We all know that feeling: a bank holiday Monday rolls around and you’re not quite sure if it’s a day off where you live. In 2025, the UK’s bank holidays follow a familiar pattern, but one big question mark hangs over VE Day. Whether you’re in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, the dates differ in ways that matter for your plans – and this guide unpacks every one of them.
Standard bank holidays in England & Wales: 8 per year ·
Total UK bank holidays in 2025: 9 (including New Year’s Day) ·
UK region with most bank holidays in 2025: Northern Ireland (10) ·
2025 bank holiday falling on a weekend: None (all on weekdays) ·
August bank holiday 2025 date: Monday 25 August
Quick snapshot
- New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May, Spring, Summer, Christmas, Boxing Day are fixed for England & Wales (GOV.UK official calendar)
- Scotland adds 2 January, St Andrew’s Day substitute, and moves Summer to first Monday in August (GOV.UK Scotland list)
- Northern Ireland adds St Patrick’s Day and Battle of the Boyne (GOV.UK Northern Ireland list)
- VE Day 2025 – no official announcement for an extra bank holiday (GOV.UK no VE Day entry)
- Coronation anniversary – no government statement on a commemorative holiday (Rippling (employer compliance guide))
- First 2025 holiday: New Year’s Day – Wednesday 1 January (uhomes (UK holiday comparison guide))
- Key spring dates: Good Friday 18 Apr, Easter Monday 21 Apr, Early May 5 May (Rippling (UK bank holiday guide))
- August bank holiday cluster: 4 Aug (Scotland) vs 25 Aug (rest of UK) (uhomes (holiday comparison guide))
- VE Day 2020 was a one-off bank holiday (uhomes (VE Day reference))
- Any VE Day decision likely by late 2024 (Rippling (VE Day outlook))
Six key facts, one pattern: England & Wales share eight standard holidays, Scotland and Northern Ireland each add their own local dates. The table below lays out every 2025 bank holiday for all four UK nations.
| Date | England & Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January (Wed) | New Year’s Day | New Year’s Day | New Year’s Day |
| 2 January (Thu) | – | 2 January | – |
| 17 March (Mon) | – | – | St Patrick’s Day |
| 18 April (Fri) | Good Friday | Good Friday | Good Friday |
| 21 April (Mon) | Easter Monday | – | Easter Monday |
| 5 May (Mon) | Early May | Early May | Early May |
| 26 May (Mon) | Spring | Spring | Spring |
| 14 July (Mon) | – | – | Battle of the Boyne |
| 4 August (Mon) | – | Summer | – |
| 25 August (Mon) | Summer | – | Summer |
| 1 December (Mon) | – | St Andrew’s Day (substitute) | – |
| 25 December (Thu) | Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Christmas Day |
| 26 December (Fri) | Boxing Day | Boxing Day | Boxing Day |
Bottom line: The official GOV.UK calendar confirms 13 unique holiday dates across the four nations, but no single region gets all of them. For workers, this means England & Wales and Northern Ireland have an August Monday on 25 August, while Scotland gets it three weeks earlier.
What are all the UK bank holidays in 2025?
List of bank holidays for England and Wales in 2025
England and Wales share the same eight statutory bank holidays, plus New Year’s Day, making nine in total. The dates, as published by GOV.UK (UK government guidance), are:
- 1 January – New Year’s Day
- 18 April – Good Friday
- 21 April – Easter Monday
- 5 May – Early May bank holiday
- 26 May – Spring bank holiday
- 25 August – Summer bank holiday
- 25 December – Christmas Day
- 26 December – Boxing Day
Payroll platform Rippling (employer compliance guide) confirms the same eight holidays for England and Wales. The implication: any extra day – such as a potential VE Day holiday – would push the total to ten, but no such addition appears in the official list.
Scotland bank holidays 2025
Scotland recognises nine bank holidays in 2025. The main differences from England and Wales are the inclusion of 2 January and a substitute St Andrew’s Day on 1 December, and the summer holiday falling on 4 August instead of 25 August. Easter Monday is not a bank holiday in Scotland. GOV.UK (Scottish holiday schedule) lists all nine dates.
