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UK bank holidays 2027: how to turn your annual leave into more than 60 days off
Wondering how to maximise bank holidays in 2027? Strategically plan your annual leave and you’ll maximise your time off during Easter, summer and Christmas
An Orwell prize-nominated investigative journalist, Kate lives in Portugal and covers news, travel rules, tourist taxes and visas.
For most of us, we never feel like we get enough time to switch off from work, so we've calculated how to get the most time off in 2027 while using as little annual leave as possible.
For instance, if you’re entitled to 29 days of annual leave, you could time it right and enjoy 61 days off in 2027, or 64 if you count the New Year’s bank holiday weekend in 2028.
Every UK full-time worker is entitled to paid annual leave to use throughout the year. But if you use those days wisely, by combining them with bank holidays and weekends, you can get more consecutive days off work.
For instance, take four days of leave over the August bank holiday, and you'll get nine days off for a longer summer break (if you include adjoining weekends) – plenty of time for a European city break.
So, mark your calendars. We’ve outlined the 2027 bank holidays below, the next bank holiday to come and how best to use them.
For this, we've assumed you have 29 days of leave on top of bank holidays, so adjust the below if you have fewer or more paid days off.
Full list of dates to take off in 2027
To more than double your time away from work in 2027, you should book off the following 29 dates:
New Year 2027 Monday 4 January to Friday 8 January
As Friday 1 January is a bank holiday, you’ll get 10 consecutive days off.
Easter bank holiday Tuesday 30 March to Friday 2 April
Taking the days off between the Easter bank holiday weekend and the following weekend, you’ll get 10 days off in a row.
Spring bank holiday Tuesday 4 May - Friday 7 May
You’ll get nine consecutive days off by bridging the Early May bank holiday to the weekend following it.
Late May bank holiday Tuesday 1 June to Friday 4 June
Taking just four days off after the Late May bank holiday Monday will get you another nine days off.
August bank holiday Tuesday 31 August to Friday 3 September
Because Monday 30 August is a bank holiday, you’ll have more than a week off by using just four days’ leave.
Christmas 2027 Monday 20 December to Friday 24 December and Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 December
Thanks to Christmas and New Year substitute bank holidays falling on 27 and 28 December, you could get 17 days off in a row.
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When is the next UK bank holiday?
The next bank holiday, Christmas Day, falls on Friday 25 December.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day are both bank holidays, falling on Friday 25 December and Saturday 26 December, respectively.
Because Boxing Day falls on a weekend in 2026, you’ll get Monday 28 December off as the bank holiday substitute, so you shouldn’t have to book it off work.
How to get a longer Christmas break in 2026
If you book off the run-up to Christmas from 21 to 24 December, plus 29, 30 and 31 December, you’ll get more than two weeks off. New Year’s Day falls on a Friday in 2027, so it’s a ‘free’ day off.
Annual leave days needed Seven (all from your 2026 allowance)
Actual days away from work 16
Dates for the diary Thursday 24 December to Sunday 3 January
How to extend your New Year break in 2027
Annual leave days needed five from your 2027 allowance
Days to book off Monday 4 January to Friday 8 January
Actual days away from work 10
Dates for the diary Including the Christmas 2026 break, you’ll be off work from 24 December to Sunday 10 January.
What dates are Good Friday and Easter Monday in 2027?
Good Friday falls on 26 March in 2026, while Easter Monday is on 5 April.
How to extend the Easter break
After the long four-day weekend, which includes Good Friday (26 March) and Easter Monday (29 March), book the four following days off work (Tuesday 30 March-Friday 2 April). You’ll get a much longer Easter break of 10 days (if you count the weekends before and after), that's plenty of time to get through a large stack of Easter eggs.
Annual leave days needed Four
Actual days away from work 10
Dates for the diary Friday 26 March to Sunday 4 April
When is the early May bank holiday 2027?
The early May bank holiday is on Monday 3 May 2027.
How to extend the early May bank holiday
To get a longer break in early May, take an additional four days off starting Tuesday 4 May, giving you a break from the bank holiday weekend through the week and the following weekend. It’s more than a week off, but using only four days’ leave.
