2028 calendar

2028 is a leap year of 366 days and it opens awkwardly. New Year's Day falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 3 January, and Scotland's 2 January, a Sunday, moves to Tuesday 4 January. The self-assessment deadline on 31 January is a Monday. February then carries the extra day, and 29 February 2028 is Shrove Tuesday, which puts Pancake Day on the leap day — an alignment that will not repeat this century.

March delivers a second coincidence. Mothering Sunday falls on 26 March, the same Sunday the clocks go forward, so mothers across the country are woken an hour early by the calendar rather than by the children. St Patrick's Day on 17 March gives Northern Ireland a Friday off and a long weekend with it. Easter is late — Good Friday on 14 April, Easter Monday on 17 April — so the tax year turns over on 6 April well clear of the holiday.

The early May bank holiday falls on 1 May, the earliest date it can take, with the spring holiday on 29 May and half term around it. Scotland's summer holiday is 7 August and the late summer holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 28 August. The solstice on 21 June is a Wednesday and Father's Day the 18th. Results days arrive in the middle of August as ever, a fortnight before most schools south of the border go back.

The final quarter runs cleanly. The clocks go back on 29 October, Halloween is a Tuesday, and Bonfire Night falls on a Sunday, which for once puts the organised displays on the date itself. Armistice Day on 11 November is a Saturday and Remembrance Sunday follows immediately on the 12th, so the silence is kept on consecutive days. Christmas Day is a Monday and Boxing Day a Tuesday, giving a four-day break with no substitute days required anywhere.