St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday 2026: A Guide for Employers and Employees

Quick takeaways

• St Andrew's Day falls on Monday, 30th November 2026, creating a three-day weekend for many workers in Scotland.
   
• It has been an official bank holiday in Scotland since 2007, but employers are not legally required to give the day off.
   
• If 30th November falls on a weekend, the following Monday is observed as the bank holiday instead. 

St Andrew's Day is Scotland's national day; a celebration of culture, heritage, and the country's patron saint. 

It marks the start of Scotland's winter festival season and is one of only two bank holidays unique to Scotland (alongside 2nd January). Here is everything you need to know.

St Andrew's Day honours Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The day has become a celebration of Scottish history, heritage and culture.

Across the country, communities mark the occasion with concerts, ceilidhs, food festivals, storytelling events and displays of traditional music.

Who was St Andrew?

St Andrew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and the first disciple called to follow him.

A fisherman from Galilee, and brother of St Peter, he is believed to have been martyred in Patras, Greece, around 60 AD, bound to an X-shaped cross rather than a conventional upright one. That diagonal cross became the foundation of Scotland's iconic flag, the Saltire.

Although he never visited Scotland, legend has it that some of his relics were brought to the town Kilrymont, now known as St Andrews, by St Regulus. He officially became Scotland's patron saint with the signing of The Declaration of Arbroath, which declared Scotland's independence, in 1320

How is St Andrew's Day celebrated?

Celebrations vary from place to place, but often include:

• A ceilidh, involving Gaelic folk music and group dances
• Local street markets and community events
• Traditional food, typically smoked haddock soup, haggis with neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), and cranachan
• Family gatherings and cultural festivals
• Visits to castles, museums, and historic attractions

In some years, organisations also host themed events that showcase Scottish arts, language and heritage.

Yes! St Andrew's Day is a bank holiday in Scotland.

It has been recognised as a bank holiday since the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007

It is not a bank holiday in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland. The rest of the UK acknowledges the day by flying the Union Flag, but there is no additional day off.

No! A common misconception is that all bank holidays automatically mean you get the day off. However, it completely depends on your employment contract and workplace policies.

Employers may offer:

• The day off with pay, without using annual leave.
• Time off in lieu (TOIL).
• Alternative annual leave arrangements, such as choosing a different day to take as paid leave.

If you do get St Andrew's Day off, it falls in a quiet period of the Scottish calendar, after Halloween and before the Christmas rush, making it an ideal time to use remaining annual leave to extend the weekend into a proper autumn break.

You could book Friday 27th November off giving yourself a four-day weekend from Friday to Monday while using just one day of leave.

Alternatively, you could book 1st - 4th December off to get nine consecutive days off, between the 28th November-6th December, whilst only using four days of annual leave.

Long weekends often create spikes in annual leave requests, Therefore, planning ahead is the best way to avoid staffing issues and ensure requests are handled fairly.

Communicate your leave policy early, encourage employees to submit requests in advance and make sure managers have clear visibility of who is already scheduled to be off. Setting expectations upfront can help reduce last minute requests and prevent disappointment.

With Leave Dates, you can set leave limits for teams or departments, making it easier to balance employee requests while maintaining adequate cover and keeping your business running smoothly.

St Andrew's Day is a distinctly Scottish celebration; one that bridges history and community, from the ancient legend of a fisherman's relics arriving on the Fife coast to the very modern spectacle of a ceilidh in a city square. 

Whether your employer gives you the day off or not, it is a wonderful moment to mark Scotland's national identity and, if you can manage it, to squeeze a little extra time away from your desk before the year draws to a close.