The long Easter weekend is over so it’s back to reality for many UK workers.
And after four days of chocolate and beer gardens, we’re already thinking about the next bank holiday.
While there’s still six more government-sanctioned days off left in 2026, we’re looking ahead to 2027, when the UK will be gifted with a three-day week.
Yes, dreams really do come true: thanks to ‘substitute bank holidays’, there’s a three-day working week pencilled in over the 2027 Christmas period.
The dates around it will likely be in high demand for annual leave, so if you want to make the most of the short week — and bag a 10-day December break next year — it’s time to get organised.
How can I get 10 days off over Christmas 2027?
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Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2027 take place over a weekend. That means that, because Saturday and Sunday are, obviously, already days off, the bank holiday dates shift to Monday, December 27 and Tuesday, December 28.
For employees, that’s four full days off in a row, only returning to work for three days in the interim between Christmas and New Year’s.
Then, because New Year’s Day also falls on a Saturday, that bank holiday then shifts to Monday, January 3, 2028. Which is where the potential 10-day break comes in.
For those who are prepared to sacrifice three days holiday (or have enough annual leave left), requesting the 29, 30, and 31 December off equates to 10 days.
That’s plenty of time to swap the Easter eggs for Chocolate Oranges, and the Aperols for Buck’s Fizz.
The government website explains bank holiday rules, including what happens if they fall on a weekend.
It states: ‘If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday. Your employer does not have to give you paid leave on bank or public holidays.
‘Bank holidays might affect how and when your benefits are paid.’
When is the next bank holiday this year?
Can’t wait until 2027? Thankfully, the next bank holiday isn’t too far away, on Monday, May 4.
Then there’s the spring bank holiday on Monday, 25 May, which hopefully will also bring some more sunshine.
Following that, workers will have to hang on until the August bank holiday weekend, which gives employees an extra day off on Monday, August 31.
Those in Northern Ireland will also get an extra day off Monday, July 13, while Scotland has a summer bank holiday on Monday, August 3.
Best 2027 bank holiday breaks
With the universe literally handing us a three-day work week on a plate next year, you’re going to want to make the most of it.
Here are some of Metro Travel Team’s top bank holiday break picks, from affordable Euro city breaks to closer-to-home staycations.
• A local’s guide to a perfect weekend in the Yorkshire Dales
• I stayed in the ‘UK’s best B&B’ – a wine hotel in the ‘English Med’
• Europe’s most affordable ‘Twixmas’ getaway revealed: ‘Picturesque and full of history’
• This is what Ibiza is like off-season — and why you should go now before the crowds
• This European hotel has a skyscraper spa with incredible views that costs just £30
• My £150 weekend in Poland’s most underrated city — flights, hotel and spending money
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