England and Wales get eight bank holidays in 2027, and most of them land on a Monday or a Friday. That makes 2027 a year for long weekends rather than one giant bridge, and it means the order you book in matters more than usual. Here is where to put your days, using the official GOV.UK bank holiday dates.
Your 2027 at a glance
This is where the planner puts 10 days of leave across the year. Each coloured block is one break.
United Kingdom)One page for each break, in date order. Hover or tap a page for the days to book.
All 10 breaks in words
Fri 1 Jan – Mon 4 Jan 2027
New Year's Day
Book 1 day off: Mon 4 Jan 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 1 Jan 2027 to Mon 4 Jan 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 8 Jan – Sun 10 Jan 2027
Long weekend
Book 1 day off: Fri 8 Jan 2027.
You get 3 days off in a row, from Fri 8 Jan 2027 to Sun 10 Jan 2027.
3× your leave
Fri 15 Jan – Sun 17 Jan 2027
Long weekend
Book 1 day off: Fri 15 Jan 2027.
You get 3 days off in a row, from Fri 15 Jan 2027 to Sun 17 Jan 2027.
3× your leave
Fri 22 Jan – Sun 24 Jan 2027
Long weekend
Book 1 day off: Fri 22 Jan 2027.
You get 3 days off in a row, from Fri 22 Jan 2027 to Sun 24 Jan 2027.
3× your leave
Thu 25 Mar – Mon 29 Mar 2027
Good Friday & Easter Monday
Book 1 day off: Thu 25 Mar 2027.
You get 5 days off in a row, from Thu 25 Mar 2027 to Mon 29 Mar 2027.
5× your leave
Fri 30 Apr – Mon 3 May 2027
Early May Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 30 Apr 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 30 Apr 2027 to Mon 3 May 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 28 May – Mon 31 May 2027
Spring Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 28 May 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 28 May 2027 to Mon 31 May 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 27 Aug – Mon 30 Aug 2027
Summer Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 27 Aug 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 27 Aug 2027 to Mon 30 Aug 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 24 Dec – Tue 28 Dec 2027
Christmas Day & Boxing Day
Book 1 day off: Fri 24 Dec 2027.
You get 5 days off in a row, from Fri 24 Dec 2027 to Tue 28 Dec 2027.
5× your leave
Fri 31 Dec 2027 – Mon 3 Jan 2028
New Year's Day
Book 1 day off: Fri 31 Dec 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 31 Dec 2027 to Mon 3 Jan 2028.
4× your leave
The best single days to book
Fri 1 Jan – Mon 4 Jan 2027
New Year's Day
Book 1 day off: Mon 4 Jan 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 1 Jan 2027 to Mon 4 Jan 2027.
4× your leave
Thu 25 Mar – Mon 29 Mar 2027
Good Friday & Easter Monday
Book 1 day off: Thu 25 Mar 2027.
You get 5 days off in a row, from Thu 25 Mar 2027 to Mon 29 Mar 2027.
5× your leave
Fri 30 Apr – Mon 3 May 2027
Early May Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 30 Apr 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 30 Apr 2027 to Mon 3 May 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 28 May – Mon 31 May 2027
Spring Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 28 May 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 28 May 2027 to Mon 31 May 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 27 Aug – Mon 30 Aug 2027
Summer Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 27 Aug 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 27 Aug 2027 to Mon 30 Aug 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 24 Dec – Tue 28 Dec 2027
Christmas Day & Boxing Day
Book 1 day off: Fri 24 Dec 2027.
You get 5 days off in a row, from Fri 24 Dec 2027 to Tue 28 Dec 2027.
5× your leave
Sat 25 Dec 2027 – Mon 3 Jan 2028
Christmas Day & Boxing Day & New Year's Day
Book 3 days off: Wed 29, Thu 30 and Fri 31 Dec 2027.
You get 10 days off in a row, from Sat 25 Dec 2027 to Mon 3 Jan 2028.
3.3× your leave
Fri 31 Dec 2027 – Mon 3 Jan 2028
New Year's Day
Book 1 day off: Fri 31 Dec 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 31 Dec 2027 to Mon 3 Jan 2028.
4× your leave
United Kingdom, 2027: the best-value day or days for each holiday. Hover or tap a day for the details.
The pattern is simple: almost every bank holiday is on a Monday, so the best day to add is the Friday before it, or the Tuesday after. One day of leave gives you four days off.
