The Summer bank holiday has just passed, and many people are already looking ahead to the next opportunity for time off. The next official bank holidays will come in December, with Christmas Day on Thursday 25 December 2025 and Boxing Day observed on Friday 26 December.

Looking further ahead, planning around the 2026 bank holiday calendar could help workers get the most out of their annual leave. In England and Wales, there are eight official bank holidays scheduled across the year.

Bank Holidays in 2026
Here is the confirmed list of dates:

• Thursday 1 January – New Year’s Day

• Friday 3 April – Good Friday

• Monday 6 April – Easter Monday

• Monday 4 May – Early May Bank Holiday

• Monday 25 May – Spring Bank Holiday

• Monday 31 August – Summer Bank Holiday

• Friday 25 December – Christmas Day

• Monday 28 December – Boxing Day (substitute day)

If a holiday falls on a weekend, a replacement weekday becomes a bank holiday. That is why Boxing Day will be observed on Monday 28 December.

How to Make Annual Leave Go Further
Careful planning around these dates can extend holiday time without using too many leave days. For example:

• In April, booking 30 March to 2 April and 7 to 10 April means 16 consecutive days off while only using eight leave days, thanks to Easter weekend.

• In May, taking 5 to 8 May off creates a nine-day break with only four days’ leave. The same applies later in the month by booking 26 to 29 May.

• At Christmas, booking 21 to 24 December and then 29 to 31 December gives a total of 16 days away from work, using just seven leave days.

It is worth noting that while these are official bank holidays, employers are not legally required to provide paid leave on them. Some benefits and public services may also be affected by the closures.

For anyone planning holidays, short trips or simply long weekends at home, the 2026 calendar offers several opportunities to make annual leave stretch much further.