2016 list of UK Holidays gives you a guideline to the common bank and public holidays that are celebrated in the United Kingdom. This list will be useful to you all year round when it comes to planning a work holiday or simply to organize any business plans for the upcoming year. This list is a compact, yet comprehensive list of all of the holidays you can expect to be celebrated during 2016 in the United Kingdom.

List of Holidays 2016 in UK

Name of the Holiday Date Day of the Week Compact Description
New Year 2016 01-Jan-16 Friday This holiday starts in the UK with a gong from Big Ben that announces the start of the New Year. People would gather in large groups with lots of fire crackers and lights to sing songs, including Auld Lang Syne. This is also when the country is full of different New Year’s parties thrown by everyone.
Hogmanay 02-Jan-16 Saturday This word simply means “last day of the year” and everyone uses it as an excuse to continue with the celebrations and have longer holidays. However, some of the more traditional events that happen on this day is called First Footing and the first male that enters your house is thought to bring you good luck. People also exchange symbolic gifts.
Epiphany 06-Jan-16 Wednesday This is the day that officially brings a closure to the Christmas season since it it thought to be auspicious to keep your holiday decorations up any longer than this. This is also the 12th day after the Christmas holiday and the legends say that this is the day where the Three Magi showed up with their gifts for the Baby Jesus.
Orthodox Christmas Day 07-Jan-16 Thursday According to the old Julian calendar, this is the day Christmas was celebrated on.
Orthodox New Year 14-Jan-16 Thursday Also, according to the Julian calendar this is the start of the New Year.
Burns’ Night Local observance Scotland 25-Jan-16 Monday   This day is celebrated and homage paid to Robert Burns, who was famous for his musical compositions, including “Auld Lang Syne”.
Tu Bishvat/ Tu B’Shevat (Arbor Day) 25-Jan-16 Monday On this particular day the UK honors everything in nature according to the customs of the Jewish faith. It is also the day when all people plant new trees and consume the tree produce.
Shrove Tuesday 09-Feb-16 Tuesday This is the Tuesday that falls before Lent and is a period of fasting for numerous Christians.
Ash Wednesday 10-Feb-16 Wednesday This day is the starting day for the Lent time, which is the 40 day time span that is thought to be auspicious by Christians. During this time they fast as a method to completely cleanse their souls.
Chinese New Year 11-Feb-16 Thursday This isn’t a public holiday in the United Kingdom, but because of the huge Chinese population located in the country it is a celebratory period that lasts up to 2 weeks and is marked by traditional Chinese decorations, dancing, lighting and feasting.
Valentine’s Day 14-Feb-16 Sunday This holiday is also called Feast of Saint Valentine and it celebrates his martyrdom. He had welcomed death in order to keep the spirit of love alive, which is why this is also the day when loved ones express their love for others.
St. David’s Day 01-Mar-16 Tuesday This is the day that Saint David, who is Wales’ patron saint, is honored.
Mothering Sunday 06-Mar-16 Sunday This is the last Sunday of the Lent period and it is celebrated as Mothering Day or also as Mother’s Day. People often visit the church where they were baptized and in in more modern times, the custom also includes spending time and giving gifts to mother figures, including the mother and grandmother.
St. Patrick’s Day 17-Mar-16 Thursday This is the day where St. Patrick, who is Ireland’s patron saint is honored. People organize activities and parades to celebrate and wear green items as well.
March Equinox 20-Mar-16 Sunday This is the day that announces the start of Spring.
Palm Sunday 20-Mar-16 Sunday This is the day that Jesus entered in Jerusalem. Many churches will have the priests bless everyone using palm leaves, which is where the name of the holiday originates from.
Purim 24-Mar-16 Thursday This day is celebrated by the Jewish communities in the UK and this day is when numerous Jewish followers had been saved because they saw through the plan to see them, according to the Book of Esther.
Maundy Thursday 24-Mar-16 Thursday This day is celebrated as the day of the Las Supper and happens on the Thursday before Easter is celebrated. It is common on this day for the King in the UK to give money to the senior citizens.
Good Friday 25-Mar-16 Friday This is believed to be the day that Jesus was crucified. Special prayers are offered up on this day and numerous people avoid eating meat.
