Public Holidays in United Kingdom 2026
All nationwide public holidays in United Kingdom for 2026 at a glance – with free downloads as Excel, CSV or PDF and tips for bridge days and long weekends.
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All Public Holidays in United Kingdom 2026
The United Kingdom has 6 bank holidays in 2026. Bank holidays can vary between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The table below lists all UK-wide bank holidays for 2026.
Regional Holidays by Nation
Beyond the nationwide holidays, many nations observe additional public holidays. The total number ranges from 8 to 10 per year depending on your nation. View the complete holiday calendar for each nation:
- England – 8 holidays
- Scotland – 10 holidays
- Wales – 8 holidays
- Northern Ireland – 10 holidays
Bridge Days & Long Weekends in United Kingdom 2026
Bridge days (Brückentage) are single vacation days that connect a public holiday with a weekend, creating extended time off. United Kingdom's 2026 calendar offers several excellent opportunities to maximize your vacation days.
Best Bridge Day Opportunities in 2026
- January 2 (Friday) – Take one day off after New Year's Day (Thursday, January 1) for a 4-day weekend from January 1 to 4.
- May 1 (Friday) – Take one day off before Early May Bank Holiday (Monday, May 4) for a 4-day weekend from May 1 to 4.
- May 22 (Friday) – Take one day off before Spring Bank Holiday (Monday, May 25) for a 4-day weekend from May 22 to 25.
- December 24 (Thursday) – Take Thursday off before Christmas Day for a 5-day break from December 24 to 28 (using just 1 vacation day, since Christmas Day and Boxing Day are holidays).
Automate your holiday calendar
Manage United Kingdom's Public Holidays Automatically with absentify
Keeping track of public holidays across different nations – let alone multiple countries – can be tedious. absentify eliminates the manual work by syncing public holidays directly into the tools your team already uses.
Why Teams Choose absentify
- Automatic sync with Microsoft Teams & Outlook – Public holidays appear in your team calendar without any manual entry. Select United Kingdom (or any of 250+ countries) and holidays are added automatically.
- Regional holidays included – absentify recognizes nation-specific holidays. Everyone sees the correct days off for their location.
- Calendar sync across all devices – Absences and public holidays are visible everywhere: Teams, Outlook, desktop, and mobile.
- Free plan with unlimited users – Get started without a credit card. The free plan covers unlimited team members with all essential features.
How It Works
- Sign up – Create your free absentify account in under two minutes.
- Select your country and nation – Choose United Kingdom and your specific nation to get the right holidays.
- Invite your team – Team members see holidays and absences in their existing Teams or Outlook calendar.
- Plan smarter – Use the built-in team calendar to coordinate vacations around public holidays and bridge days.
Frequently Asked Questions
United Kingdom has 6 public holidays in 2026 that are observed nationwide across all 4 nations. Depending on which nation you live or work in, there can be up to 10 public holidays in total when regional holidays are included.
The top bridge day opportunities in 2026 are: January 2, May 1, May 22. May is especially favorable, with multiple public holidays offering several chances to extend weekends with minimal vacation days used.
Yes. The United Kingdom public holiday calendar for 2026 is available as a free download in PDF, Excel (.xlsx), and CSV formats. No registration or account creation is required.
absentify lets you select your specific nation during setup. The system then automatically includes both the nationwide holidays and any additional regional holidays for that nation in your team calendar. This ensures every team member sees the correct holidays for their location.