Bank Holidays 2025: when is the next UK bank holiday Monday - including May, Easter, and August dates

• Next UK bank holiday is the Early May bank holiday on May 5, 2025
• Spring and summer are packed with long weekends, including May and August bank holidays
• Christmas break offers a four-day weekend with Christmas Day and Boxing Day falling on a Thursday and Friday
• Scotland and Northern Ireland have different public holidays, including St Andrew’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne
• Wales follows the same bank holiday calendar as England with no additional dates

As the UK barrels towards that mythical time of the year when bank holidays seem to stack up like Easter eggs on a supermarket shelf, workers across the country are looking ahead to some well-earned days off.

Thanks to the calendar aligning favourably this year, spring is packed with long weekends and mini-break potential — and let’s be honest, we’ve earned it.

When is the next UK bank holiday?

(Photo: Pexels) | Pexels

At the time of writing, the next bank holiday is the Early May bank holiday, which falls on Monday, May 5 in 2025.

That long weekend will be followed by the Spring bank holiday on May 26, gifting many a lovely three-day break — perfect for a getaway, family time, or just catching up on sleep and Netflix.

The run of spring and summer bank holidays continues with the Summer Bank Holiday on Monday, August 25.

For those who like to plan ahead, it’s a golden opportunity to get those staycations, garden BBQs, or festival weekends booked in early.

Here are the UK’s upcoming bank holidays in full:

• Monday, May 5 - Early May bank holiday
• Monday, May 26 - Spring bank holiday
• Monday, August 25 - Summer bank holiday
• Thursday, December 25 - Christmas Day
• Friday, December 26 - Boxing Day

It’s always worth checking your contract or speaking to your employer if you're unsure how bank holidays affect your annual leave entitlement.

Some workplaces include bank holidays as part of your total leave allowance, while others offer them as extra on top — and in some industries, you might be scheduled to work those days and get time off in lieu.

Do Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales get different bank holidays?

While Wales shares the exact same bank holiday calendar as England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have some notable differences.

In Scotland, the summer bank holiday falls earlier than in the rest of the UK; this year it falls on Monday, August 4.

Scotland also celebrates St Andrew’s Day on November 30. Since this year that falls on a Sunday, there will be a bank holiday on Monday, December 1.

Unlike England and Wales, Scotland does not observe Easter Monday as a bank holiday, meaning that Scots miss out on that post-Easter recovery day.

In Northern Ireland, the bank holiday commemorating the Battle of the Boyne falls on Monday, July 14, 2025.

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