Christmas 2026 falls kindly. Christmas Day is a Friday, and so is New Year’s Day. Book three days of leave and, in Australia and the UK, you get ten days off in a row.
Australia: book 29, 30 and 31 December
- Friday 25 December — Christmas Day.
- Saturday 26 December — Boxing Day.
- Monday 28 December — an extra public holiday, because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday.
- Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 December — your three days of leave.
- Friday 1 January — New Year’s Day. Back at work on Monday 4 January.
That is ten days, from Friday 25 December to Sunday 3 January. These dates are confirmed for NSW and Victoria. Other states set their own lists, so check yours.
UK: the same three days
England, Wales and Scotland also move Boxing Day to Monday 28 December, according to GOV.UK. Book 29 to 31 December for the same ten days. In Scotland, Monday 4 January is a bank holiday too, so you get eleven.
US: four days, not three
The US has no Boxing Day. The federal holidays are Friday 25 December and Friday 1 January, according to the US Office of Personnel Management. Book Monday 28 to Thursday 31 December for the same ten days.
What to do with ten days
Ten days is enough for one country, done properly: a safari and a beach, or a city and a slow coast. Our African adventure guide sets out six trips and when to go. What to know before Kenya covers the practical side.
Or try a winter Christmas. In Busan, South Korea, Haeundae Beach put up a Christmas tree and a giant New Year sign by the sand in 2023. We were there on Christmas morning.
Book your rooms early. Small hotels have few rooms, and festive dates can go first.
Your employer’s leave rules still apply. The holiday dates here come from official government lists, checked in October 2026.
Come along: watch it on Afrofeast TikTok, plan the trip with Amen Travel, and read more at afrofeast.travel.
