How Many Days Until Summer Bank Holiday?

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When is Summer Bank Holiday?

Summer Bank Holiday falls on Monday, August 31, 2026.

About Summer Bank Holiday

The Summer Bank Holiday is a UK public holiday observed in late summer. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it falls on the last Monday of August. Scotland observes it earlier, on the first Monday of August, and treats it as a separate holiday. The August holiday for England, Wales and Northern Ireland was moved from the first Monday to the last Monday in 1971. The holiday weekend is one of the busiest of the British summer for travel, with millions taking short breaks abroad or heading to the coast. London hosts the Notting Hill Carnival on the Summer Bank Holiday weekend, one of the largest street festivals in Europe and a celebration of Caribbean culture.

The Notting Hill Carnival, held on the Summer Bank Holiday weekend in west London, is often described as the second-largest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro. It traces its origins to a 1959 indoor Caribbean Carnival organised by the Trinidadian activist Claudia Jones in response to racial tension in Notting Hill, and it now draws more than two million people over its main two days. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest performing arts festival, also reaches its peak during this weekend, filling much of central Edinburgh with thousands of performers. Scotland's separate first-Monday holiday is a survival of the 1871 Bank Holidays Act, which set the original first-Monday date. When England, Wales and Northern Ireland moved their date in 1971, Scotland kept the old one, so the two holidays now usually fall about four weeks apart.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Summer Bank Holiday?

The date depends on where you are in the United Kingdom. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Summer Bank Holiday falls on the last Monday of August, so it lands between August 25 and August 31. In Scotland it falls on the first Monday of August, so the Scottish holiday usually comes about four weeks earlier. Because the rules differ between the nations, the UK does not have a single shared late-summer bank holiday date.

Why does Scotland have a different Summer Bank Holiday?

Scotland's Summer Bank Holiday falls on the first Monday of August, while England, Wales and Northern Ireland keep theirs on the last Monday of the month. The split goes back to 1971. The original Bank Holidays Act of 1871 had set an early-August date, and in 1971 England, Wales and Northern Ireland moved their holiday to late August. Scotland did not follow, partly because Scottish towns already had their own pattern of local summer holidays. The older first-Monday date stayed in Scotland.

Is the Summer Bank Holiday a public holiday across the UK?

There is a late-summer bank holiday in every part of the UK, but not on the same day. England, Wales and Northern Ireland share the last Monday of August, while Scotland keeps the first Monday of August. Banks, government offices and many businesses close on the relevant date. As with all UK bank holidays, employers are not legally obliged to give every worker the day off, since that depends on the individual employment contract.

What is the Notting Hill Carnival?

The Notting Hill Carnival is a large street festival held in west London over the Summer Bank Holiday weekend in August. It celebrates Caribbean culture with costumed parades, steel bands, sound systems and street food, and it draws crowds in the millions. It grew out of events organised from the late 1950s in response to racial tension in the area, including an indoor Caribbean Carnival arranged by the activist Claudia Jones in 1959. It is now one of the largest street festivals in Europe.

Why is the Summer Bank Holiday at the end of August?

For England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the late-August date was set in 1971. The holiday had previously fallen in early August, but it was moved to the last Monday of the month. A late-August holiday marks the close of the school summer break and the unofficial end of summer, and it gives a long weekend before the autumn term begins. The change also spread the calendar of bank holidays more evenly across the year.