As we wave goodbye to the final bank holiday of 2024, you might be eager to start planning for the next batch. In England and Wales, there’s a total of eight lined up for the coming year, with the first almost here on January 1, New Year’s Day.
But hold your horses – there’s a big piece of bad news if you’re residing in England and Wales that might have you wishing you lived in Scotland or Northern Ireland. Here, residents can enjoy a total of 10 bank holidays in 2025, including January 2 for lucky Scots.
Meanwhile, anyone in England and Wales will need to wait more than three months for their second bank holiday of 2025, falling on April 18, Good Friday. These postcode disparities are a result of several factors.
Unlike the English or Welsh, Scots enjoy St Andrew’s Day – an event dedicated to Scottish food, music and culture. The Scottish Government also has the power to declare additional bank holidays.
Northern Ireland has St Patrick’s Day on March 17 and the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) on July 14 as bank holidays too. The latter commemorates a major conflict that took place in 1690 between King James II and King William III in Ireland.
Even though centuries have now passed since then, it had a centuries impact on the ‘great historical and cultural significance for many Protestants north and south of the Irish border’, the Nation Army Museum explains.
For further information on UK bank holidays, see the lists below.
England and Wales 2025:
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January 1, Wednesday, New Year’s Day
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April 18, Friday, Good Friday
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April 21, Monday, Easter Monday
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May 5, Monday, Early May bank holiday
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May 26, Monday, Spring bank holiday
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August 25, Monday, Summer bank holiday
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December 25, Thursday, Christmas Day
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December 26, Friday, Boxing Day
Scotland 2025:
- January 1, Wednesday, New Year’s Day
- January 2, Thursday, 2nd January
- April 18, Friday Good Friday
- May 5, Monday, Early May bank holiday
- May 26, Monday, Spring bank holiday
- August 4, Monday, Summer bank holiday
- December 1, Monday, St Andrew’s Day (substitute day)
- December 25, Thursday, Christmas Day
- December 26, Friday, Boxing Day
Northern Ireland 2025:
- January 1, Wednesday, New Year’s Day
- 17 March, Monday, St Patrick’s Day
- 18 April, Friday, Good Friday
- 21 April, Monday, Easter Monday
- 5 May, Monday, Early May bank holiday
- 26 May, Monday, Spring bank holiday
- 14 July, Monday, Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) (substitute day)
- 25 August, Monday, Summer bank holiday
- 25 December, Thursday, Christmas Day
- 26 December, Friday, Boxing Day