Bank holidays in Scotland 2026, 2027 and 2028
Nine bank holidays a year, a different summer holiday from England, and a one-off holiday in June 2026.
Holidays shown: 2026, 2027, 2028. Dates checked against the official sources below on October 11, 2026. Make a calendar with these holidays.
How Scotland differs
Scotland has 2 January as a bank holiday and St Andrew’s Day on 30 November, but not Easter Monday. Its summer bank holiday is the first Monday in August, not the last. The early May and spring bank holidays, Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are the same as in England.
For 2026 the UK Government added a one-off “World Cup bank holiday” on Monday 15 June in Scotland. It appears on calendars for 2026 only.
Substitute days
A bank holiday on a weekend moves to the next weekday. In 2027, 2 January is a Saturday, so Monday 4 January is the bank holiday; at the end of 2027 Christmas and Boxing Day move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. In 2028 New Year’s Day and 2 January fall on a weekend, so Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 January are the bank holidays.
Bank holidays in Scotland are less often days off than in England: many employers and councils set their own local holidays instead, such as a spring holiday or a September weekend. Add yours as your own dates.
Scotland holidays in 2026
| Date | Holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, January 1 | New Year’s Day | |
| Friday, January 2 | 2nd January | |
| Friday, April 3 | Good Friday | |
| Monday, May 4 | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday, May 25 | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday, June 15 | World Cup bank holiday | |
| Monday, August 3 | Summer bank holiday | |
| Monday, November 30 | St Andrew’s Day | |
| Friday, December 25 | Christmas Day | |
| Saturday, December 26 | Boxing Day | Not a day off |
| Monday, December 28 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Day off instead |
Observances in 2026, shown when you tick “Also show observances”: Valentine’s Day (February 14); Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) (February 17); Mothering Sunday (March 15); Easter Sunday (April 5); Father’s Day (June 21); Halloween (October 31); Bonfire Night (November 5); Remembrance Sunday (November 8); Christmas Eve (December 24); New Year’s Eve (December 31).
Scotland holidays in 2027
| Date | Holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, January 1 | New Year’s Day | |
| Saturday, January 2 | 2nd January | Not a day off |
| Monday, January 4 | 2nd January (substitute day) | Day off instead |
| Friday, March 26 | Good Friday | |
| Monday, May 3 | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday, May 31 | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday, August 2 | Summer bank holiday | |
| Tuesday, November 30 | St Andrew’s Day | |
| Saturday, December 25 | Christmas Day | Not a day off |
| Sunday, December 26 | Boxing Day | Not a day off |
| Monday, December 27 | Christmas Day (substitute day) | Day off instead |
| Tuesday, December 28 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Day off instead |
Observances in 2027, shown when you tick “Also show observances”: Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) (February 9); Valentine’s Day (February 14); Mothering Sunday (March 7); Easter Sunday (March 28); Father’s Day (June 20); Halloween (October 31); Bonfire Night (November 5); Remembrance Sunday (November 14); Christmas Eve (December 24); New Year’s Eve (December 31).
Scotland holidays in 2028
| Date | Holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, January 1 | New Year’s Day | Not a day off |
| Sunday, January 2 | 2nd January | Not a day off |
| Monday, January 3 | New Year’s Day (substitute day) | Day off instead |
| Tuesday, January 4 | 2nd January (substitute day) | Day off instead |
| Friday, April 14 | Good Friday | |
| Monday, May 1 | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday, May 29 | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday, August 7 | Summer bank holiday | |
| Thursday, November 30 | St Andrew’s Day | |
| Monday, December 25 | Christmas Day | |
| Tuesday, December 26 | Boxing Day |
Observances in 2028, shown when you tick “Also show observances”: Valentine’s Day (February 14); Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) (February 29); Mothering Sunday (March 26); Easter Sunday (April 16); Father’s Day (June 18); Halloween (October 31); Bonfire Night (November 5); Remembrance Sunday (November 12); Christmas Eve (December 24); New Year’s Eve (December 31).
Sources
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays (bank-holidays.json, to 2028), checked October 11, 2026
Dates were generated with the open-source python-holidays library and then checked one by one against these sources; differences were corrected. Spot a holiday that has changed? Tell us at the address on the contact page.