There’s nothing quite like a bank holiday. Whether you’re an employee planning an adventure or an employer trying to minimise disruptions and plan customer demand, knowing all the UK bank holiday in 2025 will help you get fully prepared for the year ahead.
Because bank holidays aren’t always simple; they differ across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, for starters. Then there’s days in lieu for those who have to work, changes to opening hours, and differing rules that come with different contract types.
So we’ll help clear all of that up, including all bank holiday dates across the UK in 2025, so as employers and employees alike you know exactly where you stand.
UK bank holidays 2025
England and Wales
- New Year’s Day: Wednesday, 1st January
- Good Friday: Friday, 18th April
- Easter Monday: Monday, 21st April
- Early May bank holiday: Monday, 5th May
- Spring bank holiday: Monday, 26th May
- Summer bank holiday: Monday, 25th August
- Christmas Day: Thursday, 25th December
- Boxing Day: Friday, 26th December
Scotland
- New Year’s Day: Wednesday, 1st January
- New Year Holiday: Thursday, 2nd January
- Good Friday: Friday, 18th April
- Early May bank holiday: Monday, 5th May
- Spring bank holiday: Monday, 26th May
- Summer bank holiday: Monday, 4th August
- St. Andrew’s Day (substitute day): Monday, 1st December
- Christmas Day: Thursday, 25th December
- Boxing Day: Friday, 26th December
Northern Ireland
- New Year’s Day: Wednesday, 1st January
- St Patrick’s Day: Monday, 17th March
- Good Friday: Friday, 18th April
- Easter Monday: Monday, 21st April
- Early May bank holiday: Monday, 5th May
- Spring bank holiday: Monday, 26th May
- Battle of the Boyne (substitute day): Monday, 14th July
- Summer bank holiday: Monday, 25th August
- Christmas Day: Thursday, 25th December
- Boxing Day: Friday, 26th December
If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday.
You can also visit GOV.UK for all UK bank holidays 2025.
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How many UK bank holidays are there in 2025?
You might have already noticed that the amount of bank holidays varies across different parts of the UK.
In 2025, the total number of bank holidays are:
- England and Wales: 8 bank holidays
- Scotland: 9 bank holidays
- Northern Ireland: 10 bank holidays
It’s worth noting that extra bank holidays can be provided for certain occasions or important milestones. In 2022, there was an extra bank holiday provided for both the Platinum Jubilee and the Queen’s Funeral. And in 2023 there was an extra day for the King’s Coronation. But there’s the standard bank holiday entitlement across the UK in 2025.
Are shops open on bank holiday?
If you’re going to remain open and working on a bank holiday, then you need to be aware of the laws surrounding trading times. For most businesses these might not apply, however, when it comes to retail the law states that in England and Wales, small shops—those up to and including 280 meters squared—can operate at any day or hour; shops larger than this are required to close on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday, and must stick to Sunday trading hours on other bank holidays—meaning they can only open for six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm). Certain larger shops are exempt from these rules, so if you want to check who, you can see the full list on the Gov.uk website.
Does 28 days holiday include bank holidays?
In the UK, the 28 days of statutory annual leave entitlement under the Working Time Regulations 1998 can include bank holidays, depending on an employee’s contract.
Ultimately, all employees are entitled to either the day off, or a day of annual leave in lieu of time off. It’s important that you calculate your employees annual leave entitlement right, so employees who are not required to work bank holidays are then entitled to 20 days of annual leave, and employees who are required to work bank holidays should receive 28 days (or 5.6 weeks) of annual leave.
How to make the most of time off around bank holidays in 2025
January:
- Book: January 2-3 (2 days)
- Gain: 5 consecutive days off (January 1-5) by combining with the New Year’s Day bank holiday and the weekend.
- Extend further by taking December 30-31, 2024, for a 9-day break.
Easter (April):
- Book: April 14-17 and April 22-25 (8 days)
- Gain: 16 days off (April 12-27), including Good Friday, Easter Monday, and two weekends.
May:
- Book: May 6-9 and May 27-30 (8 days)
- Gain: Two 9-day breaks (May 3-11 and May 24-June 1) around the Early May and Spring bank holidays.
August:
- Book: August 26-29 (4 days)
- Gain: 9 days off (August 23-31) with the August bank holiday.
December:
- Book: December 22-24 and December 29-31 (6 days)
- Gain: 13 days off (December 20-January 2, 2026) around Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
- Add January 2, 2026, for a total of 16 days off.
What happens when a public holiday lands on a weekend?
When a public holiday in the UK falls on a weekend, the holiday is typically observed on the next weekday, creating a “substitute” holiday. This ensures employees do not lose out on a day off due to the holiday coinciding with a non-working day.
For example, if Christmas Day (25 December) falls on a Saturday, the substitute holiday would be on Monday, 27 December. Similarly, Boxing Day (26 December) falling on a Sunday would be observed on Tuesday, 28 December.
Part-time employees should still receive pro-rata entitlement for public holidays, even when they land on weekends and substitute days are used.
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Are you struggling to manage holiday entitlement?
Keeping track of your employees’ holiday entitlement doesn’t have to be complicated. Our HR outsourcing services will do all the heavy lifting for you, so you can concentrate on what you do best.
You can also access a live demo of our holiday and absence feature in Employee Hub to see just how easy it is to request, manage, and approve holidays.
Get ready for UK bank holidays in 2025 with Cintra.
