Bank holidays 2026 in Northern Ireland

Every bank holiday in Northern Ireland in 2026

Here is each day off in date order, what it marks, and the quickest way to turn it into a longer break.

BelfastiPhoto: Ввласенко · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

• Thursday 1 January: New Year's Day. New Year's Day is a bank holiday across the UK, a quiet day after the midnight celebrations. When it falls on a weekend, the day off moves to the following weekday. Take Friday 2 January off and you have 4 days in a row, 1 to 4 January.
• Tuesday 17 March: St Patrick's Day. St Patrick's Day, Ireland's national day, is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland. Belfast and towns across the province hold parades, music and festivals. Take Monday 16 March off and you have 4 days in a row, 14 to 17 March.
• Friday 3 April: Good Friday. Good Friday is a bank holiday across the UK. It opens the Easter weekend, which often overlaps with school Easter holidays, so book trips early. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 3 to 6 April.
• Monday 6 April: Easter Monday. Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland. Together with Good Friday it creates a four day Easter weekend, a peak time for UK breaks. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 3 to 6 April.
• Monday 4 May: Early May bank holiday. The Early May bank holiday falls on the first Monday of May, often with May Day fairs and morris dancing. It opens the spring season of long weekends in the UK. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 2 to 4 May.
• Monday 25 May: Spring bank holiday. The Spring bank holiday on the last Monday of May lines up with half term in many schools, making it one of the busiest weeks for UK breaks at home and abroad. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 23 to 25 May.
• Monday 13 July: Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day). The Twelfth marks the Battle of the Boyne and is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland. Parades take place across the province, and many people use the week around it for a summer holiday. The date itself, Sunday 12 July, falls on a weekend, so the day off is Monday 13 July. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 11 to 13 July.
• Monday 31 August: Summer bank holiday. The Summer bank holiday closes the school summer. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it falls on the last Monday of August, in Scotland on the first; beaches, festivals and roads get busy. That makes 3 days off in a row without using any leave, 29 to 31 August.
• Friday 25 December: Christmas Day. Christmas Day is a bank holiday across the UK, when almost all shops and public transport close. Booking leave in the days between Christmas and New Year gives a long break for few days of leave. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 25 to 28 December.
• Monday 28 December: Boxing Day. Boxing Day, 26 December, brings football fixtures, winter walks and the big sales. With Christmas Day it gives two bank holidays in a row, the start of the longest break of the year. The date itself, Saturday 26 December, falls on a weekend, so the day off is Monday 28 December. That makes 4 days off in a row without using any leave, 25 to 28 December.

The maths: days of annual leave in, days off out

With 1 day of annual leave the longest run you can build is 4 days, 1 to 4 January. Three days stretch to 10 days off (25 December 2026 to 3 January 2027). Five days, a typical week, become 10 days off around Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, 25 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.

Ten days, the most this planner books in one go, give 17 days in a row, 25 December 2026 to 10 January 2027. For nine days or more away you need 3 days of annual leave.

Full-time workers in the UK are entitled to 28 days including bank holidays, so a few days around Easter and Christmas usually leave plenty for a summer fortnight.

How Northern Ireland stacks up

Scotland has the most with 10 bank holidays in 2026, England and Wales the fewest with 8. Northern Ireland sits in between with 10.

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Its best break, 1 to 4 January, returns 4.0 days off per day of leave. No other nation in our data does better this year.

Northern Ireland in other years

2027 and 2028 are planned as well, each with its own dates and breaks.

iPhoto: Bengt Nyman · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Holiday dates move every year: fixed-date days change their weekday, and Easter moves between late March and late April, which is why the best breaks are never the same twice.