Scotland does bank holidays its own way. It keeps 2 January, moves the summer bank holiday to the start of August and adds St Andrew's Day in November, but it has no Easter Monday. So a guide built for England quietly gives Scottish readers the wrong advice. This one uses the Scottish dates only.
Every Scottish bank holiday in 2027
Here is the full list, with the substitute days already applied: New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027, 2 January (substitute day) on Monday 4 January 2027, Good Friday on Friday 26 March 2027, Early May Bank Holiday on Monday 3 May 2027, Spring Bank Holiday on Monday 31 May 2027, Summer Bank Holiday on Monday 2 August 2027, Saint Andrew's Day on Tuesday 30 November 2027, Christmas Day (substitute day) on Monday 27 December 2027 and Boxing Day (substitute day) on Tuesday 28 December 2027.
Two things stand out. Easter Monday is missing, and the Christmas bank holidays move to the Monday and Tuesday after Christmas because Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2027 fall on a weekend. The Scotland 2027 page has the same days on a calendar.
Your 2027 at a glance
This is where 10 days of leave go furthest in Scotland in 2027. Each page is one break.
Scotland)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 – 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
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
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
January: a slow start to the year
New Year's Day 2027 is a Friday and 2 January 2027 is a Saturday, so the second bank holiday moves to Monday 4 January 2027. If you are still on leave from 2026, this is a soft landing: book 1 day off (Thu 31 Dec 2026) and get 5 days off in a row (Thu 31 Dec 2026 – Mon 4 Jan 2027). With three days you can book 3 days off (Wed 30 and Thu 31 Dec 2026 and Tue 5 Jan 2027) and get 7 days off in a row (Wed 30 Dec 2026 – Tue 5 Jan 2027).
Easter 2027 with one bank holiday
Good Friday is Friday 26 March 2027. Without Easter Monday, the Friday is your only anchor, so the leave is better spent on the four days before it than the days after. Four days of leave lets you book 4 days off (Mon 22, Tue 23, Wed 24 and Thu 25 Mar 2027) and get 9 days off in a row (Sat 20 Mar – Sun 28 Mar 2027).
If you would rather have a proper spring holiday, start a week earlier. This is the longest Easter break you can make with up to eight days of leave:
Book off: Tue 16, Wed 17, Thu 18, Fri 19, Mon 22, Tue 23, Wed 24 and Thu 25 Mar 2027.
Bank holidayBook offWeekend
May: two Mondays, two long weekends
The Early May bank holiday is Monday 3 May 2027 and the Spring bank holiday is Monday 31 May 2027. Both are classic three-day weekends. Each grows into a nine-day break with four days of leave: in early May you can book 4 days off (Tue 4, Wed 5, Thu 6 and Fri 7 May 2027) and get 9 days off in a row (Sat 1 May – Sun 9 May 2027), and at the end of the month you can book 4 days off (Tue 1, Wed 2, Thu 3 and Fri 4 Jun 2027) and get 9 days off in a row (Sat 29 May – Sun 6 Jun 2027).
August: Scotland goes first
The Scottish summer bank holiday is Monday 2 August 2027, the first Monday of the month. England's is at the end of August, which is worth knowing if you work for a UK-wide company and your colleagues keep talking about "the bank holiday" in late August. Four days of leave lets you book 4 days off (Tue 3, Wed 4, Thu 5 and Fri 6 Aug 2027) and get 9 days off in a row (Sat 31 Jul – Sun 8 Aug 2027). With nine days you can book 9 days off (Mon 26, Tue 27, Wed 28, Thu 29 and Fri 30 Jul 2027 and Tue 3, Wed 4, Thu 5 and Fri 6 Aug 2027) and get 16 days off in a row (Sat 24 Jul – Sun 8 Aug 2027).
St Andrew's Day on a Tuesday
St Andrew's Day is Tuesday 30 November 2027. A Tuesday holiday has one obvious bridge, the Monday: book 1 day off (Mon 29 Nov 2027) and get 4 days off in a row (Sat 27 Nov – Tue 30 Nov 2027). With three days you can book 3 days off (Fri 26 and Mon 29 Nov 2027 and Wed 1 Dec 2027) and get 6 days off in a row (Fri 26 Nov – Wed 1 Dec 2027), which is a nice dark-evenings break before December gets busy.
Christmas 2027 and New Year 2028: the big one
Christmas Day and Boxing Day are a Saturday and Sunday, so the bank holidays move to Monday 27 December 2027 and Tuesday 28 December 2027. New Year's Day 2028 and 2 January 2028 also fall on a weekend, so they move to the following Monday and Tuesday. That puts four weekday bank holidays in nine days, and three days of leave fill the gap:
Book off: Wed 29, Thu 30 and Fri 31 Dec 2027.
Bank holidayBook offWeekend
If you can spare more, eight days lets you book 8 days off (Mon 20, Tue 21, Wed 22, Thu 23, Fri 24, Wed 29, Thu 30 and Fri 31 Dec 2027) and get 18 days off in a row (Sat 18 Dec 2027 – Tue 4 Jan 2028). Everyone else will be eyeing the same week, so ask early.
What the law says (and what it doesn't)
Bank holidays are not an automatic day off. Most workers on a five-day week are entitled to 28 days of paid holiday a year, and an employer can count bank holidays as part of that (GOV.UK holiday entitlement). Your contract says which days you actually get, so check it before you plan around a date above.
When you book, the default notice is twice as long as the leave you want, plus one day: five days' notice for two days off, unless your contract sets its own rules (GOV.UK: booking time off).
Frequently asked questions
Is Easter Monday a bank holiday in Scotland in 2027?
No. Scotland has Good Friday (Friday 26 March 2027) but not Easter Monday. Your employer may still give it, so check your contract.
When is St Andrew's Day 2027?
It is Tuesday 30 November 2027. Book the Monday before it and you get a four-day weekend.
How many bank holidays does Scotland have in 2027?
Scotland has 9 bank holidays in 2027, counting the substitute days for 2 January, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
When is the summer bank holiday in Scotland in 2027?
It is Monday 2 August 2027, four weeks earlier than in England and Wales.
Plan your own 2027 in Scotland
Open the Scotland planner, set your own number of days, and it will place them for you.
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.