Sure, we may just be coming off a four-day weekend, but thanks to the gorgeous weather we’re experiencing, there’s only one thing on our minds: when we’re taking our next holiday. And, as always, we’re carefully planning around bank holidays to maximise our time off with minimal leave from work. Fortunately for us, a confluence of bank holidays and ‘substitute’ bank holidays will treat us to a mere 3-day working week at the end of 2026.
We were already looking ahead to next year, planning our holidays for 2027, and were pleasantly surprised to discover that in 2027 we’ll get a 3-day working week, thanks to ‘substitute’ bank holidays. But we don’t even need to wait until 2027, because a similar thing is happening at the end of this year!
What is a ‘substitute’ bank holiday?
A ‘substitute’ bank holiday is when a bank holiday falls on a weekend, and is instead moved to a weekday, or a ‘substitute’ bank holiday. This usually happens on the following Monday.
The Government states on their website: “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.”
3-day working week in 2026
This December, Christmas Day falls on a Friday. That means our usual Boxing Day bank holiday falls on a Saturday. But thanks to the magic of ‘substitute’ bank holidays, the Boxing Day bank holiday will move to December 28, the Monday of the subsequent week.
But then comes the New Year’s Day bank holiday, just a few days later on Friday, January 1. With both the Monday and Friday of that week being bank holidays, that means the very last week of 2026 will be a 3-day working week.
As if that wasn’t enough, the combination of two long weekends and a short working week means you could blag a long holiday with minimal time off. Book December 29-31 off work, and you’ll get a whopping 10 days off!
2026 bank holidays in England and Wales
The next bank holiday in England and Wales will take place on May 4. This is the Early May bank holiday. The rest of the 2026 bank holidays in England and Wales will take place on the following dates:
May 4 – Early May bank holiday
May 25 – Spring bank holiday
August 31 – Summer bank holiday
December 25 – Christmas Day
December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)
2027 Bank Holidays in England and Wales
January 1 – New Year’s Day
March 26 – Good Friday
March 29 – Easter Monday
May 3 – Early May bank holiday
May 31 – Spring bank holiday
August 30 – Summer bank holiday
December 27 – Christmas Day (substitute day)
December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)