Important dates 2026 and 2027
The next bank holiday in England and Wales is
Christmas Day
Friday 25 December 2026, in 85 days
The next key dates are the clocks going back on Sunday 25 October 2026, Bonfire Night on Thursday 5 November and Diwali and Remembrance Sunday on Sunday 8 November. In 2027, Easter Sunday is 28 March, the same day the clocks go forward, and Christmas Day falls on a Saturday.
October to December 2026
| Date | Event | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 5 Oct | Register for Self Assessment for 2025/26 | Tax |
| Sun 25 Oct | Clocks go back one hour at 2am | Clocks |
| Sat 31 Oct | Halloween; Self Assessment paper return deadline | Cultural |
| Thu 5 Nov | Bonfire Night | Cultural |
| Sun 8 Nov | Diwali (Lakshmi Puja); Remembrance Sunday | Religious |
| Wed 11 Nov | Armistice Day | Cultural |
| Sun 29 Nov | Advent Sunday | Religious |
| Mon 30 Nov | St Andrew's Day (Scotland) | Bank holiday |
| Fri 4 Dec | Hanukkah begins at sunset (ends 12 December) | Religious |
| Mon 21 Dec | Winter solstice, the shortest day | Season |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day | Bank holiday |
| Mon 28 Dec | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Bank holiday |
| Wed 30 Dec | Self Assessment online deadline to pay through your tax code | Tax |
| Thu 31 Dec | New Year's Eve | Cultural |
2027
| Date | Event | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan | New Year's Day | Bank holiday |
| Mon 4 Jan | 2nd January (substitute day, Scotland) | Bank holiday |
| Mon 25 Jan | Burns Night | Cultural |
| Sun 31 Jan | Self Assessment online return and payment deadline for 2025/26 | Tax |
| Sat 6 Feb | Chinese New Year (Year of the Goat) | Cultural |
| Mon 8 Feb | Ramadan expected to begin | Religious |
| Tue 9 Feb | Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) | Religious |
| Wed 10 Feb | Ash Wednesday, Lent begins | Religious |
| Sun 14 Feb | Valentine's Day | Cultural |
| Mon 1 Mar | St David's Day | Cultural |
| Sun 7 Mar | Mother's Day | Cultural |
| Wed 10 Mar | Eid al-Fitr (expected; may be 9 March) | Religious |
| Wed 17 Mar | St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland) | Bank holiday |
| Sat 20 Mar | Spring equinox | Season |
| Fri 26 Mar | Good Friday | Bank holiday |
| Sun 28 Mar | Easter Sunday; clocks go forward one hour at 1am | Clocks |
| Mon 29 Mar | Easter Monday (not Scotland) | Bank holiday |
| Mon 5 Apr | Last day of the 2026/27 tax year | Tax |
| Tue 6 Apr | Tax year 2027/28 begins | Tax |
| Wed 14 Apr | Vaisakhi | Religious |
| Thu 22 Apr | Passover begins (from sunset on 21 April) | Religious |
| Fri 23 Apr | St George's Day | Cultural |
| Sun 2 May | Orthodox Easter | Religious |
| Mon 3 May | Early May bank holiday | Bank holiday |
| Mon 10 May | GCSE and A-level exams begin | School |
| Sun 16 May | Eid al-Adha (expected; may be 17 May) | Religious |
| Mon 31 May | Spring bank holiday | Bank holiday |
| Sun 20 Jun | Father's Day | Cultural |
| Mon 21 Jun | Summer solstice, the longest day | Season |
| Wed 23 Jun | GCSE and A-level contingency day | School |
| Mon 12 Jul | Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland) | Bank holiday |
| Sat 31 Jul | Self Assessment second payment on account | Tax |
| Mon 2 Aug | Summer bank holiday (Scotland) | Bank holiday |
| Tue 10 Aug | Results day in Scotland (Qualifications Scotland) | School |
| Thu 12 Aug | A-level results day | School |
| Thu 19 Aug | GCSE results day | School |
| Mon 30 Aug | Summer bank holiday (England, Wales, NI) | Bank holiday |
| Thu 23 Sep | Autumn equinox | Season |
| Sat 2 Oct | Rosh Hashanah (from sunset on 1 October) | Religious |
| Tue 5 Oct | Register for Self Assessment for 2026/27 | Tax |
| Mon 11 Oct | Yom Kippur (from sunset on 10 October) | Religious |
| Thu 28 Oct | Diwali (Lakshmi Puja, UK date) | Religious |
| Sun 31 Oct | Halloween; clocks go back one hour at 2am | Clocks |
| Fri 5 Nov | Bonfire Night | Cultural |
| Thu 11 Nov | Armistice Day | Cultural |
| Sun 14 Nov | Remembrance Sunday | Cultural |
| Sun 28 Nov | Advent Sunday | Religious |
| Tue 30 Nov | St Andrew's Day (Scotland) | Bank holiday |
| Wed 22 Dec | Winter solstice | Season |
| Sat 25 Dec | Christmas Day (bank holiday on Monday 27th) | Cultural |
| Mon 27 Dec | Christmas Day (substitute day) | Bank holiday |
| Tue 28 Dec | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Bank holiday |
How these dates are checked
Bank holidays come from the official GOV.UK list. Tax deadlines are HMRC's, from GOV.UK. Exam and results days are from the JCQ key dates for summer 2027 and Qualifications Scotland. Christian festivals, Easter and Pancake Day are calculated by rule; Jewish festivals follow the Hebrew calendar and begin at sunset the evening before. Diwali and Vaisakhi are given for the UK, so they can differ by a day from Indian listings. Islamic dates are expected dates, confirmed by moon sighting nearer the time.
Bank holidays in Scotland and Northern Ireland
The table includes the extra holidays in Scotland (2 January, the first Monday in August, St Andrew's Day) and Northern Ireland (St Patrick's Day, the Battle of the Boyne). Easter Monday is not a bank holiday in Scotland. Full lists: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
School dates
Term and half-term dates are set by councils and academy trusts, so they aren't listed here. Exams start on Monday 10 May 2027, with A-level results on Thursday 12 August and GCSE results on Thursday 19 August. For health and charity campaigns through the year, see the awareness days calendar. To see every date on a grid, open the 2027 calendar.
Frequently asked questions
When do the clocks change in 2027?
The clocks go forward one hour at 1am on Sunday 28 March 2027 and back one hour at 2am on Sunday 31 October 2027.
When is the Self Assessment deadline?
The online return and payment deadline for the 2025/26 tax year is 31 January 2027. Paper returns were due by 31 October 2026.
When are GCSE and A-level results days in 2027?
A-level results day is Thursday 12 August 2027 and GCSE results day is Thursday 19 August 2027.
What day is Christmas 2027?
Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday and Boxing Day a Sunday, so the bank holidays are Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.
How many bank holidays are there in 2027?
England and Wales have 8, Scotland has 9 and Northern Ireland has 10.