Boxing Day falls on 26 December, the day after Christmas, and is a bank holiday throughout the UK. The next one is on Saturday, December 26, 2026, and the countdown above shows how long remains. For many people it is the most relaxed day of the festive season: leftovers, a long walk, football on the telly and, for the determined, the first of the sales.
Bank holiday rules at the weekend
When 26 December lands on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute bank holiday is given on the next weekday. If Christmas Day also falls at the weekend, both holidays move, so you can end up with days off on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. Boxing Day has been a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 1871, and in Scotland since 1974. In the Republic of Ireland the same day is a public holiday known as St Stephen’s Day.
Where does the name come from?
Nobody knows for certain, and it has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. The most widely accepted explanation is the ‘Christmas box’, a gift of money or goods given to servants, tradespeople and apprentices in thanks for their work through the year. Household staff who worked on Christmas Day were often given the following day off to visit their families. Another theory points to church alms boxes, opened after Christmas so the money could be shared among the poor.
The custom lives on in the Christmas tip: plenty of people still give a little extra to their postie, bin collectors or cleaner in the run-up to the holidays.
Sport, sales and the great outdoors
- Football: a full programme of Premier League and EFL fixtures, often including local derbies, is a Boxing Day staple.
- Racing: the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park is one of the highlights of the jump-racing calendar.
- Hunts: traditional meets still gather in many villages, now as trail hunts since hunting wild mammals with dogs was banned in Great Britain.
- Sea dips: charity swims take place around the coast, many of them in fancy dress.
- Abroad: the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race are fixtures of the Australian summer.
Making the most of Boxing Day
- Check shop opening times in advance; many open early, while some stay shut to give staff a rest.
- Note prices before Christmas so you can spot genuine reductions in the sales.
- Plan your journey, as public transport often runs a reduced service.
- Turn the leftovers into a feast: turkey sandwiches, bubble and squeak or a turkey curry.
- Get outside for a winter walk while the days are at their shortest.
Counting down with the family? Share this timer, or embed it on a club or community page. Related countdowns on Tempoo include Christmas Day, the winter solstice and New Year’s Eve.