Easter 2027: the one big win
Easter comes early in 2027. Leave on the workdays around Good Friday and Easter Monday turns the two bank holidays into a long break. This is the longest Easter break you can get with up to eight days of leave:
Book off: Mon 22, Tue 23, Wed 24, Thu 25, Tue 30 and Wed 31 Mar 2027 and Thu 1 and Fri 2 Apr 2027.
Bank holidayBook offWeekend
If you can only take a few days, start the break on the Thursday before Good Friday instead. Easter is one of the most requested weeks of the year, so ask as soon as your leave year opens.
Christmas 2027 and New Year 2028
Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a Saturday and Sunday in 2027, so the bank holidays are the Monday and Tuesday after. New Year's Day 2028 is a Saturday too. Booking the workdays in between gives one of the best deals of the year:
Book off: Wed 29, Thu 30 and Fri 31 Dec 2027.
Bank holidayBook offWeekend
UK holiday rules that change your plan
Most workers on a five-day week are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days, and an employer can include the bank holidays in that number (GOV.UK holiday entitlement). If yours does, you may only have 20 days to place yourself, and the bank holidays are already spoken for.
- Notice. By default you must give notice of at least twice the length of the leave, plus one day: 3 days' notice for 1 day off (GOV.UK: booking time off). Your contract can set different rules.
- Your employer can say when. Employers can tell staff to take leave on certain days, for example bank holidays or between Christmas and New Year, and can refuse requests at busy times, as long as they give the right notice.
- Payment instead of holiday is only allowed when you leave a job, so unused statutory leave is not normally paid out.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland has a bank holiday on 2 January, St Andrew's Day on 30 November and its summer bank holiday at the start of August, not the end. In 2027 that changes the best days to book:
Fri 1 Jan – Tue 5 Jan 2027
New Year's Day & 2 January
Book 1 day off: Tue 5 Jan 2027.
You get 5 days off in a row, from Fri 1 Jan 2027 to Tue 5 Jan 2027.
5× your leave
Thu 25 Mar – Sun 28 Mar 2027
Good Friday
Book 1 day off: Thu 25 Mar 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Thu 25 Mar 2027 to Sun 28 Mar 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 30 Apr – Mon 3 May 2027
Early May Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 30 Apr 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 30 Apr 2027 to Mon 3 May 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 28 May – Mon 31 May 2027
Spring Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 28 May 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 28 May 2027 to Mon 31 May 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 30 Jul – Mon 2 Aug 2027
Summer Bank Holiday
Book 1 day off: Fri 30 Jul 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Fri 30 Jul 2027 to Mon 2 Aug 2027.
4× your leave
Sat 27 Nov – Tue 30 Nov 2027
Saint Andrew's Day
Book 1 day off: Mon 29 Nov 2027.
You get 4 days off in a row, from Sat 27 Nov 2027 to Tue 30 Nov 2027.
4× your leave
Fri 24 Dec – Tue 28 Dec 2027
Christmas Day & Boxing Day
Book 1 day off: Fri 24 Dec 2027.
You get 5 days off in a row, from Fri 24 Dec 2027 to Tue 28 Dec 2027.
5× your leave
Fri 31 Dec 2027 – Tue 4 Jan 2028
New Year's Day & 2 January
Book 1 day off: Fri 31 Dec 2027.
You get 5 days off in a row, from Fri 31 Dec 2027 to Tue 4 Jan 2028.
5× your leave
Scotland, 2027: the best-value day or days for each holiday. Hover or tap a day for the details.
Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day (Wednesday 17 March 2027) and the Battle of the Boyne (Monday 12 July 2027). Use the Scotland planner or the Northern Ireland planner for your own year.
Frequently asked questions
Do bank holidays count as part of my 28 days?
They can. The legal minimum of 5.6 weeks can include bank holidays, so check your contract. If your 28 days include the eight bank holidays, you have 20 days to book yourself.
What is the best day to take off in 2027 in the UK?
The Thursday before Good Friday and the Friday before each Monday bank holiday are the strongest single days. Each one turns into a four or five day weekend, as the best single days above show.
Can I carry unused holiday into 2028?
It depends on your contract and the reason. Some leave can be carried over, especially if you could not take it because of sickness or parental leave. Check the GOV.UK guidance and your employer's policy before you plan around it.
Plan your own 2027
Pick how many days you have and the planner places them for you, on a calendar, with the exact days to book.
Open the UK plannerHow to maximise annual leave in 2027 (UK)
How we work it out. Every date and number here comes from our holiday data, checked against official government sources (see About). Always confirm days off with your employer.