Plan the Year · Family Days Out Across Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland School Holidays
The dates for 2026/27 and what to do with each of them. Northern Ireland's school year is not the same as the rest of the UK's — this page is the NI one.
Northern Ireland's school year is genuinely different from England, Scotland and Wales — a much longer summer, a two-day Halloween break instead of a week, and St Patrick's Day off. Here are the real dates, and what to do with each one.
Do not use a UK-wide holiday list for Northern Ireland. The big GB family sites publish English half-term dates, and they are wrong here. Our autumn break is two days, not a week. We get St Patrick's Day. We do not get a week-long May half-term. Booking a trip off an English calendar is how families end up with the wrong week.
The summer is the big one — eight to nine weeks. From the start of July to the very end of August. That is far longer than England's six, and it is the single biggest planning job of the parenting year. Pace it: one bigger day out a week and a lot of free local ones beats trying to make every day special.
Individual schools shift dates by a day or two. The Education Authority sets these centrally, which makes NI more consistent than most regions, but schools add their own staff training days. Always check your own school calendar before booking anything non-refundable.
Book the popular things the moment the holiday is announced, not the week before. Santa slots, Halloween farm events and summer activity camps in Northern Ireland sell out weeks ahead — the good weekend slots go within days of release.
The two-day breaks are for local days out, not trips. Two days at Halloween and two in February are not enough for anything ambitious. That is what the free lists are for — a park, a forest, a beach, a museum, and home.
1
Summer break — the eight-week one
Early July to the end of August · the longest school holiday in the UK
Northern Ireland breaks up at the start of July and does not go back until the very end of August — roughly nine weeks, against six in England. It is wonderful and it is long, and the mistake everyone makes is spending heavily in the first fortnight. The pattern that works: one paid day out a week, and fill the rest with beaches, forest parks, play parks and the free council events that run all summer. Our free list alone would cover most of it without spending anything.
8 – 9 weeksPace the budgetThe single biggest planning job of the year
This is the one that catches people out. England takes a full week at the end of October; Northern Ireland closes for two days, on 29 and 30 October 2026, which with the weekend either side gives a four-day stretch. That is why every farm, zoo and estate in the country crams its Halloween programme into the same few days and why they all sell out. Book the pumpkin patch and the Halloween trail in early October, not in the week itself.
2 days plus the weekendBook weeks aheadNI does NOT get a week-long October half-term
21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 · about twelve days
The first half plans itself — markets, grottos, light trails, the switch-on. The hard part every year is the stretch between Christmas and New Year, when the children are climbing the walls, half the attractions are shut and the weather is against you. That is when the free outdoor lists earn their keep: a forest park, a beach walk, a light trail that is still running. Check opening hours before you drive anywhere in that week, because a lot of places close from Christmas Eve to the 27th or later.
~12 daysPlenty of free optionsThe 27th to the 31st is the hard bit
Two days in the middle of February, and realistically an indoor job. The days are short, the weather is poor and nobody wants a long drive. This is soft play, swimming, the science centre, a museum, the cinema, bowling — or Marble Arch Caves in Fermanagh, which is entirely underground and completely weatherproof. Because it is only two days it is also the cheapest break of the year to get right — pick two good indoor things rather than trying to fill a week.
2 days plus the weekendIndoor seasonShort, dark and usually wet — plan indoors
Schools in Northern Ireland close for St Patrick's Day, which is one of the clearest differences from the rest of the UK — in England, Scotland and Wales 17 March is an ordinary school day. Here it is a day off with parades, family events and free entertainment in most of the bigger towns, and Downpatrick in particular makes a proper occasion of it given St Patrick is buried there.
1 dayMostly freeA school holiday here, unlike the rest of the UK
Late March to early April · 25 March – 2 April 2027
Nine days at the turn of spring, and the point in the year when the outdoor places come back to life. Nearly every National Trust property and country estate runs an Easter trail for children, the gardens are coming into blossom — Rowallane and Mount Stewart in particular — and the days are finally long enough for a proper outing. It is also the first break of the year where a beach day is a realistic idea — cold, but realistic.
~9 daysTrails often included in entrySpring gardens are at their best
Another real difference from England. Northern Ireland does not take a week-long May half-term — schools close for the two bank holiday Mondays and that is it. So May gives you two three-day weekends rather than a full week off, which changes what is worth planning: a long day out or an overnight, not a holiday. The weather in late May is often the best of the whole year here.
1 day eachLong weekend ratesNo week-long May half-term in NI
Around 12 July · the traditional builders' holiday
Not a school holiday as such, because schools are already off, but it changes everything about a day out in Northern Ireland so it is worth planning around. Many businesses close for the traditional July fortnight, some town centres are quiet and roads are affected around the Twelfth itself. The coast and the country parks get busy. If you want the north coast at its calmest, go the week before or the week after.
Roughly two weeksPeak seasonNot a school holiday — schools are already off
When are the school holidays in Northern Ireland 2026/27?
Summer runs to the end of August 2026. The Halloween break is 29 to 30 October 2026, Christmas is 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027, February mid-term is 11 to 12 February 2027, St Patrick's Day on 17 March is a holiday, and Easter is 25 March to 2 April 2027. Individual schools vary by a day or two for staff training days.
Does Northern Ireland have a week-long October half-term?
No. Northern Ireland closes for two days at the end of October — 29 and 30 October in 2026 — rather than the full week that English schools take. With the weekend either side that gives a four-day stretch, which is why Halloween events here are compressed into a few very busy days.
How long is the summer holiday in Northern Ireland?
About eight to nine weeks, from the start of July to the end of August. It is the longest school summer holiday in the UK — English schools typically get six weeks.
Is St Patrick's Day a school holiday in Northern Ireland?
Yes. Schools in Northern Ireland close on 17 March, which is different from England, Scotland and Wales where it is an ordinary school day.
Does Northern Ireland get a May half-term?
Not a week-long one. Schools close for the two May bank holiday Mondays, giving two three-day weekends rather than a full week off as English schools get in late May.
Why are UK school holiday dates different in Northern Ireland?
The Education Authority sets Northern Ireland's dates centrally and separately from the rest of the UK, which makes them more consistent across NI schools but different from English, Scottish and Welsh calendars. Always use a Northern Ireland calendar rather than a UK-wide one.
Which break are you planning?
Pick your holiday in one line
Facing the long summer? One paid day out a week, and fill the rest from the free list — beaches, forests, play parks and council events.
Two-day break at Halloween or in February? Keep it local. Two good days beats a wasted drive.
Christmas? The first week plans itself. Save your ideas for the 27th to the 31st, which is the stretch that always catches people out.
Easter or May? The gardens and estates are at their best, and the trails are usually included in normal entry.
Keep exploring
For what is actually on right now, see what's on this weekend in Northern Ireland — it rebuilds every hour. About 2,000 family days out across NI are on our free map, with full guides and what's on near you.
