Bank holiday guide
Is Boxing Day a Bank Holiday?
Yes. Boxing Day is a bank holiday in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The day itself is always 26 December, but the bank holiday moves when that is a weekend.
Next Boxing Day bank holiday
Observed on a substitute day.
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Then Tuesday 28 December 2027.
The short answer
Yes. Boxing Day is a bank holiday in every part of the UK.
Boxing Day bank holiday change: why the date moves
Nothing in the law has changed. When 26 December is a weekday, that is the bank holiday. When it is a Saturday, the bank holiday is observed on Monday 28 December. When it is a Sunday, Christmas Day will have been a Saturday, so the Christmas holiday takes Monday 27 and Boxing Day's moves to Tuesday 28 December.
The headlines about a "change" appear in the years when this happens. The Monday for a Saturday Boxing Day is appointed by royal proclamation each time, which is why it is reported as confirmed.
Boxing Day bank holiday dates 2026 to 2035
Upcoming dates for the next ten years. Select a year for every bank holiday in it.
| Year | Bank holiday date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Substitute day |
| 2027 | Substitute day |
| 2028 | |
| 2029 | |
| 2030 | |
| 2031 | |
| 2032 | Substitute day |
| 2033 | |
| 2034 | |
| 2035 |
Show every Boxing Day date from 1971 to 2050
| Year | England & Wales, N. Ireland | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Substitute day | Not a bank holiday |
| 1972 | Not a bank holiday | |
| 1973 | Not a bank holiday | |
| 1974 | ||
| 1975 | ||
| 1976 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 1977 | ||
| 1978 | ||
| 1979 | ||
| 1980 | ||
| 1981 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 1982 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 1983 | ||
| 1984 | ||
| 1985 | ||
| 1986 | ||
| 1987 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 1988 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1990 | ||
| 1991 | ||
| 1992 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 1993 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 1994 | ||
| 1995 | ||
| 1996 | ||
| 1997 | ||
| 1998 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 1999 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | ||
| 2004 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2005 | ||
| 2006 | ||
| 2007 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2010 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2011 | ||
| 2012 | ||
| 2013 | ||
| 2014 | ||
| 2015 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2016 | ||
| 2017 | ||
| 2018 | ||
| 2019 | ||
| 2020 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2021 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2022 | ||
| 2023 | ||
| 2024 | ||
| 2025 | ||
| 2026 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2027 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2028 | ||
| 2029 | ||
| 2030 | ||
| 2031 | ||
| 2032 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2033 | ||
| 2034 | ||
| 2035 | ||
| 2036 | ||
| 2037 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2038 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2039 | ||
| 2040 | ||
| 2041 | ||
| 2042 | ||
| 2043 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2044 | ||
| 2045 | ||
| 2046 | ||
| 2047 | ||
| 2048 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2049 | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2050 |
Dates follow the official GOV.UK bank holiday list where published. Later years are calculated from the statutory rules and can change if a holiday is added or moved by royal proclamation.
Christmas bank holidays 2026, 2027 and 2028
How Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the New Year's Day that follows fall over the next three winters.
| Christmas | Christmas Day bank holiday | Boxing Day bank holiday | New Year's Day bank holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Substitute day | ||
| 2027 | Substitute day | Substitute day | Substitute day |
| 2028 |
Christmas and New Year bank holidays 2026/27: day by day
Every day from Christmas Eve to 4 January, and whether it is a bank holiday in each part of the UK.
| Date | England & Wales | Scotland | N. Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal day | Normal day | Normal day | |
| Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Christmas Day | |
| Weekend | Weekend | Weekend | |
| Weekend | Weekend | Weekend | |
| Boxing Day (substitute) | Boxing Day (substitute) | Boxing Day (substitute) | |
| Normal day | Normal day | Normal day | |
| Normal day | Normal day | Normal day | |
| Normal day | Normal day | Normal day | |
| New Year's Day | New Year's Day | New Year's Day | |
| Weekend | Weekend | Weekend | |
| Weekend | Weekend | Weekend | |
| Normal day | 2nd January (substitute) | Normal day |
What's open on Boxing Day: shops, supermarkets, banks and trains
- Shops: most reopen and the Boxing Day sales begin in store, though several chains now stay shut to give staff the day off.
- Supermarkets: many open with shorter hours; some remain closed. Check your local store.
- Banks and post: bank branches and Post Offices are closed and there is no Royal Mail delivery.
- Trains: very limited. Most operators run no service or only a few routes.
- Sport: a full programme of football, and horse racing including the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.
Why is it called Boxing Day?
The name is usually traced to the Christmas box: a gift of money or goods given to servants, apprentices and tradespeople on the first working day after Christmas. Church alms boxes were also opened and shared with the poor at this time.
26 December is St Stephen's Day in the Christian calendar, the name still used in the Republic of Ireland.
When did Boxing Day become a bank holiday?
In England, Wales and Ireland, in 1871, as one of the original bank holidays. Scotland only added it in 1974, and it is still appointed there by royal proclamation.
Boxing Day: questions
Is Boxing Day a bank holiday?
Yes. Boxing Day is a bank holiday throughout the UK. The next one is observed on Monday 28 December 2026.
When is the Boxing Day bank holiday in 2026?
It is on Monday 28 December 2026, a substitute day because 26 December falls on a weekend.
Has the Boxing Day bank holiday changed?
The 2026 Boxing Day bank holiday is Monday 28 December 2026, not 26 December, because Boxing Day falls on a weekend. The rule has not changed: a substitute weekday is always used in these years.
Is 28th December a bank holiday?
Only in years when Boxing Day falls on a weekend, which happens when Christmas Day is a Friday or Saturday. It is then the substitute day for Boxing Day.
What day is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is 26 December every year, the day after Christmas Day.
Are shops open on Boxing Day?
Most are, with shorter hours, though a number of large chains now stay closed. Check before you travel.
Do trains run on Boxing Day?
Very few. Most operators run no trains or a limited service on a handful of routes.
Are banks open on Boxing Day?
No. Bank branches are closed on the Boxing Day bank holiday.
Why is it called Boxing Day?
After the Christmas box, a gift traditionally given to servants and tradespeople the day after Christmas.
Is Boxing Day a bank holiday in Scotland?
Yes. It has been a bank holiday in Scotland since 1974.
Do I get Boxing Day off work?
Only if your contract says so. A bank holiday gives no automatic right to time off or extra pay, and employers can count it as part of your 5.6 weeks of statutory annual leave.