Two thirds of Scotland's bank holidays to fall on different days in 2026
Scotland will enjoy nine bank holidays in 2026, one more than our neighbours to the south.
With Halloween out of the way, many people's thoughts have started turning to Christmas and the new year. Even if the first week in November feels too soon to be festive, supermarkets are already putting advent calendars out and releasing Christmas adverts.
So, it can feel almost impossible to avoid the festive feeling already, especially if it gets you thinking of lots of time off work, where you can catch up with friends and family.
Even if you don't get a huge break from work over the festive season, the Christmas Day and Boxing Day bank holidays fall on a Thursday and Friday this year, meaning you should get a long weekend at the very least.
If you are someone who uses bank holidays to maximise your time off work, then 2026 is a big year, as you can turn 30 days of annual leave into a whopping 69 days off - it just takes a bit of clever planning.
If that's you - or you just want to know when your extra days off will be next year - then you might be interested to know that two thirds of Scotland's bank holidays will fall on different days.
We will enjoy nine bank holidays in 2026, one more than our neighbours to the south, and six of them will be on different dates to this year.
There are still three left in 2025 - St Andrew's Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day - and two of these bank holidays will be tweaked slightly next year.
Due to St Andrew's Day, November 30, falling on a weekend, this year's holiday has been "moved" and the "substitute" day off will be on Monday, December 1.
Next year, the same will happen on Boxing Day, which is a Saturday in 2026. Therefore, its official bank holiday will be on Monday, December 28.
With most bank holidays falling on a Monday, the dates of several of them will be changing for next year. In fact, only the two New Year bank holidays on January 1 and 2 and the Christmas Day holiday on December 25 will remain on the same date in 2026.
The ever-changing Easter date plays a part in the biggest switch between this year and next, reports The Mirror. Scots will have Good Friday off again in 2026, but it will fall on April 3 - more than two weeks earlier than this year's April 18.
With both of May's bank holidays being Mondays, their dates will be slightly different next year. May Day will be May 4, and the Spring bank holiday will be May 25 - both a day earlier than in 2025.
It is the same story in August for the Summer bank holiday, which will be on Monday, August 3, in 2026. It is the best part of four months before the next bank holiday for St Andrew's Day on November 30 - a day earlier than this year's substitute.
Christmas Day's bank holiday will remain on December 25, since the big day is a Friday, but, as mentioned earlier, it will be Monday 28 that we get the official day off for Boxing Day.
That adds up to six different dates for bank holidays in 2026 compared to this year, out of a total of nine. And if you get planning now, you can organise your year's holidays around these dates to maximise your days off and get longer breaks for less annual leave.
Scotland's bank holidays in 2026
- Thursday, January 1 - New Year's Day bank holiday
- Friday, January 2 - New Year bank holiday
- Friday, April 3 - Good Friday bank holiday
- Monday, May 4 - May Day bank holiday
- Monday, May 25 - Spring bank holiday
- Monday, August 3 - Summer bank holiday
- Monday, November 30 - St Andrew's Day bank holiday
- Friday, December 25 - Christmas Day bank holiday
- Monday, December 28 - Boxing Day bank holiday (substitute)