Christmas and New Year in the UK 2026/27: the holiday dates, traditions from London to Scotland, and how not to overspend

The winter holidays are the one time Britain truly stops: even the supermarkets close, and on 25 December the trains do not run at all. To keep your plans intact, the dates and tickets are worth sorting now. Here is the season in order — from the official days off to what to do with the children and what it will cost.

Which days are official holidays?

The GOV.UK calendar is generous this season. Christmas Day, 25 December, falls on a Friday; Boxing Day, 26 December, on a Saturday — so a substitute day follows on Monday 28 December. That makes four days off in a row, Friday the 25th to Monday the 28th. New Year adds a long weekend: 1 January 2027 is a Friday. Scotland, as ever, celebrates longer: 2 January is a holiday there too (substituted to Monday the 4th in 2027), as is 30 November, St Andrew's Day. Northern Ireland's winter dates match England's. School holidays are set by each local council — usually from the third week of December to the first days of January; check the exact dates for your school by postcode on GOV.UK.

How does Britain celebrate Christmas?

The main day is the 25th itself, and it is strictly a family day: Christmas dinner with turkey, crackers with paper crowns, presents round the tree and the King's speech at three o'clock. Christmas Eve, 24 December, is an ordinary working day — no midnight feast. Plan for this: on 25 December the country is closed almost completely — shops, museums and nearly all public transport, trains and the Tube included. If you need an airport on the 25th, the only answer is a pre-booked transfer, and note that black cabs add a £4 festive surcharge to the meter from 20:00 on 24 December to 06:00 on the 27th (and again over New Year, from the 31st to the 2nd).

What is Boxing Day?

26 December is the day the country exhales: the year's biggest sales begin, all of England goes out for the traditional walk — and it is the season's one day of full-scale sport: the Boxing Day football fixtures are as much a tradition as the turkey. Transport runs on the 26th, but to a reduced timetable.

How is New Year celebrated — and what is Hogmanay?

London's midnight fireworks by the London Eye are a ticketed event: you cannot simply wander onto the embankment, and tickets go early. But Britain's true capital of New Year is not London — it is Edinburgh: Scotland's Hogmanay means several days of street celebrations, a torchlight procession and the custom of first-footing, when the first guest after midnight brings coal and whisky into the house for luck. It is no accident that only Scotland has 2 January as an official holiday. And on 25 January the Scots celebrate Burns Night — a supper in honour of the poet Robert Burns, with haggis and pipes, which restaurants across the whole country happily join.

Where to go for the holidays beyond London?

The North of England in winter means York, with its medieval lanes and one of the country's most atmospheric Christmas markets, Manchester and Leeds with big markets and ice rinks, and the Lake District for those who want mountains, lakes and a fireplace. Scotland means Edinburgh for Hogmanay — and, given snow, the Highland ski slopes: yes, Britain skis, though the season depends entirely on the weather. Northern Ireland means Belfast with the market by the City Hall and the Giant's Causeway without the summer crowds. One caveat about Dublin: the Republic of Ireland is not part of the UK, and if you are here on a visa, check before the trip whether you need a separate Irish one — the land border is invisible, but legally it is an exit from the UK.

What does it cost and where are the savings?

Three rules of the season. First: trains get dearer as the dates approach and shut down for engineering works over the holidays — book long-distance tickets now and re-check the timetable before travelling. Second: from 1 January 2027 the £2 bus fare cap returns across England — the cheapest way to travel the country, northern routes included; details in our explainer. Third: book accommodation with free cancellation and pay any deposit by credit card — if a hotel 'forgets' to return it, you have chargeback and Section 75, as we covered here. And at home: the holidays are peak heating season — the current Ofgem price cap runs from 1 October, and what it means for your bills is here. The free joys: the Christmas lights and shop windows, the markets (entry is almost always free), carol services — and that Boxing Day walk. The best of the season costs nothing.