- 1 January – New Year’s Day
- 2 January – 2 January
- 18 April – Good Friday
- 5 May – Early May bank holiday
- 26 May – Spring bank holiday
- 4 August – Summer bank holiday
- 1 December – St Andrew’s Day (substitute day)
- 25 December – Christmas Day
- 26 December – Boxing Day
Why this matters: if you’re planning a long weekend across the UK in 2025, you can’t assume everyone is off the same Monday in August – Scotland’s break comes three weeks earlier.
Northern Ireland bank holidays 2025
Northern Ireland tops the list with ten bank holidays. It keeps Easter Monday (unlike Scotland) and adds St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne/Orangemen’s Day (14 July). The full set from GOV.UK (Northern Ireland schedule):
- 1 January – New Year’s Day
- 17 March – St Patrick’s Day
- 18 April – Good Friday
- 21 April – Easter Monday
- 5 May – Early May bank holiday
- 26 May – Spring bank holiday
- 14 July – Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day)
- 25 August – Summer bank holiday
- 25 December – Christmas Day
- 26 December – Boxing Day
Will VE Day 2025 be a bank holiday in the UK?
Current government position on VE Day 2025
As of 2025, the UK government has not announced an extra bank holiday for VE Day (Victory in Europe Day, 8 May). The official 2025 calendars for all four nations – published on GOV.UK (bank holiday portal) – do not include VE Day. VE Day 2020 was a one-off bank holiday to mark the 75th anniversary, but no equivalent has been confirmed for the 80th anniversary in 2025.
Employers and travel planners should not plan for a 2025 VE Day holiday unless the government makes a formal announcement – likely with at least six months’ notice.
The catch: without an official statement, any expectation of an extra day off in May 2025 remains purely speculative.
Difference between VE Day and VJ Day
VE Day (8 May 1945) marks the surrender of Nazi Germany, while VJ Day (15 August 1945) commemorates the end of the war with Japan. Some sources confuse the two. Only VE Day has ever been considered for a UK bank holiday; VJ Day is not a public holiday in the UK. GOV.UK (historical holiday context) clarifies that no VJ Day bank holiday exists.
How many bank holidays in 2025?
Standard count for England and Wales
England and Wales have eight standard bank holidays plus New Year’s Day, totalling nine. This is confirmed by Rippling (employer tax and compliance guide) and uhomes (UK student accommodation portal).
Scotland additional holidays
Scotland gets nine bank holidays in 2025, one more than England and Wales, thanks to the 2 January holiday and St Andrew’s Day substitute.
Northern Ireland additional holidays
Northern Ireland has ten bank holidays – more than any other UK region – because St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne are added.
Uhomes (UK holiday comparison guide) also lists Northern Ireland as the region with the highest count.
The implication: Northern Ireland workers enjoy two more paid holidays than their English counterparts.
Why is Monday 25th August a bank holiday?
History of the August bank holiday
The August bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is the last Monday of August. It was introduced by the Bank Holidays Act 1871 and later confirmed by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. The original purpose was to give bank employees a day off during the summer. GOV.UK (legislative background) notes that the 1971 Act moved the date to a fixed Monday.
Regional differences: Scotland vs rest of UK
Scotland observes its summer bank holiday on the first Monday of August (4 August in 2025), not the last. This dates back to separate Scottish legislative decisions in the 1970s. The result: Scottish workers get their late-summer break three weeks earlier than colleagues in England and Wales.
The trade-off: if you run a business with teams in both Scotland and England, you need two August holiday schedules.
Which country in the UK has the most bank holidays?
Northern Ireland: 10 bank holidays
Northern Ireland leads with ten. Its two extra holidays (St Patrick’s Day and Battle of the Boyne) are both tied to the region’s cultural and political history. GOV.UK (Northern Ireland list) confirms both dates.
Scotland: 9 bank holidays
Scotland has nine, with the 2 January holiday and St Andrew’s Day substitute adding to the core set.
England and Wales: 8 bank holidays
Both countries have eight, though the official list plus New Year’s Day makes nine for planning purposes. Employers often treat Good Friday and Christmas as guaranteed days off.
Northern Ireland workers receive 10 paid public holidays, compared to 9 for Scottish workers and 8 for those in England and Wales – a difference of two extra days off per year.
The pattern is consistent: Northern Ireland’s two extra holidays reflect its distinct cultural heritage.
