UK workers can look forward to a three-day working week in 2027, thanks to substitute bank holidays falling around Christmas and New Year. Christmas Day and Boxing Day both occur on a weekend in 2027, meaning the official bank holidays shift to Monday, December 27 and Tuesday, December 28. This gives employees four consecutive days off, with only three working days before New Year's.
New Year's Day 2028 also falls on a Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday moves to Monday, January 3, 2028. By taking annual leave on December 29, 30, and 31, workers can enjoy a 10-day break from Christmas Eve through to January 3.
The government website explains that when a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday becomes the bank holiday, typically the following Monday. However, employers are not obliged to give paid leave on bank or public holidays.
Before then, the next bank holiday is the August bank holiday on Monday, August 31, 2026. Northern Ireland also has an extra day on Monday, July 13, while Scotland's summer bank holiday is Monday, August 3.
