Christmas 2027 Falls on a Weekend: Who Gets a Day Off in Lieu?
In 2027, Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday. Whether you get a weekday off instead depends on where you live. The UK, Australia and New Zealand move both holidays to Monday, December 27 and Tuesday, December 28. The US observes Christmas on Friday, December 24. But in most of continental Europe, a holiday that falls on a weekend is simply lost.
Key facts
- Christmas Day 2027: Saturday, December 25. Boxing Day: Sunday, December 26.
- New Year’s Day 2028 is also a Saturday, so the same rules apply a week later.
- In our holiday data, only about 1 in 7 countries with a Christmas holiday officially move it to a weekday when it falls on a weekend.
Who gets a substitute day for Christmas 2027?
| Country | What happens in 2027 |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Bank holidays on Monday, Dec 27 (Christmas) and Tuesday, Dec 28 (Boxing Day). New Year’s bank holiday on Monday, Jan 3, 2028 |
| United States | Federal holiday observed on Friday, Dec 24. New Year’s Day 2028 is observed on Friday, Dec 31, 2027 |
| Australia | Most states and territories add Monday, Dec 27 and Tuesday, Dec 28 as public holidays |
| New Zealand | Christmas and Boxing Day are “Mondayised” to Monday, Dec 27 and Tuesday, Dec 28 for people who don’t normally work weekends |
| Canada | Depends on the province. Ontario gives substitute days off. BC gives qualifying employees holiday pay instead of a substitute day. Federally regulated workers get another day off |
| Ireland | No automatic substitute day, but employees who would have had the day off are entitled to a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave, or an extra day’s pay |
| Belgium | A holiday on a Sunday or a normal day off must be replaced by another day off |
| South Africa | A holiday on a Sunday moves to Monday. Christmas (Saturday) doesn’t move, but the Day of Goodwill (Sunday) becomes Monday, Dec 27 |
| Hong Kong | Christmas Day is a Saturday holiday. The first weekday after Christmas, Monday, Dec 27, is also a holiday |
| Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands | No substitute day. Christmas simply falls on the weekend |
| Most of Asia, Africa and Latin America | Generally no substitute day for weekend holidays |
Why some countries move holidays and others don’t
Countries with a British legal tradition, such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Canada, usually have a rule that moves a weekend holiday to the next weekday. The US federal government moves Saturday holidays to Friday and Sunday holidays to Monday.
In most of continental Europe, a public holiday is a date, not an entitlement to a day off. If it falls on a weekend, it falls on a weekend. Belgium is a notable exception, and some countries make up for it in other ways: in Spain, for example, regions sometimes move a holiday to a Monday.
How often does this happen?
Christmas falls on a Saturday or Sunday in about 2 years out of 7. After 2027, it next falls on a weekend in 2032 (Saturday) and 2033 (Sunday). The calendar repeats: 2027 has the same weekdays as 2010 and 2021.
The silver lining: a 10-day break
Where substitute days are given, Christmas 2027 creates one of the best holiday breaks in years. In the UK, for example, Christmas runs from Saturday, December 25 to Monday, January 3, 2028. With just three days of annual leave (December 29 to 31), that’s 10 days off in a row. See our guide to 2027 long weekends for the US, Canada and the UK.
How we checked this
We checked how each country handles weekend holidays using official sources: GOV.UK for the UK, the US Office of Personnel Management for federal holidays, national and state government holiday lists for Australia, Employment New Zealand, provincial employment standards in Canada, Citizens Information in Ireland and the Hong Kong government’s general holidays list. For the “1 in 7” figure, we counted the countries in our holiday data with a Christmas holiday that also list an official substitute day in 2027. That data covers 207 countries and territories.
Frequently asked questions
Is December 27, 2027 a bank holiday in the UK?
Yes. It is the substitute day for Christmas Day, and Tuesday, December 28 is the substitute day for Boxing Day.
When is Christmas observed in the US in 2027?
On Friday, December 24, 2027, for federal employees. New Year’s Day 2028 is observed on Friday, December 31, 2027.
Do I get a day off if Christmas falls on a Saturday?
It depends on your country and your employer. In the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ontario, the law or the federal schedule gives a weekday instead. In much of Europe, you don’t.
What day of the week is Christmas 2027?
Saturday, December 25, 2027.
Count down with our Christmas countdown, or see whether Christmas is a public holiday in your country.
