UK bank holidays 2026–2028
Every official bank holiday date, the long weekend it already gives you, and how few days of annual leave turn it into a proper break. Dates come straight from the government's own published list. Where we have a real cached fare for that month from London, we show it — and where we don't, we show nothing rather than a guess.
The next one
Summer bank holiday is Monday 31 August 2026 — 9 days away.
It makes a 3-day weekend on its own, Saturday 29 August to Monday 31 August 2026. Book 1 more day and it becomes 4.
Summer bank holiday — Monday 31 August 2026
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 4 days in a row | Friday 28 August |
| 2 days off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 27 August, Friday 28 August |
| 3 days off | 6 days in a row | Wednesday 26 August, Thursday 27 August, Friday 28 August |
| 4 days off | 9 days in a row | Tuesday 1 September, Wednesday 2 September, Thursday 3 September, Friday 4 September |
Best weather of our destinations in August 2026
Christmas Day — Friday 25 December 2026
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 24 December |
| 2 days off | 6 days in a row | Wednesday 23 December, Thursday 24 December |
| 3 days off | 10 days in a row | Tuesday 29 December, Wednesday 30 December, Thursday 31 December |
| 4 days off | 11 days in a row | Thursday 24 December, Tuesday 29 December, Wednesday 30 December, Thursday 31 December |
Best weather of our destinations in December 2026
- DubaiUnited Arab Emirates27°C average highfrom €134 one way, departing that month
- LuxorEgypt25°C average high
- Sharm el-SheikhEgypt25°C average highfrom €122 one way, departing that month
- Marsa AlamEgypt25°C average high
- HurghadaEgypt24°C average highfrom €158 one way, departing that month
- CairoEgypt23°C average high
Boxing Day — Monday 28 December 2026
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 24 December |
| 2 days off | 6 days in a row | Wednesday 23 December, Thursday 24 December |
| 3 days off | 10 days in a row | Tuesday 29 December, Wednesday 30 December, Thursday 31 December |
| 4 days off | 11 days in a row | Thursday 24 December, Tuesday 29 December, Wednesday 30 December, Thursday 31 December |
Best weather of our destinations in December 2026
- DubaiUnited Arab Emirates27°C average highfrom €134 one way, departing that month
- LuxorEgypt25°C average high
- Sharm el-SheikhEgypt25°C average highfrom €122 one way, departing that month
- Marsa AlamEgypt25°C average high
- HurghadaEgypt24°C average highfrom €158 one way, departing that month
- CairoEgypt23°C average high
New Year’s Day — Friday 1 January 2027
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 4 days in a row | Thursday 31 December |
| 2 days off | 5 days in a row | Wednesday 30 December, Thursday 31 December |
| 3 days off | 10 days in a row | Tuesday 29 December, Wednesday 30 December, Thursday 31 December |
| 4 days off | 11 days in a row | Thursday 24 December, Tuesday 29 December, Wednesday 30 December, Thursday 31 December |
Best weather of our destinations in January 2027
- Marsa AlamEgypt23°C average high
- LuxorEgypt22°C average high
- DubaiUnited Arab Emirates24°C average highfrom €127 one way, departing that month
- Sharm el-SheikhEgypt22°C average high
- TenerifeSpain22°C average highfrom €39 one way, departing that month
- HurghadaEgypt21°C average high
Good Friday — Friday 26 March 2027
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 25 March |
| 2 days off | 6 days in a row | Wednesday 24 March, Thursday 25 March |
| 3 days off | 7 days in a row | Tuesday 23 March, Wednesday 24 March, Thursday 25 March |
| 4 days off | 10 days in a row | Monday 22 March, Tuesday 23 March, Wednesday 24 March, Thursday 25 March |
Best weather of our destinations in March 2027
- Sharm el-SheikhEgypt26°C average high
- Marsa AlamEgypt25°C average high
- LuxorEgypt29°C average high
- CairoEgypt25°C average high
- DubaiUnited Arab Emirates28°C average highfrom €170 one way, departing that month
- HurghadaEgypt24°C average high
Easter Monday — Monday 29 March 2027
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 25 March |
| 2 days off | 6 days in a row | Wednesday 24 March, Thursday 25 March |
| 3 days off | 7 days in a row | Tuesday 23 March, Wednesday 24 March, Thursday 25 March |
| 4 days off | 10 days in a row | Monday 22 March, Tuesday 23 March, Wednesday 24 March, Thursday 25 March |
Best weather of our destinations in March 2027
- Sharm el-SheikhEgypt26°C average high
- Marsa AlamEgypt25°C average high
- LuxorEgypt29°C average high
- CairoEgypt25°C average high
- DubaiUnited Arab Emirates28°C average highfrom €170 one way, departing that month
- HurghadaEgypt24°C average high
Early May bank holiday — Monday 3 May 2027
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 4 days in a row | Friday 30 April |
