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Boxing Day is December 26 — the day after Christmas Day, observed as a public holiday in the UK and most Commonwealth countries. It coincides with the Christian Feast of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
When does Boxing Day fall?
Boxing Day is a fixed-date holiday on December 26 every year, the day after Christmas. It is also the feast day of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr in the Western Christian liturgical calendar — the name used officially in Ireland, Italy (Santo Stefano), Catalonia, and parts of Germany.
When December 26 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the statutory public holiday is substituted to the next available weekday:
- If December 25 is Saturday and December 26 is Sunday: Boxing Day public holiday moves to Tuesday December 28 (because Monday December 27 becomes the Christmas substitute).
- If December 26 is Saturday: Boxing Day public holiday moves to Monday December 28.
- If December 26 is Sunday: Boxing Day public holiday moves to Tuesday December 28 (because Monday becomes the Christmas substitute).
The UK rules are set under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 and confirmed annually on gov.uk/bank-holidays.
Upcoming Boxing Day dates
| Year | Date | Day of week | UK substitute |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | December 26, 2026 | Saturday | Monday Dec 28 |
| 2027 | December 26, 2027 | Sunday | Tuesday Dec 28 |
| 2028 | December 26, 2028 | Tuesday | None |
| 2029 | December 26, 2029 | Wednesday | None |
| 2030 | December 26, 2030 | Thursday | None |
Where the name “Boxing Day” comes from
Two historical practices contributed to the name:
- The Christmas box — a small gift or tip given to servants, postmen, tradesmen and apprentices by their employers or customers on the first weekday after Christmas. Servants who had worked Christmas Day for their masters would be granted the next day off and sent home with their box of leftover food, money, and small presents. Documented in English usage from at least the 17th century (Samuel Pepys uses the phrase in his diary, December 19, 1663).
- The alms box — the church poor box, traditionally opened on December 26 (the Feast of St Stephen, patron of deacons and almoners) to distribute the year’s collected donations to the poor. A medieval English and Continental practice.
The earliest recorded uses of “Boxing Day” in print date from the 1830s, by which point the practices had merged in common usage. Charles Dickens helped fix the modern image of the day in The Pickwick Papers (1837) and the broader A Christmas Carol tradition.
How Boxing Day is observed
- Sport — the English football leagues have run Boxing Day fixtures continuously since 1890. The Boxing Day Test (cricket) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has been held in its modern form since 1980, drawing crowds over 90,000. The King George VI Chase at Kempton Park is the second-most-prestigious British steeplechase. The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race starts on Boxing Day.
- Sales — major UK retail sales day, though somewhat eclipsed in recent years by US-style Black Friday promotions imported to the UK from 2014 onward.
- Hunting and walking — the Boxing Day hunt (mounted fox hunting, since the 2004 Hunting Act formally trail-hunting) remains a fixture of rural England. The Wren’s Day tradition in Ireland (St Stephen’s Day) involves processions in costume.
- Pantomime and theatre — British pantomimes traditionally open on Boxing Day, with extended Christmas-season runs.
- South Africa: Day of Goodwill — the name December 26 has carried since 1994, replacing the older “Boxing Day” designation.
Sources & references
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Boxing Day
- UK Government — Bank Holidays — statutory substitution rules.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — St Stephen’s Day
FAQs
Two leading theories. The most widely cited is the tradition of giving servants and tradespeople a “Christmas box” (a small gift or sum of money) on the first weekday after Christmas, when they had worked through Christmas Day and finally had the next day off — documented in England from at least the 17th century. The alternative theory ties the name to parish alms boxes opened on December 26 to distribute charity to the poor, a practice documented from medieval times. The two practices overlapped in usage.
The date is always December 26, but the public holiday substitutes when needed. In the UK and most Commonwealth countries, when December 25 falls on a Sunday and December 26 on a Monday, the Boxing Day bank holiday is moved to Tuesday December 27 (because Monday becomes the Christmas substitute). When December 26 falls on a Saturday, the bank holiday becomes the following Monday. The actual feast day — St Stephen’s Day — is always December 26.
Same date, different framing. December 26 is the feast of St Stephen the Protomartyr in the Western Christian calendar — the first Christian martyr, stoned to death around 34 AD. The day is referenced in the carol “Good King Wenceslas” (“on the Feast of Stephen”). It is the official name of the holiday in Ireland, Italy (Santo Stefano), Catalonia and parts of Germany. The secular British name “Boxing Day” is the one used in the UK and most Commonwealth countries.
Boxing Day is a statutory public holiday in the United Kingdom, Ireland (as St Stephen’s Day), Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa (as the Day of Goodwill), Hong Kong, Trinidad and Tobago, and many other former British territories. It is not a federal holiday in the United States, although a handful of state employees observe it locally. Most European countries also observe December 26 as a second Christmas holiday.
Sporting fixtures on December 26 are a Commonwealth tradition. The English Premier League and English Football League have run Boxing Day fixtures continuously since 1890 (with WWII interruptions). The Boxing Day Test — the Test cricket match starting December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground — has been held in its current form since 1980 and regularly draws crowds over 90,000. The King George VI Chase at Kempton Park (English horse racing) and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race both start on Boxing Day.
Boxing Day sales emerged in the UK in the early 20th century as retailers cleared seasonal stock. They became major commercial events from the 1980s. With the rise of US-style Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) in the 2010s, Boxing Day’s commercial importance has declined slightly — many UK retailers now run promotional sales from late November through January. Online retailers in particular have shifted heavy discounting earlier in the season.