Is New Year’s Day a Bank Holiday? Full list of 2026 UK Bank Holidays

People across the West Midlands are preparing to celebrate the start of a new year - but some are unsure if January 1, 2026, is a Bank Holiday

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With Christmas Day behind us West Midlanders are looking ahead to celebrate the start of 2026.

It begins on New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1. And with all the confusion of Twixmas where it’s not so easy to remember which day of the week it is with all the celebrations, some of us may be unsure if this date is a bank holiday.

But rest assured - New Year’s Day, January 1, is a Bank Holiday. New Year’s Eve isn’t though.

New Year’s Day is the first Bank Holiday of 2026. There are seven Bank Holidays to look forward to in 2026. Here’s a handy list of all of them to help you plan for the year ahead:

  • New Year’s Day -  1 January, Thursday

  • Good Friday - 3 April, Friday

  • Easter Monday - 6 April, Monday

  • Early May Bank Holiday - 4 May, Monday

  • Spring Bank Holiday - 25 May, Monday

  • Summer Bank Holiday - 31 August, Monday

  • Christmas Day - 25 December, Friday

  • Boxing Day (substitute day as the 26th falls on a Saturday) - 28 December, Monday