Easter Bank Holiday 2025: UK & Ireland Dates Guide

If you’ve already checked your calendar and are wondering whether you have the Friday before Easter off this year—you’re not alone. The answer depends on which side of the Irish Sea you’re on. While England, Wales, and Northern Ireland mark both Good Friday and Easter Monday as bank holidays, Scotland only observes the former, and the Republic of Ireland observes only the latter. That asymmetry makes 2025 a particularly useful year to map out exactly who’s off, and when.

Good Friday 2025: 18 April ·
Easter Monday 2025: 21 April ·
UK Easter Bank Holidays: Good Friday + Easter Monday ·
Ireland Easter Bank Holiday: Easter Monday only ·
Total UK Bank Holidays 2025: 8 (England & Wales)

What date is Good Friday and Easter Monday 2025?

In 2025, Easter falls later than it did in 2024. Good Friday lands on 18 April (a Friday), with Easter Monday following three days later on 21 April (a Monday) (Good Tuesday (UK bank holiday calendar)). Easter Sunday itself falls on 20 April, which means most of the long weekend is bracketed by those two anchor holidays.

England, Wales, and Northern Ireland all observe both dates as statutory bank holidays under the Bank Holidays Act 1871 and related legislation. Scotland’s picture is different. The 1871 Act established Easter Monday as a bank holiday for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but Scotland never adopted Easter Monday in the same way.

The practical result is that workers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland can expect both Good Friday and Easter Monday off in 2025. Workers in Scotland can expect only Good Friday off, unless their employer chooses to offer Easter Monday voluntarily.

Good Friday date

Good Friday 2025 is confirmed for 18 April across every UK nation and Ireland. GOV.UK lists it as a bank holiday for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and flair HR (Ireland’s public holidays list) confirms the same date for Irish purposes. Scotland also marks 18 April as a bank holiday. The date follows the Western Christian ecclesiastical calendar, which places Easter based on the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

Easter Monday date

Easter Monday 2025 falls on 21 April. It follows Easter Sunday by exactly one day, as the name implies. For England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, this is an official bank holiday; for Scotland, it is not; for Ireland, it is a public holiday (Good Tuesday and flair HR). Easter Monday can technically fall on any date between 23 March and 26 April; in 2025 it lands on the late end of that range (flair HR (Easter Monday date range)).

Easter Sunday date

Easter Sunday 2025 is 20 April. While not itself a bank holiday in most regions, it determines the Monday date and frames the long weekend. Many families plan travel and gatherings around this date.

Is Good Friday and Easter Monday a bank holiday?

In short: yes for most of the UK, no for Scotland on Easter Monday. England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have both Good Friday and Easter Monday as statutory bank holidays under the Bank Holidays Act 1871 and related legislation. Scotland’s picture is different. The 1871 Act established Easter Monday as a bank holiday for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but Scotland never adopted Easter Monday in the same way.

The practical result is that workers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland can expect both Good Friday and Easter Monday off in 2025. Workers in Scotland can expect only Good Friday off, unless their employer chooses to offer Easter Monday voluntarily.

UK bank holiday status

All eight UK bank holidays for 2025 in England and Wales include Good Friday (18 April) and Easter Monday (21 April). GOV.UK publishes the official list, and nidirect (Northern Ireland government) confirms the same dates for Northern Ireland. The Easter Monday tradition dates back to the 1871 Bank Holidays Act, which Parliament passed specifically to give workers a mid-week break (Wikipedia (UK public holidays history)).

England and Wales specifics

England and Wales observe both Good Friday and Easter Monday without restriction. Schools, banks, most retail businesses, and government offices close on both days. The long weekend (18–21 April) gives families a four-day window to travel, rest, or make plans.

Scotland and Northern Ireland variations

Northern Ireland mirrors England and Wales: both Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays. Scotland has Good Friday but Easter Monday is not a statutory bank holiday. Some Scottish local councils may grant Easter Monday as a local holiday, but this varies and is not guaranteed. Time Out (Scotland bank holiday guide) confirms this distinction.

Are Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays in Ireland?

