UK restaurant marketing calendar 2026–2027
Updated 20 October 2026
These are the dates UK restaurants, pubs, cafés and takeaways trade on from November 2026 to December 2027, each with the day to open bookings or pre-orders. Bank holidays differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so the table says which nations each date applies to. Every date was checked against GOV.UK's bank holiday list or the body that sets it, on 20 October 2026. For the global and US dates (Thanksgiving, Diwali, Ramadan), see the restaurant marketing calendar.
The UK calendar at a glance
| Date | Occasion | Where | Open bookings or pre-orders by | Plan it with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 5 Nov 2026 | Bonfire Night | UK | 29 Oct | A takeaway offer for the evening; fireworks nights are early |
| Fri 27 Nov 2026 | Black Friday | UK | 20 Nov | A date-limited discount code |
| Mon 30 Nov 2026 | St Andrew's Day (bank holiday) | Scotland | 9 Nov | A Scottish set menu |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | UK | Early Oct (parties), mid-Nov (collection orders) | Christmas menu templates, Christmas pre-orders |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (substitute bank holiday) | UK | 30 Nov | Opening hours and a closed sign |
| Thu 31 Dec 2026 | New Year's Eve, Hogmanay | UK | Mid-Nov | New Year's Eve menu templates |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day (bank holiday) | UK | 1 Dec | Breakfast menu templates |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | 2 January (substitute bank holiday) | Scotland | 1 Dec | — |
| All of January 2027 | Dry January, Veganuary | UK | 14 Dec | Alcohol-free drinks and vegan dishes on the menu |
| Mon 25 Jan 2027 | Burns Night | Scotland, and Scots everywhere | 28 Dec | A Burns Supper set menu: haggis, neeps and tatties |
| Sat 6 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year | UK | 9 Jan | Chinese New Year menus |
| Tue 9 Feb 2027 | Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) | UK | 26 Jan | A pancake menu for the day |
| Sun 14 Feb 2027 | Valentine's Day | UK | 10 Jan | Valentine's Day menus |
| Mon 1 Mar 2027 | St David's Day | Wales | 15 Feb | A Welsh dish of the day |
| Sun 7 Mar 2027 | Mothering Sunday | UK | 1 Feb | Mother's Day menus |
| Wed 17 Mar 2027 | St Patrick's Day (bank holiday in Northern Ireland) | UK | 1 Mar | Pub menu templates |
| Fri 26 – Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday | Good Friday all UK; Easter Monday England, Wales and Northern Ireland | 1 Mar | Easter menu templates |
| Fri 23 Apr 2027 | St George's Day | England | 9 Apr | A pub menu special |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Early May bank holiday | UK | 19 Apr | A long-weekend offer |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Spring bank holiday | UK | 17 May | Opening hours and a barbecue menu |
| Fri 4 Jun 2027 (expected) | National Fish & Chip Day | UK | 21 May | Online ordering for chip shops |
| Sun 20 Jun 2027 | Father's Day | UK | 23 May | A weekend-limited discount code |
| Mon 12 Jul 2027 | Battle of the Boyne (bank holiday) | Northern Ireland | 28 Jun | Opening hours |
| Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday | Scotland | 19 Jul | — |
| Mon 30 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday | England, Wales and Northern Ireland | 16 Aug | A late-summer offer |
| Sun 31 Oct 2027 | Halloween | UK | 17 Oct | A themed dessert or kids' offer |
| Fri 5 Nov 2027 | Bonfire Night | UK | 29 Oct | A takeaway offer for the evening |
| Fri 26 Nov 2027 | Black Friday | UK | 19 Nov | A date-limited discount code |
| Tue 30 Nov 2027 | St Andrew's Day (bank holiday) | Scotland | 9 Nov | A Scottish set menu |
| Sat 25 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day; bank holidays on Mon 27 and Tue 28 Dec | UK | Early Oct (parties), mid-Nov (collection) | Christmas menu templates |
| Fri 31 Dec 2027 | New Year's Eve, Hogmanay | UK | Mid-Nov | New Year's Eve menu templates |
"Open by" is a planning suggestion, not a rule. Christmas 2027 falls on a Saturday, so the Christmas Day and Boxing Day bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December in every UK nation. National Fish & Chip Day is held on the first Friday in June; its organiser, NEODA, hadn't announced the 2027 date when we checked.
How far ahead to open, by type of order
| What you sell | Open it | Close it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party and group bookings | 8–12 weeks before | 7 days before, with final numbers and pre-orders | Christmas parties, Hogmanay |
| Set menus with table booking | 4–6 weeks before | When the sittings are full | Mothering Sunday, Valentine's Day, Easter Sunday |
| Collection pre-orders for a meal | 3–4 weeks before | 2–5 days before | Christmas Eve collection, Burns Supper boxes |
| One-day menus | 2 weeks before | The day itself | Pancake Day, St David's Day, St George's Day |
| Month-long changes | 2–3 weeks before the month | End of the month | Dry January drinks list, Veganuary dishes |
| Bank holiday hours | 2 weeks before | — | Easter Monday, the August bank holiday |
A worked plan: Mothering Sunday, 7 March 2027
Mothering Sunday is the UK's own Mother's Day, three weeks before Easter Sunday, and two months before the US date (9 May 2027). A pub with 60 covers and two sittings plans back from the day:
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| Mon 1 Feb | Set menu online with table booking: sittings at 12:30 and 15:00, set party sizes. |
| Mon 8 Feb | Pop-up banner on your menu: "Mothering Sunday: book your table". |
| Sun 14 Feb | Offer message to customers who opted in to marketing (see the rules below). |
| Mon 1 Mar | Collection pre-orders open for afternoon tea boxes, with 3 days' notice. |
| Thu 4 Mar | Last day for afternoon tea box pre-orders. |
| Sun 7 Mar | The day. Switch the set menu off afterwards and note what sold out. |
The same plan works for any row: pick the date, then count back the lead time for what you sell.
