To quote Molly Mae Hague, we “all have the same 24 hours in a day”, and we all get the same amount of annual leave too. Okay, so we know neither of those statements are quite true, but how we use our time is important! And, by making the most of the bank holidays in 2025we’ve figured out the best way to maximise our time off next year. If you book off these following dates, assuming you do get 28 days of annual leave a year, it could feel like you’ve more than doubled your holiday!
What bank holidays are there in 2025?
- New Year’s Day: Wednesday, January 1
- Good Friday: Friday, April 18
- Easter Monday: Monday, April 21
- Early May bank holiday: Monday, May 5
- Spring bank holiday: Monday, May 26
- Summer bank holiday: Monday, August 25
- Christmas Day: Thursday, December 25
- Boxing Day: Friday, December 26
When should I book my holidays?
January
From: Friday, December 27, 2024
To: Friday, January 3, 2025
Holiday used: 5 days (2 days in 2025)
Days off: 12 days
So, we’re cheating a little here by starting in 2024 and are hoping you haven’t used up all your holiday for this year yet! But with Christmas and Boxing Day falling in the middle of the week, what’s the point of going in on Friday? Book off the entirety of the following week too (which will only use up four days, thanks to New Year’s Day falling on an awkwardly placed Wednesday) and that’s literally the 12 days of Christmas free to binge on champagne, chocolate and roast potatoes.
Easter
From: Monday, April 14, 2025
To: Friday, April 25, 2025
Holiday used: 8 days
Days off: 16 days
Springtime can be an awkward time in the UK. Sometimes it’s pouring and sometimes it’s scorching, but we’re never dressed appropriately either way. Using some Jedi mind tricks, take an extended holiday to where the weather is more reliable by turning your four-day Easter weekend into a 16-day getaway.
Early May Bank Holiday
From: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
To: Friday, May 9, 2025
Holiday used: 4 days
Days off: 9 days
Nothing too clever here. We’ve all turned a bank holiday weekend into a long week before, right? But if you’ve been following our booking guide so far, thanks to a late Easter, you’ll only have been back in the office a week before jet-setting off again.
Late May Bank Holiday
From: Tuesday, May 27, 2025
To: Friday, May 30, 2025
Holiday used: 4 days
Days off: 9 days
By the time you’re back from your extended Late May Bank holidayyour colleagues are going to start wondering: ‘Do they even work here anymore?’ That’s not your problem because you’ll be waterskiing in Croatia, hiking in the Pyrenees, or sipping on an Aperol spritz in your garden.
August Bank Holiday
From: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
To: Friday, August 29, 2025
Holiday used: 4 days
Days off: 9 days
Unfortunately, there’s a wait until the next holiday, but it’s worth it as you can take another 9 days off while only using 4 days of annual leave. It’s the end of summer and just before everyone’s back at school, however, so expect everywhere to be hot and busy. Maybe a little staycation is on the cards?
Christmas
From: Monday, December 24, 2025
To: Friday, January 2, 2026
Holiday used: 7 days (6 days in 2025)
Days off: 16 days
It’s Christmas time again and using the remaining six days (and one extra from 2026), you can take off a total of 16 days straight over the festive period. This means that throughout 2025, you have turned your 28 days of annual leave into 60 days of time offmore than doubling our annual leave (or at least making it feel like you have).