Ireland’s Easter holiday arrangements diverge from the UK model in a way that catches many cross-border commuters and online shoppers. Easter Monday (21 April) is a public holiday in Ireland under the Irish public holidays legislation. Good Friday (18 April) is more complicated—it is a bank holiday, which means financial institutions close, but it is not a public holiday in the legal sense. Schools typically close during the Easter break regardless (Wikipedia (Irish public holidays)).

The practical consequence is that Irish workers have one confirmed Easter public holiday (Easter Monday), not two. Employers are not legally required to give Good Friday off, though many do. Ireland.com (Practical information for visitors) notes that some pubs and shops may have reduced hours on Easter Monday.

Easter Monday in Ireland

Easter Monday 2025 (21 April) is a statutory public holiday in Ireland. All employees are entitled to a day off or extra pay if required to work. flair HR confirms this and notes that Easter Monday can fall anywhere between 23 March and 26 April; in 2025 it arrives relatively late on 21 April.

Good Friday status in Ireland

Good Friday in Ireland occupies a legal grey area. It is designated a bank holiday, which means banks close, but it does not carry the same employment protections as a public holiday. Schools close because term dates end, not because the day itself is a public holiday. Some employers voluntarily give the day off, but they are not required to do so by law.

Full Ireland 2025 list

Ireland observes ten public holidays in total during 2025. Beyond Easter Monday (21 April), other holidays include New Year’s Day (1 January), St. Brigid’s Day (3 February), St. Patrick’s Day (17 March), and the Christmas period (flair HR (Full 2025 Irish public holidays)). The next public holiday after Easter is the first Monday in May: 5 May 2025.

What days are Easter holidays in 2025?

The Easter holiday window spans roughly a week in most cases. In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the potential long weekend runs from Good Friday (18 April) through Easter Monday (21 April), giving workers a four-day break if they don’t need to work on Saturday or Sunday. In Ireland, Easter Monday (21 April) is the sole statutory holiday. In Scotland, only Good Friday (18 April) is guaranteed.

The school holiday picture varies. Easter school breaks typically begin in the week before Good Friday and end in the week after Easter Monday, but exact dates are set by individual local authorities and academy trusts, not by central government. GOV.UK does not set school holiday dates, so parents should check with their children’s schools for the specific break window.

UK Easter period

The UK Easter period for 2025 offers a classic long weekend: Friday 18 April to Monday 21 April. Many employers also treat the days between Good Friday and Easter Monday as quiet working days, though this varies by sector. Retail and hospitality workers are the exception; many large retailers close on Easter Monday itself (Wikipedia (Easter Monday UK observance)).

Ireland Easter period

In Ireland, the Easter period centres on Easter Monday as the statutory public holiday. Good Friday is not a public holiday, meaning some businesses may remain open or operate shortened hours. Schools close for the general Easter break, which typically overlaps with the bank holiday period.

School holiday overlaps

Schools across the UK and Ireland generally break for Easter at roughly the same time as the bank holidays, though term-end dates vary. Academy chains and local education authorities set their own calendars. For families planning trips, the school holiday window is usually the busiest travel period, and booking early is advisable.

Why is Good Friday not a bank holiday in Ireland?

The reason Good Friday is not a public holiday in Ireland comes down to history and legislation, not religious objection. The Irish government recognizes Easter Monday under the 1871 Bank Holidays Act (which applied to Ireland at the time) and subsequent Irish legislation. Good Friday was not included in those same provisions, and successive governments have not moved to add it as a statutory public holiday.

The practical outcome is that Ireland has ten public holidays per year (fewer than the UK’s eight bank holidays for England and Wales specifically), and Good Friday sits outside that list. Some argue the distinction is anachronistic; others note that many Irish employers voluntarily give Good Friday off, which softens the legal gap without closing it.

The comparison with Northern Ireland is instructive: Northern Ireland has both Good Friday and Easter Monday as bank holidays, despite sharing much of the island’s cultural and religious context. The legal framework, inherited from UK legislation and retained after partition, is simply different.

The next major milestone after Easter 2025 is the Early May Bank Holiday on 5 May, which both the UK and Ireland observe.

For workers and families planning their spring break, the practical implication is straightforward: the four-day window (18–21 April) is guaranteed for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but workers in Scotland should plan for only Good Friday off, and those in Ireland should plan for only Easter Monday. Employers and HR departments managing teams across borders need to communicate these differences clearly to avoid confusion.