Holy Saturday 26-Mar-16 Saturday This is the day before Easter and it is important to the Christians because it is the day that Jesus had laid in his tomb. This marks the final 40th day of the fasting observed during Lent and churches often have prayers in the dark with candles lit for light.
Daylight Saving Time starts, Clock change/Daylight Saving Time 27-Mar-16 Sunday This is the beginning of the summer in the UK, which starts from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October.
Easter Day 27-Mar-16 Sunday This is the day that Christ was resurrected and is celebrated with reverence and most people visit midnight mass throughout the entire country. It is also a common tradition to consume lamb and other treats, including sweets, candies and Easter eggs during this time to celebrate.
Easter Monday 28-Mar-16 Monday This is the Monday after Easter Sunday. It is an occasion that is observed in numerous parts of a number of nations.
First day of Passover 23-Apr-16 Saturday This is the day that the Jewish followers believe that God passes over the homes in Israel and is celebrated on this day.
St. George’s Day 23-Apr-16 Saturday This day is when St. George, who is England’s patron saint died while attempting to save the Princess from a Demon.
Shakespeare Day 23-Apr-16 Saturday On this day Shakespeare is celebrated as the greatest playwright in the country. Various plays are organized all over the country for everyone to come and watch.
Last Day of Passover 30-Apr-16 Saturday This is a holiday observed by the Jewish faith communities and is the end of the period called Passover.
Early May Bank Holiday 02-May-16 Monday  
      This day originally started out to mark the start of summer and it later had become directly associated with the Rights of Workers and is observed as a complete holiday.
Yom HaShoah 04-May-16 Wednesday This is the day where the Jewish Holocaust victims are honored.
Ascension Day 05-May-16 Thursday This is the 40th day after Easter and the day the Christians  see as the day that Jesus went back to Heaven.
Isra and Mi’raj 05-May-16 Thursday This day is celebrated by the Muslims and they believe this is the day that the Prophet started his journey to Mecca in Jerusalem. This is also the same day that he ascended into Heaven.
Yom Ha’atzmaut 12-May-16 Thursday This is the independence day for Israel and it is celebrated by the Jewish faith as they feel they are a single entity and spirit with the country.
Pentecost 15-May-16 Sunday This is the day that the Holy Spirit had descended upon the Christians and is celebrated with reverence.
Whit Monday 16-May-16 Monday This day is also a continual celebration of the Holy Spirit descended for the Christians.
Trinity Sunday 22-May-16 Sunday This holiday falls on the Sunday after the Pentecost and is one that upholds the Trinity doctrine.
Lag Ba’Omer 26-May-16 Thursday This is the last day of traditional mourning periods for those of the Jewish faith.
Corpus Christi 26-May-16 Thursday The Eucharist is honored on this day.
Spring Bank Holiday 30-May-16 Monday This is the last Monday in May and every year it is a bank holiday.
Ramadan begins 07-Jun-16 Tuesday This is the day that starts the beginning of the month long of fasting that is observed by the Muslims.
Shavuot 12-Jun-16 Sunday This is the day that the Jewish communities believe that God gave away the Torah.
Father’s Day 19-Jun-16 Sunday This holiday occurs on the 3rd Sunday of June every year and is the day for honoring Fathers and other father figures.
Summer Solstice 20-Jun-16 Monday This day is the longest full day of the year.
Lailat al-Qadr 02-Jul-16 Saturday This is a crucial night during the month of Ramadan since the Muslims believe that the fate of a person is written on this night.
Ramzan Id/Eid-ul-Fitar 07-Jul-16 Thursday This is the last day of the Ramadan month for the Muslims. On this day most people attend the special prayers, donate to charities, enjoy themselves with family and don new clothing.
Orangemen’s Day 12-Jul-16 Tuesday This day is when the Battle of Boyne took place.
Summer Bank Holiday 01-Aug-16 Monday This is the last day of summer and summer break.
Tisha B’Av 14-Aug-16 Sunday This is the day when all of the Jewish communities remember all of the oppression incidents that were placed upon them. This includes the destruction of their First and Second temples.
Assumption of Mary 15-Aug-16 Monday This is the day that the Christians believe the Virgin Mary ascended into Heaven.
Summer Bank Holiday 29-Aug-16 Monday This is the last Monday in August and it is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, Wales and England.
