UK Holidays and Calendar: Guide for Immigrants
The UK calendar has its own rhythm of bank holidays, school terms, and cultural events. Understanding when things happen helps you plan work, travel, and family life. This guide covers all the key dates and what to expect throughout the year.
- Section
- Practical Life in the UK
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Last checked
- 3 September 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- England and Wales have 8 bank holidays, Scotland 9, Northern Ireland 10, and the lists differ.
- There is no right to a bank holiday off, or to extra pay for working one. The contract decides.
- Almost every worker gets at least 5.6 weeks of paid leave a year — 28 days for a 5-day week — and the employer may count bank holidays inside it.
- School term dates are set by each local authority and each school, not nationally.
- Bank holidays are not working days for the Home Office, so they do not count towards a published processing time.
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays, Scotland 9 and Northern Ireland 10, and the lists are genuinely different: Scotland has no Easter Monday, Northern Ireland has two days neither of the others has. School holidays follow a term system set locally. This guide covers the dates, the paid leave you are entitled to in law, and what closes.
Bank Holidays in England and Wales
- New Year's Day — 1 January
- Good Friday — March or April (date varies)
- Easter Monday — March or April (date varies)
- Early May Bank Holiday — First Monday in May
- Spring Bank Holiday — Last Monday in May
- Summer Bank Holiday — Last Monday in August
- Christmas Day — 25 December
- Boxing Day — 26 December
That is 8 days. The other nations differ.
Scotland: 9 days
Scotland keeps Good Friday but has no Easter Monday. It adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day (30 November, moved to the following Monday when it falls at a weekend), and takes its summer bank holiday on the first Monday in August rather than the last.
Northern Ireland: 10 days
Northern Ireland has the full England and Wales list plus St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne, also called Orangemen's Day (12 July). Both move to the following Monday when they fall at a weekend.
If you are planning a visa application, be aware that processing pauses over bank holidays. Check the GOV.UK bank holidays page for exact dates each year.
School Holidays
If you have children, school holidays are a key part of planning:
- Summer: Late July to early September (approximately 6 weeks)
- Christmas: Around 2 weeks in late December and early January
- Easter: Around 2 weeks in March or April
- Half-terms: One week each in October, February, and May
Exact dates vary by local authority and school. Check your council's website or the school directly. See our education system guide for more.
Cultural Events and Celebrations
The UK celebrates a diverse range of events throughout the year:
- Burns Night (25 January) — Scottish celebration
- Pancake Day / Shrove Tuesday — February or March
- Mothering Sunday — the fourth Sunday of Lent, usually in March. This is not the same date as Mother's Day in most other countries
- Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes (5 November) — fireworks and bonfires
- Remembrance Day (11 November) — honouring military service
- Diwali, Eid, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah — widely celebrated in diverse communities
The UK's multicultural nature means events from many traditions are celebrated, particularly in larger cities. See our culture guide for more on social norms.
Planning Around Holidays
Practical tips for navigating UK holidays:
- Travel: Bank holidays and school half-terms are peak travel times. Book early and expect higher prices and congestion.
- Shops: most open on shorter hours. Christmas Day is different: in England and Wales, large shops are required by law to close, and on Easter Sunday large shops cannot open at all. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own Sunday and Christmas trading rules.
- Healthcare: GP surgeries are closed on bank holidays. Use 111 for non-emergency medical advice.
- Post and deliveries: Royal Mail does not deliver on bank holidays.
- Government services: Home Office, DVLA, and other agencies are closed on bank holidays.
Check the GOV.UK bank holidays page when planning visa applications or appointments.
Work and Holiday Entitlement
Almost every worker in the UK is entitled to at least 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave. For someone working 5 days a week that is 28 days, and the entitlement is capped at 28 days however many days a week you work. An employer is allowed to count the 8 bank holidays inside those 28, and many do, which is why a contract offering "20 days plus bank holidays" and one offering "28 days inclusive" are the same thing. Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks, worked out in proportion. Check your employment contract for your specific entitlement.
Next Steps
Mark bank holidays in your calendar and check your employer's policy on holiday entitlement. If you have children, get the school term dates from your local council and plan childcare for holiday periods.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
How many bank holidays are there in the UK?
England and Wales have 8, Scotland has 9 and Northern Ireland has 10. The lists are not the same. Scotland has no Easter Monday, but adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day, and takes its summer bank holiday on the first Monday in August rather than the last. Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne on 12 July.
Am I entitled to bank holidays off work?
There is no automatic right to a bank holiday off, and no right to extra pay for working one. It depends on the contract. What is set in law is the total: almost every worker gets at least 5.6 weeks of paid leave a year, which is 28 days for someone working 5 days a week, and an employer is allowed to count the 8 bank holidays inside that 28.
What happens to shops and services on bank holidays?
Most shops open, often on shorter hours, and public transport usually runs a reduced timetable. Banks close. Royal Mail does not deliver. GP surgeries close, so NHS 111 is the route for urgent advice. Christmas Day is the exception: in England and Wales, large shops must close, and almost everything else does too.
When are UK school holidays?
School holidays vary by region and school but generally include six weeks in summer (late July to early September), two weeks at Christmas, two weeks at Easter, and one-week half-term breaks in October, February, and May. Check your local council for exact dates.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.