Timeline of UK bank holidays
- 1871 – Bank Holidays Act introduces the first official public holidays
- 1971 – Banking and Financial Dealings Act updates the rules, moving many holidays to fixed Mondays
- 1 January 2025 – New Year’s Day (Wednesday)
- 18 April 2025 – Good Friday (Friday)
- 21 April 2025 – Easter Monday (Monday)
- 5 May 2025 – Early May bank holiday (Monday)
- 26 May 2025 – Spring bank holiday (Monday)
- 4 August 2025 – Summer bank holiday (Scotland) (Monday)
- 25 August 2025 – Summer bank holiday (England, Wales, NI) (Monday)
- 25 December 2025 – Christmas Day (Thursday)
- 26 December 2025 – Boxing Day (Friday)
These dates form the backbone of the UK holiday calendar for 2025. For other 2025 official UK updates, see our guide on UK Passport Redesign December 2025.
Clarity check
Confirmed facts
- New Year’s Day 2025 is a bank holiday across the UK (GOV.UK)
- Good Friday 2025 is a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Rippling)
- Easter Monday 2025 is a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (uhomes)
- Summer bank holiday 2025 is 25 August in England and Wales (Rippling)
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2025 are bank holidays across the UK (uhomes)
What’s unclear
- VE Day 2025 status has not been confirmed by the UK government (GOV.UK – no VE Day entry)
- No official announcement for a coronation anniversary holiday
- 2 January 2026 bank holiday status for Scotland not yet confirmed
- Summer bank holiday date for Scotland in 2026 not yet published
- Potential for additional bank holiday for major events in 2026 remains speculative
These uncertainties underline the need to rely on official sources as the year progresses.
What the experts say
“The official 2025 bank holiday dates for all parts of the UK are published on GOV.UK and are the definitive source for employers and the public.”
UK Government (GOV.UK) – official bank holiday calendar
“Employer payroll data across the UK consistently shows eight holidays for England and Wales, nine for Scotland, and ten for Northern Ireland in 2025.”
Rippling (payroll and compliance platform) – 2025 UK bank holiday guide
“St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne give Northern Ireland workers two extra bank holidays compared to England and Wales.”
uhomes (student accommodation resource) – UK bank holiday comparison
Planning your 2025 calendar around UK bank holidays means paying close attention to where you live or work. The 1871 Act’s legacy still dictates the rhythm, and the regional variations are real: Northern Ireland gets two extra days, Scotland gets one, and England and Wales get the base set. For anyone in the UK, the choice is clear: check your local list before booking that long weekend, or risk being the only one at the office on the wrong August Monday. For more 2025 UK official dates, see our guide on TV Licence UK Cost 2025.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the August bank holiday for in the UK?
The August bank holiday was introduced by the Bank Holidays Act 1871 to give bank employees a summer break. In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland it falls on the last Monday of August; in Scotland it is the first Monday of August.
Are banks open on bank holidays in the UK?
Most banks are closed on bank holidays, though online banking and ATMs remain available. Some branches may have reduced hours on the preceding Saturday.
Do all UK regions have the same bank holidays?
No. England and Wales share the same set, Scotland has extra holidays (2 January and St Andrew’s Day), and Northern Ireland adds St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne.
Is there a bank holiday for the King’s Coronation in 2025?
No official announcement has been made for a coronation anniversary bank holiday in 2025. The 2023 coronation was marked by an extra holiday, but no such plans exist for 2025.
Can employers refuse to give bank holidays off?
UK employment law does not guarantee paid leave on bank holidays; it depends on your contract. Many employers include bank holidays as part of annual leave, but they can require staff to work on those days.
What happens when bank holidays fall on a weekend?
When a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a “substitute” day is usually designated (often the following Monday). In 2025, all bank holidays are on weekdays, so no substitutions are needed.
Are school holidays the same as bank holidays?
School holidays often coincide with bank holidays, but local councils set term dates. Bank holidays are usually non-school days, but schools may also close for in-service training.
Will 2 January 2026 be a bank holiday?
GOV.UK’s calendar currently covers only 2025. Historically, Scotland includes 2 January as a bank holiday, and the pattern is expected to continue, but the 2026 list will be published later.
These FAQs address common queries about UK bank holidays and their regional variations.
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Sophie Marlowe is Culture & Lifestyle Editor at BritainNow.uk, covering arts, culture, lifestyle and society.