Annual leave days needed Four
Actual days away from work Nine
Dates for the diary Saturday 1 May to Sunday 9 May
When is the spring bank holiday 2027?
The spring bank holiday takes place on Monday 31 May.
How to extend the spring/late May bank holiday 2027
Take off the days following the bank holiday Monday (ie Tuesday 1 June – Friday 4 June), and you’ll bridge two weekends, leaving you with nine days off work.
Annual leave days needed Four
Actual days away from work Nine
Dates for the diary Saturday 29 May to Sunday 6 June
When is the August bank holiday 2027?
The summer bank holiday takes place on Monday 30 August.
As with the late May bank holiday, take four days’ leave after it, and you’ll enjoy more than a week off before returning to work on Monday 6 September.
Annual leave days needed Four
Actual days away from work Nine
Dates for the diary Saturday 28 August to Sunday 5 September
How to extend the Christmas break in 2027-2028
Christmas and Boxing Day fall on Saturday and Sunday in 2027, with two substitute bank holidays falling on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.
If you have 29 days of annual leave to take in 2027, you could take the whole week before Christmas, meaning you’d be off from Saturday 18 December until Monday 3 January, giving you a festive break of 17 days.
Annual leave days needed Eight
Actual days away from work 17
Dates for the diary Saturday 18 December to Monday 3 January,
How many bank holidays are there in 2027?
England and Wales have eight bank holidays per year. Scotland has nine (unless local councils add extra), and Northern Ireland has 10 days a year. You can see the dates for each below.
When are the 2027 UK bank holidays in England and Wales?
- Friday 1 January (New Year’s Day)
- Friday 26 March (Good Friday)
- Monday 29 March (Easter Monday)
- Monday 3 May (early May bank holiday)
- Monday 31 May (spring bank holiday)
- Monday 30 August (summer bank holiday)
- Monday 27 December (Christmas Day substitute)
- Tuesday 28 December (Boxing Day substitute)
Scotland bank holidays 2027
- Friday 1 January (New Year’s Day)
- Monday 4 January (public holiday)
- Friday 26 March (Good Friday)
- Easter Monday isn’t a standard nationwide holiday, but some Scottish councils recognise it
- Monday 3 May (early May bank holiday)
- Monday 31 May (spring bank holiday)
- Monday 2 August (summer bank holiday)
- Tuesday 30 November (St Andrew's Day)
- Monday 27 December (Christmas Day substitute)
- Tuesday 28 December (Boxing Day substitute)
Northern Ireland bank holidays 2026
- Friday 1 January (New Year’s Day)
- Wednesday 17 March (St Patrick's Day)
- Friday 26 March (Good Friday)
- Monday 29 March (Easter Monday)
- Monday 3 May (early May bank holiday)
- Monday 31 May (spring bank holiday)
Monday 12 July (Battle of the Boyne/Orangemen's Day) - Monday 30 August (summer bank holiday)
- Monday 27 December (Christmas Day substitute)
- Tuesday 28 December (Boxing Day substitute)
Are there always eight bank holidays in the UK?
In England and Wales, typically, yes. In recent years, we’ve seen bank holidays added to commemorate occasions such as royal coronations and jubilees, but these were one-off additions to the bank holiday calendar.
Scotland typically has nine, while the lucky Northern Irish get 10.
Why are UK bank holidays usually on a Monday?
This is thanks to a royal proclamation that means any bank holiday falling on a weekend automatically becomes a Monday.
Are bank holidays legally required in the UK?
No. Your employer can decide whether you can take bank holidays off, and whether they're included in your annual paid leave entitlement.
What's the difference between a public holiday and a bank holiday?
People sometimes use these words interchangeably to mean the same thing: a paid day off work.
Originally, ‘bank holiday’ described a day when banks and businesses are closed, whereas ‘public holiday’ describes days such as Christmas Day in England and Wales. In short, the distinction is purely historical, and there's no practical difference.