Bakri Id/Eid ul-Adha 13-Sep-16 Tuesday This is the that the Muslims in the UK celebrate their faith in Allah and remember the moment when Ibrahim or Abraham didn’t hesitate when it was Allah’s will that he sacrifice his son. On this day symbolic sacrifices take place.
September Equinox 22-Sep-16 Thursday This day marks the start of fall or autumn season.
Rosh Hashanah 03-Oct-16 Monday   This is the day that the Jewish communities celebrate as the start of the Jewish New Year.
Muharram 03-Oct-16 Thursday This day starts the Islamic New year according to the Hijri calendar.
Feast of St Francis of Assisi 04-Oct-16 Tuesday This day is when the people honor St. Francis, who is the patron saint for nature and animals. People often take their beloved pets and have them blessed.
Yom Kippur 12-Oct-16 Wednesday This day is also called the Day of Atonement and it is the day when the Jewish communities believe that if they repent then they will be forgiven for all of the sins, along with being blessed by God.
First Day of Sukkot 17-Oct-16 Monday This is the first day of the 7 day time frame that is believed to be auspicious for the Jewish communities.
Last Day of Sukkot 23-Oct-16 Sunday This day is also called the Feast of Tabernacles and it is the day when the followers participate in the special prayers.
Shmini Atzeret 24-Oct-16 Monday This day ends the season of the Jewish communities and the custom of reading the Torah publicly.
Daylight Saving Time ends, Clock change/Daylight Saving Time 30-Oct-16 Sunday This is the day where all of the people in the UK change their clocks back by an hour.
Halloween 31-Oct-16 Monday This day celebrates all of the departed souls and plenty of spooky themed parties and festivities are planned.
All Saints’ Day 01-Nov-16 Tuesday On this day all of the martyrs and saints that gave their lives to for the doctrines of the Christian faith are honored.
All Souls’ Day 02-Nov-16 Wednesday This is the day when all of the departed souls are cleansed at Purgatory before they can ascend into Heaven. It is a Christian holiday.
Guy Fawkes Day 05-Nov-16 Saturday This day celebrates when the plan of the Catholics in England were going to burn down the House of Lords was found out. This day is typically celebrated with plenty of fireworks.
Remembrance Sunday 13-Nov-16 Sunday This is the day where all of those that were killed in the wars are honored. There are many different celebrations and observances that are planned at numerous War Memorials in the country and at 11am 2 minutes of silence is observed.
First Sunday of Advent 27-Nov-16 Sunday This is the first of the 4 Sundays that precede Christmas and it is called the Sunday of Advent since it marks the start of the Christmas season.
St Andrew’s Day 30-Nov-16 Wednesday This holiday is also the National Day of Scotland and the people honor their patron saint, St. Andrew. He is believed to be the patron saint for the country.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception 08-Dec-16 Thursday This is the day where the Christians celebrate the immaculate conception of Jesus by his mother, Mary.
The Prophet’s Birthday 12-Dec-16 Monday This is a holiday celebrated by the Muslims and it is the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, who is one of the messengers of Allah. On this day most people will go to the mosques for special prayers.
Winter Solstice 21-Dec-16 Wednesday This is the day in the year that has the shortest day and the longest night.
Christmas Eve 24-Dec-16 Saturday This is the day that precedes Christmas and most last minute preparations and baking are finished. Most people also attend the Midnight Mass as a tradition on this day.
Christmas 25-Dec-16 Sunday This day is celebrated as the day that Jesus Christ was born and people attend church for special services and prayers. It is also a day that is celebrated with feasting and fun with friends and family.
First Day of Hanukkah 25-Dec-16 Sunday This is the first day of the festival that is also called as the Festival of Lights, which is the period when the Jewish communities celebrate the re-dedication of their temples by lighting their Hanukkah lamps. These lamps contain 8 candles or 8 oil lamps that are lit every night.
Boxing Day 26-Dec-16 Monday This day occurs the day after Christmas and it was created for employers to give incentives and gifts to their employees. Later it started to be celebrated as a huge sporting event.
New Year’s Eve 31-Dec-16 Saturday This is the final day of the year and people look forward to this day all year. They celebrate with plenty of zeal and say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new year.