Annual Leave 2027: Bank Holiday Bridges for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Gov.uk’s 2027 bank holiday list for England and Wales puts Good Friday on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March, so 4 days of leave from Tuesday 30 March to Friday 2 April give 10 days off in a row. The same trick works around the early May, late May, August and Christmas holidays. This story works out the leave days for a Monday-to-Friday worker in each nation, from the dates on the GOV.UK bank holidays page (last updated 24 November 2025). For the full list of dates, see our 2027 bank holidays story.

How do you count the days off?

Each row below books the working days next to a bank holiday and counts every day from the first free day to the last, weekends included. All weekdays were computed for 2027. Gov.uk also says that if a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday. That is why Christmas 2027, which lands on a Saturday, gives Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.

A printable sheet for England and Wales is below the tables.

England and Wales: where to book leave in 2027

Gov.uk lists eight bank holidays for England and Wales in 2027: 1 January, 26 March, 29 March, 3 May, 31 May, 30 August, 27 December and 28 December.

Bank holiday	Book	Leave days	Time off
Good Friday 26 Mar, Easter Monday 29 Mar	Tue 30 Mar to Fri 2 Apr	4	10 days, Fri 26 Mar to Sun 4 Apr
Easter, the week before	Mon 22 to Thu 25 Mar	4	10 days, Sat 20 to Mon 29 Mar
Easter, both weeks	Mon 22 to Thu 25 Mar and Tue 30 Mar to Fri 2 Apr	8	16 days, Sat 20 Mar to Sun 4 Apr
Mon 3 May	Tue 4 to Fri 7 May	4	9 days, Sat 1 to Sun 9 May
Mon 31 May	Tue 1 to Fri 4 Jun	4	9 days, Sat 29 May to Sun 6 Jun
Mon 30 Aug	Tue 31 Aug to Fri 3 Sep	4	9 days, Sat 28 Aug to Sun 5 Sep
Mon 27 and Tue 28 Dec	Wed 29 to Fri 31 Dec	3	9 days, Sat 25 Dec to Sun 2 Jan 2028

Scotland: a different Easter and an August holiday

Scotland’s 2027 list on gov.uk has 1 January, 4 January (the substitute for 2 January), 26 March, 3 May, 31 May, 2 August, 30 November (St Andrew’s Day), 27 December and 28 December. There is no Easter Monday, so the Easter bridge is one day longer.

Bank holiday	Book	Leave days	Time off
1 Jan and Mon 4 Jan	Tue 5 to Fri 8 Jan	4	10 days, Fri 1 to Sun 10 Jan
Good Friday 26 Mar	Mon 29 Mar to Fri 2 Apr	5	10 days, Fri 26 Mar to Sun 4 Apr
Mon 3 May	Tue 4 to Fri 7 May	4	9 days, Sat 1 to Sun 9 May
Mon 31 May	Tue 1 to Fri 4 Jun	4	9 days, Sat 29 May to Sun 6 Jun
Mon 2 Aug	Tue 3 to Fri 6 Aug	4	9 days, Sat 31 Jul to Sun 8 Aug
Tue 30 Nov, St Andrew’s Day	Mon 29 Nov	1	4 days, Sat 27 to Tue 30 Nov
Mon 27 and Tue 28 Dec	Wed 29 to Fri 31 Dec	3	9 days, Sat 25 Dec to Sun 2 Jan 2028

Northern Ireland: St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne

Northern Ireland’s 2027 list has 1 January, 17 March (St Patrick’s Day), 26 March, 29 March, 3 May, 31 May, 12 July (Battle of the Boyne), 30 August, 27 December and 28 December. It shares the English Easter, May and August dates and adds two midweek and Monday holidays of its own.

Bank holiday	Book	Leave days	Time off
Wed 17 Mar, St Patrick’s Day	Thu 18 and Fri 19 Mar	2	5 days, Wed 17 to Sun 21 Mar
Wed 17 Mar, St Patrick’s Day	Mon 15 and Tue 16 Mar	2	5 days, Sat 13 to Wed 17 Mar
St Patrick’s Day, both bridges	Mon 15, Tue 16, Thu 18 and Fri 19 Mar	4	9 days, Sat 13 to Sun 21 Mar
Good Friday 26 Mar, Easter Monday 29 Mar	Tue 30 Mar to Fri 2 Apr	4	10 days, Fri 26 Mar to Sun 4 Apr
Mon 3 May	Tue 4 to Fri 7 May	4	9 days, Sat 1 to Sun 9 May
Mon 31 May	Tue 1 to Fri 4 Jun	4	9 days, Sat 29 May to Sun 6 Jun
Mon 12 Jul, Battle of the Boyne	Tue 13 to Fri 16 Jul	4	9 days, Sat 10 to Sun 18 Jul
Mon 30 Aug	Tue 31 Aug to Fri 3 Sep	4	9 days, Sat 28 Aug to Sun 5 Sep
Mon 27 and Tue 28 Dec	Wed 29 to Fri 31 Dec	3	9 days, Sat 25 Dec to Sun 2 Jan 2028

What does a combined 2027 plan look like?

Taking only the biggest bridges in each nation, the totals below come from the tables above.

Nation	Bridges used	Leave days	Days off
England and Wales	Easter, 3 May, 30 August, Christmas	15	37
Scotland	Easter, 3 May, 2 August, Christmas	16	37
Northern Ireland	St Patrick’s Day (18 and 19 March), Easter, Battle of the Boyne, Christmas	13	33

In England and Wales, 15 leave days buy 37 days off, about two and a half days off for every day of leave. Gov.uk says most workers on a 5-day week must receive at least 28 days’ paid annual leave a year, and that an employer can choose to include bank holidays as part of that statutory leave. If your employer does, the eight bank holidays count toward your 28 days, so check your contract before you book. The late May bridge (1 to 4 June) is an extra 4 days if your allowance stretches.

Does the Christmas 2027 bridge carry into the new year?

Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday and Boxing Day a Sunday, so Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December are the bank holidays. Leave on Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December gives 9 days off to Sunday 2 January 2028. New Year’s Day 2028 is a Saturday; the 2028 bank holiday list is not part of this story’s source, so check gov.uk before you plan anything for 3 January 2028. Our Boxing Day page and December calendars help you map the week, and our 2026 Christmas bank holidays story covers the 2026 substitute days.

Print the 2027 annual leave planner

The England and Wales planner lists the leave days to book for Easter, early May, late May, August and Christmas on one sheet. Mark your own picks on a printable yearly calendar.