Is Christmas Eve a bank holiday in the UK?

No. GOV.UK does not list Christmas Eve (24 December) as a bank holiday in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. For 2026 it lists Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026 and Boxing Day as a substitute day on Monday 28 December 2026.

24 December 2026 is a Thursday and 24 December 2027 is a Friday. That is calendar arithmetic, not a GOV.UK statement. The dates are copied from GOV.UK's bank holidays data as retrieved on 7 November 2026; it has no 24 December entry in 2026, 2027 or 2028 in any of the three lists.

The Christmas bank holidays GOV.UK lists, 2026 and 2027

Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2026 and 2027 by nation, from GOV.UK
NationDateDayGOV.UK entry
England and Wales25 December 2026FridayChristmas Day
England and Wales28 December 2026MondayBoxing Day (substitute day)
England and Wales27 December 2027MondayChristmas Day (substitute day)
England and Wales28 December 2027TuesdayBoxing Day (substitute day)
Scotland25 December 2026FridayChristmas Day
Scotland28 December 2026MondayBoxing Day (substitute day)
Scotland27 December 2027MondayChristmas Day (substitute day)
Scotland28 December 2027TuesdayBoxing Day (substitute day)
Northern Ireland25 December 2026FridayChristmas Day
Northern Ireland28 December 2026MondayBoxing Day (substitute day)
Northern Ireland27 December 2027MondayChristmas Day (substitute day)
Northern Ireland28 December 2027TuesdayBoxing Day (substitute day)

Full lists: UK bank holidays 2026 and UK bank holidays 2027. For 26 December, see is Boxing Day a bank holiday?

Pay and opening hours

GOV.UK says:

“Your employer does not have to give you paid leave on bank or public holidays.”

GOV.UK, UK bank holidays (gov.uk/bank-holidays), retrieved 7 November 2026

GOV.UK's page and data give dates and substitute days only; they do not say how employers, shops, branches or offices treat 24 December. To check any date, or when the next bank holiday is, use the bank holiday checker.

Frequently asked questions

Is Christmas Eve a bank holiday in the UK?

No. GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json), retrieved on 7 November 2026, has no entry for 24 December in the England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland list in any of 2026, 2027 and 2028. It lists Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

What day is Christmas Eve in 2026 and 2027?

24 December 2026 is a Thursday and 24 December 2027 is a Friday. That is calendar arithmetic, not a GOV.UK statement; GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) lists neither date.

Which Christmas bank holidays does GOV.UK list for 2026?

GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) lists Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026 and Boxing Day as a substitute day on Monday 28 December 2026 for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Which Christmas bank holidays does GOV.UK list for 2027?

GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) lists Christmas Day as a substitute day on Monday 27 December 2027 and Boxing Day as a substitute day on Tuesday 28 December 2027 for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. GOV.UK’s bank holidays page says: “If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday.”

Does an employer have to give paid leave on Christmas Eve?

GOV.UK’s bank holidays page says: “Your employer does not have to give you paid leave on bank or public holidays.” Its page and GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) give dates only and do not say how employers, shops or banks treat 24 December, so the employer or business is the place to check.

More UK pages

Sources

Reviewed 7 November 2026 against the GOV.UK page and data in the sources list. FedRateCalc is not affiliated with GOV.UK or the UK Government; GOV.UK is the official source, and any later change it publishes overrides this site.