Guides Bank holidays 2027 Any time Updated 26 Sep 2026
UK bank holidays 2026 and 2027: the dates, and what actually opens in London
The next ones are 25 and 28 December 2026, then all eight of 2027. What runs on each, and the two that shut London almost completely.
The next bank holidays in England and Wales are Friday 25 December 2026 and Monday 28 December 2026, which is the substitute for Boxing Day falling on a Saturday. After those, the next is New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January 2027. There are eight bank holidays in England and Wales in 2027. They are not interchangeable: two of them shut London almost completely and the rest are close to a busy Sunday.
The 2027 dates
New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January. Good Friday, Friday 26 March. Easter Monday, Monday 29 March. The early May bank holiday, Monday 3 May. The spring bank holiday, Monday 31 May. The summer bank holiday, Monday 30 August. Then Christmas Day falls on the Saturday, so the substitute is Monday 27 December, and Boxing Day’s substitute is Tuesday 28 December.
What runs
On every bank holiday except Christmas Day the Underground runs a Sunday or near Sunday service, the buses run, and the shops open with Sunday trading hours, which means six hours for anything over 280 square metres. Museums and galleries open. Some smaller restaurants close for the long weekend without announcing it.
Christmas Day is the exception and it is absolute: no tube, no train, no bus, almost nothing open. It is covered separately because it needs different planning entirely.
The ones worth knowing about
The late August bank holiday is Notting Hill Carnival weekend, so west London is not a normal city for three days. The spring bank holiday at the end of May is the start of the outdoor season and the parks fill. Easter Monday is the quietest of the spring ones and a good day to do something popular.
Engineering works
The pattern nobody plans for: bank holiday weekends are when Network Rail and Transport for London do the work they cannot do midweek. Whole lines close for the long weekend, and the announcement comes a few weeks ahead rather than months. Check the day before rather than the month before.
Dates and events for 2027 go in as venues confirm them. The guide above is what we know so far; it is rewritten as the list fills.
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What is on right now
All 2189 listingsThis guide is rewritten each year before the dates come round. For what is actually happening this week rather than what happens every year, the listings below are dated, checked against the venue and carry the venue's own link.
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Questions people ask
When is the next bank holiday?
Friday 25 December 2026, then Monday 28 December 2026, which is the substitute for Boxing Day falling on a Saturday. After those, New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027.
When are the bank holidays in 2027?
Friday 1 January, Friday 26 March, Monday 29 March, Monday 3 May, Monday 31 May, Monday 30 August, Monday 27 December and Tuesday 28 December. The last two are substitute days because Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall at the weekend.
Do the tubes run on bank holidays?
Yes, at a Sunday or near Sunday level, on every bank holiday except Christmas Day, when there is no service at all.
Are the shops open on a bank holiday?
Yes, on Sunday trading hours, so large shops open for six hours. Christmas Day is the exception.
Why are there two bank holidays in December 2027?
Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on the Sunday, so both get substitute weekdays: Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.
Is public transport disrupted on bank holidays?
Often. Bank holiday weekends are when the engineering work happens, and whole lines can close. It is announced a few weeks ahead, so check close to the date.
Every listing on this page is checked against the venue's own page and the page is rewritten each year, usually six to eight weeks before the dates. Times and prices can change on the night; the venue link on each event is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.