Is Good Friday a Bank Holiday? (2026)

Yes — Good Friday, April 3, 2026, is a bank holiday across the whole UK: England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Banks close in all three nations. Check the live answer on our UK bank holiday checker.

This surprises some Scots, because Scotland skips Easter Monday — but Good Friday is a bank holiday in Scotland too, confirmed on the official gov.uk calendar.

Good Friday in each UK nation

England & Wales: bank holiday on Friday, April 3, 2026. Scotland: bank holiday on Friday, April 3, 2026 — gov.uk lists it explicitly for Scotland. Northern Ireland: bank holiday on Friday, April 3, 2026.

Good Friday is one of the few UK bank holidays observed identically in all three nations, alongside New Year’s Day, the Early May and Spring bank holidays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Good Friday vs. Easter Monday

The Easter pair splits by nation: Good Friday (April 3, 2026) closes banks everywhere, but Easter Monday (April 6, 2026) is a bank holiday only in England & Wales and Northern Ireland — not in Scotland. Scottish banks open normally on Easter Monday.

This asymmetry is the single most common UK bank-holiday confusion. If you’re in Scotland, treat Easter Monday as a working day; everywhere else in the UK, it’s a closure.

What’s open on Good Friday

Bank branches close, but ATMs, online and mobile banking, Faster Payments and card payments run normally. The London Stock Exchange closes on Good Friday — unlike US Columbus Day, where markets and banks diverge, here they agree.

Retail is mixed: in England & Wales most large shops open with reduced Sunday-style hours; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own trading rules. Check individual retailers.

Good Friday 2027 and beyond

Good Friday 2027 is March 26, 2027 — again a bank holiday in all three nations. The date moves with Easter each year (it’s the Friday before Easter Sunday).

Our UK bank holidays 2027 page lists it alongside every other 2027 closure and substitute day.