Having gotten used to a bit of downtime, many of us will already be looking ahead to our next extended break from work.
Every year, hard-working Brits enjoy a handful of days off thanks to bank holidays.
But how long do we have to wait until the next one and when will we get some well-earned time off next year?
UK bank holidays 2026
These are the Bank Holidays to look forward to next year.
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
- January 2 – 2nd January (Scotland only)
- April 3 – Good Friday
- April 6 – Easter Monday (England and Wales)
- May 4 – Early May bank holiday
- May 25 – Spring bank holiday
- August 3 – Summer bank holiday (Scotland only)
- August 31 – Summer bank holiday (England and Wales)
- November 30 – St Andrew’s Day (Scotland only)
- December 25 – Christmas Day
- December 28 – Boxing Day (substitute day)
Can you still use a red passport in 2026?
UK passports are now a deep blue in colour and issued by His Majesty’s Passport Office following King Charles III’s coronation.
However, can the older red ones still be used?
If you’re going on holiday and are worried that your burgundy passport isn’t accepted anymore, there’s no need to worry.
Red passports are still allowed to be used in 2026 if they remain valid for travel, so you’ll need to check the expiry date and the rules regarding how much time you should have left on your passport to travel to your chosen destination.
If your passport still has ‘European Union’ on the cover, you can still use it, but only if “it’s valid for travel”, according to the Government website.
You’ll probably find that when it’s time to renew your passport next, you’ll be given a blue one, but you don’t need to renew your passport unless yours has expired or it doesn’t have enough time left on it for travel.
You must also make sure your passport hasn’t been damaged for it to remain valid.
