daytics™
Published 1 January 2025 · 4 min read
UK Bank Holidays 2025 — England, Scotland & Northern Ireland
Whether you're trying to plan a project timeline, book holidays from work, or just figure out when the next long weekend is, you've probably found yourself Googling "UK bank holidays 2025" at some point. We've all been there — staring at a calendar trying to work out if you can squeeze a cheeky 10-day break out of just 4 days' annual leave.
But here's the thing most people don't realise: the UK doesn't actually have one single list of bank holidays. Where you are in the country changes what days you get off.
England & Wales — 2025 Bank Holidays
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Wednesday | New Year's Day |
| 18 April | Friday | Good Friday |
| 21 April | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 5 May | Monday | Early May Bank Holiday |
| 26 May | Monday | Spring Bank Holiday |
| 25 August | Monday | Summer Bank Holiday |
| 25 December | Thursday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Friday | Boxing Day |
Scotland — 2025 Bank Holidays
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Wednesday | New Year's Day |
| 2 January | Thursday | 2nd January |
| 18 April | Friday | Good Friday |
| 5 May | Monday | Early May Bank Holiday |
| 26 May | Monday | Spring Bank Holiday |
| 4 August | Monday | Summer Bank Holiday |
| 1 December | Monday | St Andrew's Day |
| 25 December | Thursday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Friday | Boxing Day |
Northern Ireland — 2025 Bank Holidays
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Wednesday | New Year's Day |
| 17 March | Monday | St Patrick's Day |
| 18 April | Friday | Good Friday |
| 21 April | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 5 May | Monday | Early May Bank Holiday |
| 26 May | Monday | Spring Bank Holiday |
| 14 July | Monday | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) |
| 25 August | Monday | Summer Bank Holiday |
| 25 December | Thursday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Friday | Boxing Day |
Why Scotland and Northern Ireland get different days
This is the bit that surprises most people. You'd think the whole UK would share the same bank holidays, but it doesn't work like that. Each region has its own historical and cultural reasons for the days it observes.
Scotland gets 2nd January as an extra holiday — Hogmanay is a much bigger deal north of the border than it is in England, so they get an extra day to recover. They also observe St Andrew's Day (30th November), which falls on a Monday substitute if the actual date hits a weekend. And here's one that catches people out: Scotland's summer bank holiday is the first Monday of August, not the last. So Scottish workers get their summer break nearly a month before their English colleagues.
Scotland doesn't observe Easter Monday though, which England, Wales, and Northern Ireland all do. So it's not simply a case of Scotland getting "more" — it's a different mix.
Northern Ireland has two extra holidays that nobody else in the UK gets: St Patrick's Day (17th March) and the Battle of the Boyne, also known as Orangemen's Day (12th July, with a substitute Monday if it falls on a weekend). These reflect Northern Ireland's distinct cultural heritage. Combined with the standard England and Wales holidays, Northern Ireland ends up with 10 bank holidays — the most of any UK region.
The totals for 2025: England and Wales have 8, Scotland has 9, and Northern Ireland has 10. If you're running payroll, setting SLA deadlines, or planning projects across multiple UK offices, these differences aren't just trivia — they'll directly affect your timelines.
How to maximise your annual leave in 2025
This is the fun bit. With a bit of clever planning, you can turn a handful of leave days into proper extended breaks. Here are the best opportunities for workers in England and Wales in 2025:
- Easter: Good Friday (18 April) and Easter Monday (21 April) already give you a four-day weekend. Book Tuesday 22nd to Friday 25th April off, and you'll get 10 consecutive days off using just 4 days of annual leave.
- Early May: The bank holiday falls on Monday 5th May. Take Tuesday to Friday off (6th-9th May) and you've got a 9-day break for 4 days of leave.
- Spring bank holiday: Monday 26th May is the bank holiday. Book Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th May off for another 9-day break using 4 leave days.
- Summer: Monday 25th August is the summer bank holiday. Take the week before off (18th-22nd August) for a 10-day break using 4 leave days.
- Christmas and New Year: Christmas Day falls on a Thursday and Boxing Day on a Friday in 2025. Book Monday 22nd to Wednesday 24th December off, and you'll get a lovely 9-day break from Saturday 20th December through to Sunday 28th December — all for just 3 leave days. Add Monday 29th to Wednesday 31st December for an even longer stretch through to New Year's Day 2026.
Bridge days and long weekends
A "bridge day" is simply a regular working day that sits between a bank holiday and the weekend. Take it off and you've connected the holiday to the weekend for a longer break. In 2025, several bank holidays fall on Mondays, giving you three-day weekends without needing any leave at all.
This is particularly handy for families. The May and August bank holidays often line up with school half-terms, so those natural long weekends can save you burning through your annual leave when the kids are off.
If you're an employer, be aware that bridge days are the first dates your team will request off. Get your leave approval process sorted early in the year, because everyone has the same idea.
Substitute days explained
When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, the government moves it to the next available weekday. So if Christmas Day lands on a Saturday, you'd get Monday 27th December as your substitute bank holiday instead.
Good news for 2025: all bank holidays for England and Wales fall on weekdays, so no substitute days are needed this year. That won't always be the case though — in 2027, for instance, Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, so Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th December will both be substitute bank holidays.
One thing most people don't realise: there's actually no legal right to have a bank holiday off work in the UK. Bank holidays are included as part of your 5.6 weeks (28 days for full-time workers) of statutory annual leave. Your employer can require you to work bank holidays and give you alternative days off instead. That's why it's always worth checking your employment contract to see exactly how your employer handles them.
Planning around Christmas
The Christmas and New Year period deserves special attention every year, because the way the dates fall on the calendar changes everything. In 2025, Christmas is on a Thursday and Boxing Day is on a Friday, which is actually brilliant — it gives you a natural four-day weekend (Thursday through Sunday) without using any leave.
The tricky bit is always working out what happens between Boxing Day and New Year. If you can, get those days booked off early. The period between Christmas and New Year is often a dead zone for business anyway, and taking just three days of leave (29th, 30th, 31st December) gives you an unbroken stretch of eleven days off, right through to New Year's Day 2026.
Common mistakes to avoid
The biggest mistake we see? Assuming the bank holidays are the same across the whole UK. If you're scheduling a project handover between your Edinburgh and London offices, remember that Scotland has different holiday dates. Your Scottish team might be off on 2nd January while your London team is back at their desks.
Another common error is forgetting to check bank holiday dates each year. Easter moves around (it can fall anywhere from late March to late April), and occasionally the government shifts bank holidays for special events. The early May bank holiday was moved in both 2020 and 2022. Don't just copy last year's calendar and assume it'll be the same.
Plan around bank holidays
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