Planning 2027 in the UK: bank holidays and a diary setup that works

The easiest time to plan next year is before it starts. Mark the 2027 bank holidays, block out the dates that are already fixed, and you can book leave, weddings and trips while the good dates are still available.

2027 bank holidays in England and Wales

These are the dates published on GOV.UK:

• Friday 1 January – New Year's Day
• Friday 26 March – Good Friday
• Monday 29 March – Easter Monday (Easter Sunday is 28 March)
• Monday 3 May – Early May bank holiday
• Monday 31 May – Spring bank holiday
• Monday 30 August – Summer bank holiday
• Monday 27 December – Christmas Day (substitute day, as 25 December is a Saturday)
• Tuesday 28 December – Boxing Day (substitute day)

That is eight bank holidays. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different dates, such as 2 January and St Andrew's Day in Scotland and St Patrick's Day and 12 July in Northern Ireland, so check GOV.UK if you live or work there. Extra one-off holidays are occasionally announced, so check again before booking anything that depends on one.

Getting the most from your annual leave

Because Easter is early in 2027 and Christmas falls on a Saturday, a few combinations stand out:

• Easter: book 4 days (30 March to 2 April) to get 10 days off in a row, from Good Friday 26 March to Sunday 4 April. Book the 4 days before Good Friday as well for 16 days using 8 days' leave.
• May: both May bank holidays are Mondays. Four days' leave after either gives a 9-day break.
• Christmas: with the substitute days on 27 and 28 December, booking 29–31 December gives 10 days off in a row, from Christmas Day to Monday 3 January 2028, which is itself a bank holiday.

If your employer counts bank holidays within your statutory 28 days (5.6 weeks for a full-time worker), check how many days you actually have left to book.

A diary setup that works

Most planners fail because everything goes in one place. Use three levels and give each one a job.

1. Year at a glance: the fixed dates

On one page, mark bank holidays, school term dates for your area, birthdays and anniversaries, weddings and events you have accepted, and renewal dates such as car insurance, MOT, TV licence and home insurance. This is the page you check before saying yes to anything.

2. Monthly pages: commitments and deadlines

At the start of each month, copy across anything from the year page and add appointments, payment due dates and deadlines. If you are planning a wedding or event, this is where deposits and final balances go, so you can see which months are expensive.

3. Weekly pages: what you will actually do

Each Sunday, look at the month and pull the next seven days into a short list: no more than three priorities a day. Pair it with a weekly meal plan and shopping list and the week's food decisions are made in one sitting, which saves both time and money.

Planning a wedding or big event in 2027?

Bank holiday weekends are popular for weddings because guests get an extra day to travel, so venues and suppliers book up early and often charge peak rates. Saturdays from May to September go first. If you are flexible, a Friday, a Sunday before a bank holiday Monday or a date in March, April or October can be cheaper.

Work backwards from your date with the free wedding countdown and planning timeline, which shows what to book and when, including giving notice of marriage at least 29 days before.

Free tools: wedding planning timeline · wedding budget calculator · venue booking checklist

Written with AI assistance and checked against GOV.UK guidance. General information, not financial, tax or legal advice.