Long Weekends 2026 – UK Bank Holiday Planning
Bank holidays in 2026 create several opportunities for long weekends. This page shows how to maximise your time off by combining bank holidays with annual leave to create extended breaks of 3 to 4 days or more.
Long Weekend Opportunities 2026
| Bank Holiday | Date | Leave Required | Total Days Off | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year | 1 January (Thu) | 1 day (Fri) | 4 days | Thu-Sun |
| New Year (Scotland) | 1-2 January (Thu-Fri) | 0 days | 4 days | Thu-Sun |
| Easter | 3-6 April (Fri-Mon) | 0 days | 4 days | Fri-Mon (not Scotland) |
| Early May | 4 May (Mon) | 0 days | 3 days | Sat-Mon |
| Spring Bank Holiday | 25 May (Mon) | 0 days | 3 days | Sat-Mon |
| Summer (Scotland) | 3 August (Mon) | 0 days | 3 days | Sat-Mon |
| Summer (Eng/Wales/NI) | 31 August (Mon) | 0 days | 3 days | Sat-Mon |
| Christmas | 25-28 December | 2 days (Tue-Wed) | 6 days | Fri-Wed |
Easter 2026
Easter 2026 provides a four-day weekend from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April without using any annual leave (in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland). Scotland does not observe Easter Monday as a bank holiday, so workers there would need to take Monday off to get the full four days.
May Bank Holidays
May has two bank holiday Mondays: the early May bank holiday on 4 May and the spring bank holiday on 25 May. Each provides a standard three-day weekend. Taking the four days between them (Tuesday 5 May to Friday 8 May) as annual leave would give you a nine-day break from Saturday 2 May to Sunday 10 May.
New Year 2026
New Year’s Day 2026 falls on a Thursday. Taking Friday 2 January as annual leave creates a four-day weekend. In Scotland, 2 January is a bank holiday, so workers automatically get a four-day break from Thursday 1 January to Sunday 4 January.
Christmas and New Year 2026/27
Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, and the Boxing Day substitute is Monday 28 December. Taking Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30, and Thursday 31 December as annual leave, combined with the New Year bank holiday on Friday 1 January 2027, creates an 11-day break from Saturday 26 December to Sunday 4 January using only 3 days of annual leave.
Planning Tips
- Book leave early, as days adjacent to bank holidays are popular
- Check your regional bank holidays, as Scotland and Northern Ireland have different dates for some holidays
- Your employer is not legally required to give you bank holidays off; check your employment contract