UK bank holidays 2027: how to turn 19 days of leave into 47 days off

Planning around a full-time job means every leave day has to work hard. Line your holiday up with the 2027 UK bank holidays and 19 days of annual leave can turn into 47 days off. Here are all the dates, the exact days to book, and a free printable planner to keep it all in one place.

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UK bank holidays 2027

There are eight bank holidays in England and Wales in 2027. Christmas Day and Boxing Day both fall on a weekend, so the days off move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.

Bank holiday	Date (England and Wales)
New Year’s Day	Friday 1 January
Good Friday	Friday 26 March
Easter Monday	Monday 29 March
Early May bank holiday	Monday 3 May
Spring bank holiday	Monday 31 May
Summer bank holiday	Monday 30 August
Christmas Day (substitute day)	Monday 27 December
Boxing Day (substitute day)	Tuesday 28 December

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland has a different pattern. On top of 1 January, Good Friday, the two May dates and the Christmas days, there is 2 January (observed on Monday 4 January), a summer bank holiday on Monday 2 August and St Andrew’s Day on Tuesday 30 November. Easter Monday and 30 August are not bank holidays there.

Northern Ireland has all the England and Wales dates, plus St Patrick’s Day on Wednesday 17 March and the Battle of the Boyne on Monday 12 July. All dates are from GOV.UK.

How to make the most of your annual leave in 2027

These plans assume you work Monday to Friday in England or Wales and get bank holidays off. Together they use 19 days of leave for 47 days away from your desk.

Break	Book as leave	Time off	Leave days	Days off
Easter	22 to 25 March	Sat 20 to Mon 29 March	4	10
Early May	4 to 7 May	Sat 1 to Sun 9 May	4	9
Late May	1 to 4 June	Sat 29 May to Sun 6 June	4	9
Late summer	31 August to 3 September	Sat 28 August to Sun 5 September	4	9
Christmas	29 to 31 December	Sat 25 December to Mon 3 January 2028	3	10

Easter: 4 days of leave for 10 days off

Easter is early in 2027, with Good Friday on 26 March. Book the four days before it and you get from Saturday 20 to Monday 29 March off. Want longer? Book 30 March to 2 April too, and 8 days of leave becomes 16 days off, finishing on Sunday 4 April. That is long enough for somewhere further afield, while a shorter trip could be an easy spring break like two days in Lisbon.

Early May: 4 days of leave for 9 days off

Take Tuesday to Friday after the bank holiday and you have nine days in a row, from 1 to 9 May. If you only want a long weekend, the bank holiday on its own gives you three days for a UK staycation.

Late May: 4 days of leave for 9 days off

The same trick works again with the spring bank holiday on 31 May. Book 1 to 4 June for nine days off, from 29 May to 6 June. Remember this falls around the school half term in many areas, so if you are not tied to those dates, the early May break may suit you better.

Late summer: 4 days of leave for 9 days off

Book 31 August to 3 September for a break from 28 August to 5 September. It is a good one for catching the last of the warm weather, either in the UK or abroad.

Christmas: 3 days of leave for 10 days off

This is the best deal of the year. With the substitute days on 27 and 28 December, and New Year’s Day observed on Monday 3 January 2028, just three days of leave gets you from Saturday 25 December to Monday 3 January. If your holiday year runs from January to December, those three days come out of your 2027 allowance.

Top tip: request popular dates early. Everyone else has the same idea, and many workplaces approve leave on a first come, first served basis.

Before you book your leave

A few things are worth checking first, as they vary from one employer to another:

• When your holiday year starts, as it may not be January
• Whether bank holidays are included in your allowance. Full-time workers in the UK are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks a year, usually 28 days, and employers can include bank holidays in this
• Whether you actually get bank holidays off, as many jobs do not
• How much leave you can carry over, and any busy periods when leave is restricted

Turn your leave into trips

Once your dates are in, I use Skyscanner to compare flights and Booking.com to find somewhere to stay. Bank holiday weekends are popular, so it pays to look early. Going hand luggage only? My guide to packing light will help, and you will find more ideas on the resources page. Trip.com is also useful for keeping flights and hotels in one booking. If you would rather have it all organised, look at package holidays from Jet2holidays or small group tours with G Adventures.

Get the free 2027 annual leave planner

Download a printable PDF with the whole of 2027 on one page, bank holidays and suggested leave days marked, plus a page to plan your own trips. Enter your email and I will send it straight over. You will also join my monthly newsletter of travel guides and trip ideas, and you can unsubscribe at any time. See the privacy policy for how I look after your details.