Millions of people are about to benefit from an additional bank holiday next week, arriving just days after the 2026 World Cup gets under way. In February, Buckingham Palace declared: "To mark the achievement of Scotland's men's football team competing at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 28 years, we consider it desirable that Monday, the fifteenth day of June in the year 2026 should be a bank holiday in Scotland."
Now, therefore, we, in pursuance of section 1(3) of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, do hereby appoint Monday, the fifteenth day of June in the year 2026 to be a bank holiday in Scotland. The bank holiday will not be observed in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
For most of the UK, the next bank holidays after this occur in August. Northern Ireland, though, recognises the Battle of the Boyne bank holiday on Monday, July 13. Scotland will later celebrate its Summer bank holiday on Monday, August 3, while England, Wales and Northern Ireland will observe theirs on Monday, August 31.
Later in the year, Scotland alone enjoy a bank holiday on Monday, November 30, for St Andrew's Day. The entire UK will then mark a bank holiday for Christmas Day on December 25, together with a "substitute" bank holiday for Boxing Day on Monday, December 28. This alternative date has been arranged because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday this year.
