Christmas holidays 2026–27: when it is, and who differs

The usual dates

Councils that break at a different time

A council marked off-peak is on holiday in a week when most of England is still in school. That is a legal, penalty-free, off-peak window if you live there.

Two different holidays wearing one name

• The first half and second half behave nothing alike. Up to the 25th is Christmas markets, Lapland and northern lights; from Boxing Day to the 2nd is New Year, which is the single most expensive stretch of the winter.
• Lapland and Santa trips sell out the previous spring, not the previous month. If that is the plan, this window is far too late to start.
• Alpine snow is not dependable below roughly 1,800m in December. Higher, glacier-backed resorts are the safer bet this early.
• Long-haul winter sun - Caribbean, Gulf, Red Sea, Southeast Asia - is at its annual price peak across this window.

Guidance, not a price promise — this site holds no pricing or availability data.

Councils using the usual dates