| 2 days off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 29 April, Friday 30 April |
| 3 days off | 6 days in a row | Wednesday 28 April, Thursday 29 April, Friday 30 April |
| 4 days off | 9 days in a row | Tuesday 4 May, Wednesday 5 May, Thursday 6 May, Friday 7 May |
Best weather of our destinations in May 2027
Spring bank holiday — Monday 31 May 2027
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 4 days in a row | Friday 28 May |
| 2 days off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 27 May, Friday 28 May |
| 3 days off | 6 days in a row | Wednesday 26 May, Thursday 27 May, Friday 28 May |
| 4 days off | 9 days in a row | Tuesday 1 June, Wednesday 2 June, Thursday 3 June, Friday 4 June |
Best weather of our destinations in May 2027
Summer bank holiday — Monday 30 August 2027
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 4 days in a row | Friday 27 August |
| 2 days off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 26 August, Friday 27 August |
| 3 days off | 6 days in a row | Wednesday 25 August, Thursday 26 August, Friday 27 August |
| 4 days off | 9 days in a row | Tuesday 31 August, Wednesday 1 September, Thursday 2 September, Friday 3 September |
Best weather of our destinations in August 2027
Christmas Day — Monday 27 December 2027
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 5 days in a row | Friday 24 December |
| 2 days off | 6 days in a row | Thursday 23 December, Friday 24 December |
| 3 days off | 10 days in a row | Wednesday 29 December, Thursday 30 December, Friday 31 December |
| 4 days off | 11 days in a row | Friday 24 December, Wednesday 29 December, Thursday 30 December, Friday 31 December |
Best weather of our destinations in December 2027
- DubaiUnited Arab Emirates27°C average high
- LuxorEgypt25°C average high
- Sharm el-SheikhEgypt25°C average high
- Marsa AlamEgypt25°C average high
- HurghadaEgypt24°C average high
- CairoEgypt23°C average high
Boxing Day — Tuesday 28 December 2027
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 5 days in a row | Friday 24 December |
| 2 days off | 6 days in a row | Thursday 23 December, Friday 24 December |
| 3 days off | 10 days in a row | Wednesday 29 December, Thursday 30 December, Friday 31 December |
| 4 days off | 11 days in a row | Friday 24 December, Wednesday 29 December, Thursday 30 December, Friday 31 December |
Best weather of our destinations in December 2027
- DubaiUnited Arab Emirates27°C average high
- LuxorEgypt25°C average high
- Sharm el-SheikhEgypt25°C average high
- Marsa AlamEgypt25°C average high
- HurghadaEgypt24°C average high
- CairoEgypt23°C average high
New Year’s Day — Monday 3 January 2028
| Book | You get | Days to book |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day off | 4 days in a row | Friday 31 December |
| 2 days off | 5 days in a row | Thursday 30 December, Friday 31 December |
| 3 days off | 10 days in a row | Wednesday 29 December, Thursday 30 December, Friday 31 December |
| 4 days off | 11 days in a row | Friday 24 December, Wednesday 29 December, Thursday 30 December, Friday 31 December |
Best weather of our destinations in January 2028
- Marsa AlamEgypt23°C average high
- LuxorEgypt22°C average high
- DubaiUnited Arab Emirates24°C average high
- Sharm el-SheikhEgypt22°C average high
- TenerifeSpain22°C average high
- HurghadaEgypt21°C average high
Scotland and Northern Ireland have different dates
The dates above are for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland keep their own lists — Scotland has 2 January and St Andrew's Day and does not take Easter Monday; Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne. For the year ahead:
- 2026: England & Wales 8, Scotland 10, Northern Ireland 10 bank holidays.
- 2027: England & Wales 8, Scotland 9, Northern Ireland 10 bank holidays.
How we work this out
Bank holiday dates are the government's published list at gov.uk, taken on 2026-08-22 and covering to the end of 2028. The long-weekend and annual-leave figures are arithmetic on those dates — we count weekends and other bank holidays as days you already have.
Places are ranked on how well that month's climate averages suit a trip — around 27°C and dry scores best, so a 41°C desert August ranks below a mild coast. Those are long-run averages for the places we cover, not a forecast: they tell you what a normal August 2026 looks like, not what the weather will do. Fares, where shown, are the cheapest one-way fare we have cached from a London airport departing in that month — not a price for the bank holiday itself, and not a return. Where we have no cached fare for a month, we leave it out.
Planning further ahead? Holidays from the UK ranks every destination we cover on real fares from London, and winter sun from the UK covers the December and February breaks specifically.