How to run each date in Menuthere
- Put the seasonal menu online. Add the dishes, or upload a photo or PDF of your printed menu and check what the import reads. Make a print-ready version with the free menu templates.
- Take table bookings (Lite). Guests choose a date, a sitting and the number of people from your menu.
- Take pre-orders for a date and time (Lite). Turn on prebooking, choose the dates, the slots and how many days' notice each dish needs. See pre-orders and table booking.
- Show dishes only on the day. A Pancake Day menu or a Burns Night supper can be set to appear only on its date and hours.
- Run an offer (Lite). Discount codes can be limited to dates and days of the week, with a minimum order and a use limit; they can't be limited to a time of day.
- Tell customers. A pop-up banner on your menu (Lite) can run between two dates. On Pro you can send a WhatsApp broadcast from your own number to customers who opted in; Meta charges about £0.0458 per marketing message to a UK number, billed to your own account.
Plans are billed in US dollars: Free US$0, Lite US$17, Pro US$39 a month. Lite and Pro have a 7-day free trial; a card is needed to start, and nothing is charged until it ends. See pricing.
UK rules for seasonal offers
- Marketing messages need consent. Under PECR, marketing emails and texts to individuals need their consent, unless they're existing customers who bought something similar and were given a way to opt out. Treat WhatsApp offers the same way; read can a UK restaurant send WhatsApp offers under PECR?
- Show the full price. Prices must include VAT, and a compulsory service charge belongs in the price shown. A discretionary service charge must be optional and goes to staff under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023.
- Bank holiday surcharges. A compulsory surcharge has to be included in the prices you show (Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, section 230), so it's simpler to change the prices for the day.
Free tools for each date
- Holiday order form: a printable pre-order form for Christmas, Easter or a Burns Supper.
- Festival offer poster maker: a poster for your window or social media.
- Holiday hours and closed sign: bank holiday opening hours for the door.
- More ideas: restaurant marketing ideas for the UK and Christmas marketing ideas.
Put your next seasonal menu online with 0% commission.
FAQs
When is Pancake Day in 2027?
Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, is on Tuesday 9 February 2027, 47 days before Easter Sunday (28 March 2027).
When is Mothering Sunday in 2027?
Mothering Sunday is on Sunday 7 March 2027 in the UK, three weeks before Easter Sunday. Open table bookings around 1 February.
What are the UK bank holidays in 2027?
In England and Wales: 1 January, Good Friday 26 March, Easter Monday 29 March, 3 May, 31 May, 30 August, and 27 and 28 December. Scotland adds 4 January and 30 November, has 2 August instead of 30 August, and has no Easter Monday. Northern Ireland adds 17 March and 12 July.
When is Burns Night 2027?
Burns Night is on Monday 25 January 2027, Robert Burns's birthday. It isn't a bank holiday, but Burns Suppers are a busy night for Scottish pubs and restaurants.
Why do the Christmas bank holidays move in 2027?
Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday and Boxing Day a Sunday, so the bank holidays are on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December across the UK.
When should a UK restaurant open Christmas bookings?
Open party and group bookings in early October, 8 to 12 weeks ahead, and collection pre-orders around mid-November.
Sources (9)
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays (JSON feed; England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, 2026–2027): gov.uk/bank-holidays.json and gov.uk/bank-holidays (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- VisitScotland, Robert Burns ("Each year on 25 January, Scots celebrate the life and legacy of Scotland's National Bard Robert Burns, typically marking the occasion with a Burns Supper"): visitscotland.com/about/famous-scots/robert-burns/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- GovHK, General holidays for 2027 (Lunar New Year's Day, Saturday 6 February 2027): gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/2027.htm (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- UK Parliament, Frequently asked questions: The Gunpowder Plot (5 November commemoration): parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-commons-faqs/gunpowder-plot/ (found 20 Oct 2026; page body blocked automated reading)
- NEODA, National Fish and Chip Day ("this year will take place on 5 June 2026"; first Friday in June): neoda.org.uk/national-fish-and-chip-day/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Alcohol Change UK, The Dry January challenge: alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/dry-january (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Veganuary ("Sign up to try vegan this January"): veganuary.com (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, section 230 (mandatory charges in the headline price): legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2024/13/section/230 (as cited on the live /en/online-ordering-system/uk page, read 11 Oct 2026)
- Derived dates (rules, recomputed 20 Oct 2026): Easter Sunday 28 Mar 2027 (Good Friday + 2 days, GOV.UK); Shrove Tuesday = Easter − 47 days = 9 Feb 2027; Mothering Sunday = Easter − 21 days = 7 Mar 2027; Father's Day = third Sunday of June = 20 Jun 2027; Black Friday = day after US Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday of November) = 27 Nov 2026 and 26 Nov 2027; St David's (1 Mar), St George's (23 Apr), Valentine's (14 Feb), Halloween (31 Oct), Bonfire Night (5 Nov) are fixed dates.