Boxing Day

Content Guide

• When is Boxing Day
• What is Boxing Day
• When do Boxing Day sales start
• How long do Boxing Day sales last
• When do Boxing Day sales end
• Boxing Day sales online

When is Boxing Day?

Boxing Day always falls on 26 December, the day right after Christmas Day, whatever day of the week that happens to be. 

Is Boxing Day a Bank Holiday?

Yes. Boxing Day is a Bank Holiday across the UK. When 26 December falls on a weekend, the Bank Holiday is moved to the next available weekday, so shops, banks and most workplaces close on the substitute date rather than the calendar date itself.

The Bank Holiday attached to it, however, always lands on a weekday. When 26 December falls on a weekend, the Bank Holiday moves to the following Monday, or Tuesday if the Monday is already taken by Christmas Day's own substitute holiday.

What day is Boxing Day this year?

In 2026, since Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the Bank Holiday is observed on Monday 28 December instead.

In 2027, with 26 December on a Sunday, the substitute Bank Holiday falls on Tuesday 28 December.

From 2028 onwards, Boxing Day lands on a weekday, so the Bank Holiday matches the calendar date itself.

What is Boxing Day?

The name is thought to come from the tradition of giving boxes of gifts, money or leftover food to servants, tradespeople and those in need, a custom that dates back centuries in Britain.

These days, Boxing Day is best known for two things: sport, with football fixtures and horse racing dominating the calendar, and shopping. What started as in-store queues outside department stores has become one of the busiest online shopping days of the year, second only to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend a month earlier.

When do Boxing Day sales start?

Boxing Day sales often begin before Boxing Day itself. Many retailers quietly drop prices from the evening of Christmas Eve, and some go live as early as Christmas Day, so shopping in the morning of 26 December already means missing the very first price cuts.

Online Boxing Day offers in particular tend to start earlier than in-store ones, since there's no need to wait for shops to reopen.

How long do Boxing Day sales last?

Most Boxing Day deals run for at least a week, and several stretch through the whole of late December and into January.

Prices aren't always fixed for the full period either: some retailers lower prices further as stock levels drop, which means checking back a few days later can sometimes turn up a better deal than the one available on the day itself.

When do Boxing Day sales end?

There's no single end date. Fashion and homeware retailers often let their sales run until stock clears, sometimes into the second or third week of January, while tech deals tend to wrap up sooner, usually before the new year, ready to make way for January sales events.

What shops are doing Boxing Day sales online?

Tech is where the biggest volume of deals shows up every year. Phone contracts and SIM-only plans see some of the sharpest price drops, and the Currys Boxing Day sale is usually the first place to check for laptops, TVs and headphones, often with a healthy percentage knocked off across the board. Samsung tends to discount phones and tablets directly too.

Boots also runs a solid sale of its own, with discounts spread across fragrance, skincare and baby ranges.

Fashion retailers use Boxing Day to clear winter stock. The JD Boxing Day sale tends to focus on trainers and sportswear, while the M&S Boxing Day sale spans clothing, beauty and home ranges all at once. Discounts here tend to deepen as the sale goes on, so prices in the second week are often better than on the day itself.

Home and furniture deals are less flashy but often the biggest in cash terms: mattress brands and Dunelm regularly discount larger items that rarely go on sale outside Black Friday and Boxing Day. Boxing Day LEGO deals are also worth watching, alongside gaming consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PS5, which see some of their only markdowns of the year.