Booking time off around bank holiday periods in 2026 is a great way to enjoy longer breaks
By booking time off around bank holidays — particularly St Patrick’s Day, Easter, the July holidays and Christmas — it is possible to turn a small number of annual leave days into longer breaks.
For those trying to balance travel plans, rising costs and limited leave allowances, looking ahead at how bank holidays fall in the calendar can make a significant difference.
Here is a breakdown of how that kind of planning could work in 2026, depending on individual entitlements and employer policies.
Bank holidays are the starting point, and as a general rule of thumb, booking the Friday before and the Tuesday after a bank holiday can turn two days of leave into a five-day break.
It is a useful sweet spot for city breaks or short getaways without needing a full week off.
For example, St Patrick’s Day in 2026 falls on Tuesday, March 17 so by booking Monday, March 16 and Wednesday March 18, you could secure five consecutive days off for just two days’ leave.
Easter Sunday falls on April 5, with Easter Monday on April 6. By booking Thursday April 2 and Tuesday April 7, you could again turn two days’ leave into five days away.
Booking a little more either side of Easter can quickly extend that break further, depending on how generous your leave allowance is.
In terms of May and early summer breaks, the early May bank holiday lands on Monday, May 4. Booking the Friday beforehand gives you four days off for one day’s leave.
The spring bank holiday follows on Monday, May 25. Taking the Friday (May 22) once again delivers a four-day weekend — ideal for short European trips or staycations.
As for the July and summer holidays, the 12th of July falls on a Sunday in 2026, with the bank holiday observed on Monday, July 13, meaning if you’re able to, booking Friday, July 10 provides another four-day break.
The summer bank holiday arrives in 2026, on Monday, August 31. Booking the Friday before can stretch this into a final long weekend before autumn.
However, Christmas is where the real gains are and where annual leave planning is really will likely pay off in 2026.
Christmas Day falls on Friday, December 25, with Boxing Day on Saturday, December 26, and the substitute bank holiday observed on Monday, December 28.
By booking Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31, December, you could take ten days off in a row using just three days’ leave.
Factoring in New Year’s Day on Friday, January 1, 2027, and adding Monday, January 4, that break can be extended even further with minimal extra leave.
Twenty days remains the average annual leave entitlement here, although some people have more and some less.
School holidays, shift patterns and employer policies will also shape what is realistic.
But, even conservatively, spreading leave across March, spring, summer and Christmas, it is possible to turn around 20 days of annual leave into well over 40 days away from work across the whole of the year.
It may not be a true “hack”, but with a bit of forward planning, annual leave can stretch a lot further than many people realise.
Smart use of annual leave can mean you can end up with lots of extra days off work
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Full list of 2026 Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland
New Year’s Day: Thursday 1 January
St Patrick’s Day: Tuesday 17 March
Good Friday: Friday 3 April
Easter Monday: Monday 6 April
May Bank Holiday: Monday 4 May
Spring Bank Holiday: Monday 25 May
Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day): Monday 13 July (substitute day)
Summer Bank Holiday: Monday 31 August
Christmas Day: Friday 25 December
Boxing Day: Monday 28 December (substitute day)