Public Holidays in United Kingdom in 2026
Complete list of official public holidays and observances
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Official Public Holidays
7 holidays in United Kingdom for 2026
| Holiday | Date | Day | Applies To |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New Year's Day
New Year's Day marks the start of a new year in the Gregorian calendar, the official calendar use...
|
January 01 | Thursday | Nationwide |
|
Good Friday
Good Friday is just before Easter Sunday and is a public holiday in the United Kingdom.
|
April 03 | Friday | Nationwide |
|
Early May Bank Holiday
May Day, or the Early May Bank holiday, is on the first Monday of May each year.
|
May 04 | Monday | Nationwide |
|
Spring Bank Holiday
The spring bank holiday in the United Kingdom is on the last Monday of May each year.
|
May 25 | Monday | Nationwide |
|
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is a holiday that traditionally celebrates Jesus Christ's birth. It is on December ...
|
December 25 | Friday | Nationwide |
|
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom that falls on December 26 each year.
|
December 26 | Saturday | Nationwide |
|
Substitute Bank Holiday for Boxing Day
December 28 is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom only in some years, depending on which day Ch...
|
December 28 | Monday | Nationwide |
Legal Notice: This information is for guidance only and should not be considered legal advice. Always validate with local authorities or legal practitioners in United Kingdom.
Why HR Teams Choose Leavetrack
Everything you need for seamless leave management
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Automatic Public Holiday Import
- All public holidays for United Kingdom and 180+ other countries automatically loaded. No manual data entry required.
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Save 5+ Hours Per Week
- Eliminate manual leave calculations and reduce administrative overhead by up to 80%.
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Compliance Made Easy
- Built-in compliance tracking ensures you meet local employment laws and holiday entitlements.
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Team Visibility
- Everyone sees who's off when, preventing scheduling conflicts and ensuring adequate coverage.
Trusted by HR teams worldwide
"With a team of over 50 employees, keeping track of absences and holidays using a paper based system used to be time consuming and prone to errors. Since introducing Leavetrack, the whole process has become a lot simpler and easier."
How It Works
Simple, powerful leave management in four steps
Employees Request Leave
Simple, intuitive interface lets employees request time off in seconds. Public holidays are automatically excluded from calculations.
- Book leave in under 30 seconds
- See available leave balance instantly
- Mobile-friendly for on-the-go requests
Managers Approve Instantly
Managers see all request details including conflicts with public holidays and other team members' leave.
- Approve/reject directly from email
- See team coverage at a glance
- Complete audit trail of decisions
Plan Team Coverage
Beautiful visual calendar shows exactly who's off when, including public holidays, so you can plan optimal team coverage.
- Color-coded wall chart
- Filter by department or team
- Spot conflicts before they happen
Generate Reports
Comprehensive reporting gives you insights into leave patterns, costs, and compliance - all exportable to Excel.
- Full audit trail of all leave
- Export to CSV for further analysis
- Track entitlements and accruals
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Join hundreds of HR teams who've eliminated spreadsheet chaos and saved hours every week with Leavetrack.
About Public Holidays in United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, public holidays, commonly referred to as "bank holidays," are designated days when businesses and schools typically close to allow individuals to celebrate or observe significant events. These holidays vary across the four nations of the UK—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—each having its own unique holidays in addition to shared ones like Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Public holidays play a crucial role in staff leave planning and absence management, as they provide employees with time off to relax and recharge. Understanding the public holiday calendar is essential for businesses to effectively manage staff leave and ensure operational continuity.