How will Bank Holidays in Ireland change in 2026 and 2027?

The country are set to have three bank holidays over just eight weeks this year, as the May Bank Holiday falls just two weeks after the Easter Monday Bank Holiday. Then just four weeks later, we’ll be having the June Bank Holiday on June 2 — giving us three free days off over a short eight weeks.

And while things will stay mostly the same throughout the summer of 2026 – December and the Christmas Bank Holidays are where things will start to get a little odder — mainly due to the fact that Christmas and New Year’s fall on the weekend.

Bank Holiday changes

Most of the dates are roughly set to stay the same for the first three quarters of 2026, including days off on January 1, St. Brigid’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and the Easter weekend (although everyone won’t get Good Friday off!)

From there we will begin to see a minor alterations as the May Bank Holiday will fall on May 5, with the June one coming on June 1. August 3 will mark the August Bank Holiday and October 26 for the October Bank Holiday.

But then, things get interesting, as since St Stephen’s Day falls on a Saturday, we’ll get an extra Bank Holiday on December 28. And while a four-day week sounds pretty sweet, we’ll actually be getting a three-day week — as January 1, New Year’s Day, will be the first Bank Holiday of 2027.

From there, things will remain mostly the same, with Easter being the major change as Good Friday falls on March 26, and Easter Monday falls on March 29. Things will remain the same during the summer bank holidays, falling on May 3, June 7 and August 2.

When Christmas comes around again, things change drastically, as we have two substitute days on December 27 and 28 as Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day fall on the weekend.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.