Christmas 2026: book 3 days, get 10 off

Book Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec and you're off from Friday 25 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027: 10 days for 3 days of leave, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dates from gov.uk. Updated 25 October 2026.

Christmas Day is Friday 25 December. Boxing Day (26 December) falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Monday 28 December. New Year’s Day 2027 is Friday 1 January.

Christmas 2026 bank holidays

Christmas 2026 bank holidays
Bank holiday	England and Wales	Scotland	Northern Ireland
Christmas Day	Fri 25 Dec	Fri 25 Dec	Fri 25 Dec
Boxing Day	Mon 28 Dec sub	Mon 28 Dec sub	Mon 28 Dec sub
New Year’s Day	Fri 1 Jan	Fri 1 Jan	Fri 1 Jan
2nd January	not a bank holiday	Mon 4 Jan sub	not a bank holiday

Christmas 2026 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Book 3 days, get 10 off

Book Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec. You're off Friday 25 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Christmas Day, Boxing Day (substitute day) and New Year’s Day come free, with the weekends.

Ways to stretch Christmas 2026 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Days of leave	Days off	Days to book	Off from
1	5	Thu 24 Dec	24 to 28 Dec
2	6	Wed 23 to Thu 24 Dec	23 to 28 Dec
3	10	Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	25 Dec to 3 Jan
4	11	Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	24 Dec to 3 Jan
5	12	Wed 23 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	23 Dec to 3 Jan
6	13	Tue 22 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	22 Dec to 3 Jan
7	16	Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	19 Dec to 3 Jan
8	17	Fri 18 Dec, Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	18 Dec to 3 Jan
9	18	Thu 17 to Fri 18 Dec, Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	17 Dec to 3 Jan

Christmas 2026 in Scotland

Book 3 days, get 11 off

Book Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec. You're off Friday 25 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027. Christmas Day, Boxing Day (substitute day), New Year’s Day and 2nd January (substitute day) come free, with the weekends.

Ways to stretch Christmas 2026 in Scotland
Days of leave	Days off	Days to book	Off from
1	5	Thu 24 Dec	24 to 28 Dec
2	6	Wed 23 to Thu 24 Dec	23 to 28 Dec
3	11	Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	25 Dec to 4 Jan
4	12	Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	24 Dec to 4 Jan
5	13	Wed 23 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	23 Dec to 4 Jan
6	14	Tue 22 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	22 Dec to 4 Jan
7	17	Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	19 Dec to 4 Jan
8	18	Fri 18 Dec, Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	18 Dec to 4 Jan
9	19	Thu 17 to Fri 18 Dec, Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec	17 Dec to 4 Jan

Leave years that end in December

If your leave year runs January to December, you can't book January 2027 days from your 2026 allowance, which is why the breaks above stop at the first working day in January.

Questions

When are the Christmas bank holidays in 2026?

Christmas Day: Friday 25 December 2026. Boxing Day: Monday 28 December 2026 (substitute day). New Year’s Day: Friday 1 January 2027.

How many days off can I get at Christmas 2026?

10 days for 3 days of leave in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: book Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec. The longest break worth booking is 18 days for 9 days.

Is it different in Scotland?

Yes. Scotland also has 2 January as a bank holiday, so the same 3 days of leave give 11 days off: Friday 25 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027.

Why is the bank holiday on Monday 28 December?

Boxing Day (26 December) falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Monday 28 December. When a bank holiday falls at a weekend, the next working day is the substitute.