2026 UK HOLIDAYS

2026 Public Holidays UK Service

The above is the list of 2026 public holidays declared in UK which includes federal, regional government holidays and popular observances. We also provide UK holiday calendar for 2026 in Word, Excel, PDF and printable online formats.

In the UK, public holidays are debatable as not every region agrees to a standardized definition of what constitutes a public holiday. Most people prefer to call them bank holidays. The UK has 16 public holidays or otherwise referred to as bank holidays. Only 8 holidays are uniformly celebrated in all regions in the United Kingdom. Regions such as England and Wales may recognize some holidays but other such as Scotland may not. Most of the UK public holidays are influenced by culture, religions and special events in the country’s history.

During public holidays, businesses continue although a considerable number either close down or limit their opening hours. The public transport schedule is also interrupted in the cities as some staff commences their celebrations.

Most of the time, when a public holiday falls on a weekend, the coming Mondays becomes a substitute holiday. It is very important to note that despite businesses closing down during bank days, the employers might not be obliged to do the same for all holidays.

Certain religious-based holidays are subtle and often call for morning services at the place of worship and an afternoon of celebration. Others such as Guy Fawkes Night are loud and active where bonfires are made and fireworks as an outdoor event.

Christians in the UK usually celebrate Christmas, Good Friday and Easter holidays. On Christmas day most offices and retail stores close down for a couple of days. It is also stipulated by the law that all shops be closed down on Easter Sunday.