Local Public Holidays in Scotland (2026)
Unlike England, public and bank holidays in Scotland are determined by individual local councils and traditional trades conventions rather than UK royal proclamation. Learn about the Glasgow Fair, Edinburgh autumn holiday, and Scottish term differences below.
2 January Public Holiday
Unique to Scotland, 2 January is an official statutory public holiday following New Year’s Day.
Spring Holiday (Easter)
Scottish schools take two full weeks for the Spring Break around Easter.
May Day Public Holiday
Observed as a school closure and public holiday across all Scottish local authorities.
Glasgow Fair Fortnight
Historically the annual two-week holiday when Glasgow factories and trades closed. Today, it forms part of the standard 6-week Scottish school summer break.
Edinburgh Autumn Holiday
A traditional long weekend public holiday and school closure observed in Edinburgh schools.
St Andrew’s Day
Declared an official Scottish bank holiday by the Scottish Parliament under the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007.
How Scottish School Dates Differ from England
Scottish schools break for summer in late June and return in the second or third week of August (around 12–18 August), roughly three weeks earlier than English schools.
In Scotland, the October break is commonly known as the “Autumn mid-term break” or “Tattie holiday”, traditionally when children helped harvest potatoes.
In-service training days in Scotland are set by each local authority education committee, usually totaling 5 days per school session.