | Monday | Easter MondayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| May 3, 2027 | Monday | Early May bank holidayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| May 31, 2027 | Monday | Spring bank holidayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| August 30, 2027 | Monday | Summer bank holidayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| December 27, 2027 | Monday | Christmas Day (substitute day)Christmas Day (Dec 25) falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday Dec 27.Substitute holiday | Substitute holiday |
| December 28, 2027 | Tuesday | Boxing Day (substitute day)Boxing Day (Dec 26) falls on a Sunday, so the bank holiday moves to Tuesday Dec 28.Substitute holiday | Substitute holiday |
Scotland: nine bank holidays in 2027
Scotland’s 2027 list runs: New Year’s Day (Fri Jan 1), the 2nd January substitute (Mon Jan 4), Good Friday (Fri Mar 26), Early May (Mon May 3), Spring (Mon May 31), Summer (Mon Aug 2), St Andrew’s Day (Tue Nov 30), the Christmas Day substitute (Mon Dec 27) and the Boxing Day substitute (Tue Dec 28).
The count drops from ten to nine only because 2026’s one-off World Cup bank holiday does not repeat. Everything structural stays the same: no Easter Monday, the summer holiday on the first Monday of August (Aug 2 against Aug 30 in England and Wales), and 2nd January preserved — this year as a Monday substitute, since 2 January is a Saturday.
Northern Ireland: ten days, with St Patrick’s Day mid-week
Northern Ireland’s 2027 list is: New Year’s Day (Fri Jan 1), St Patrick’s Day (Wed Mar 17), Good Friday (Fri Mar 26), Easter Monday (Mon Mar 29), Early May (Mon May 3), Spring (Mon May 31), the Battle of the Boyne (Mon Jul 12), Summer (Mon Aug 30), the Christmas Day substitute (Mon Dec 27) and the Boxing Day substitute (Tue Dec 28).
Two dates land conveniently this year. The Battle of the Boyne falls naturally on a Monday, so no substitute is needed, unlike 2026. St Patrick’s Day, on the other hand, is a Wednesday — a standalone mid-week day off with no long weekend attached, which is the least popular configuration for it.
What a bank holiday does — and does not — give you
A bank holiday is not a statutory right to paid leave anywhere in the UK. Whether you are paid, and whether you get the day at all, is set by your employment contract. Many contracts fold bank holidays into the statutory 28 days of annual leave rather than adding to them, which is why two people on the same salary can end up with very different numbers of days off.
This matters most when a contract crosses a border. A clause promising “all UK bank holidays” is genuinely ambiguous — a Glasgow employee and a Manchester employee reading the same words would take different days. Employers with staff in more than one nation normally name the nation whose list applies.
When a fixed-date bank holiday lands on a weekend, a substitute weekday is created, normally the following Monday. Substitutes are the main reason the three lists occasionally realign at the end of December even when they differ all year.
Official sources & data
Frequently asked questions
How many bank holidays does each UK nation get in 2027?+
England and Wales have eight, Scotland nine and Northern Ireland ten. Scotland has one fewer than in 2026 because the World Cup bank holiday was a one-off.
Why are there two Christmas substitute days in 2027?+
Christmas Day (Dec 25) is a Saturday and Boxing Day (Dec 26) a Sunday in 2027, so both need substitutes: Monday 27 December for Christmas Day and Tuesday 28 December for Boxing Day. All three UK lists do the same, giving a four-day break from Saturday to Tuesday.
When is St Patrick’s Day 2027 in Northern Ireland?+
Wednesday 17 March 2027. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland only — England, Wales and Scotland work as normal that day. Because 17 March is a weekday in 2027, there is no substitute.
Does Scotland get 2nd January off in 2027?+
Yes, but on Monday 4 January. The 2nd of January is a Saturday in 2027, so the Scottish bank holiday moves to the following Monday. Scotland is the only UK nation with a 2nd January bank holiday.
When is St Andrew’s Day 2027?+
Tuesday 30 November 2027 — a bank holiday in Scotland only. As in every year, the 2007 Act makes it a bank holiday without requiring employers to grant the day off.
Do all three UK nations share the May bank holidays?+
Yes. The Early May bank holiday (Mon May 3, 2027) and the Spring bank holiday (Mon May 31, 2027) are the same date in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. May is the one month of the year when all four home nations line up.