Edinburgh school holidays 2026/27
Read from Edinburgh council's own term-dates page, last on 3 October 2026. The source is here, so you can check every date below against it. They cover the 124 schools in Edinburgh, though academies and independent schools can set their own; the finder on the home page shows what we hold for a particular school.
How Edinburgh differs
- The October half term in Edinburgh starts 14 days earlier and runs 1 day longer than in most of England.
- The Christmas holiday in Edinburgh runs 2 days longer than in most of England.
- The Easter holiday in Edinburgh starts 8 days later than in most of England.
- The Summer holiday in Edinburgh starts 22 days earlier and runs 6 days longer than in most of England.
That matters for flights: a break that starts a day earlier or runs a week longer puts different days on the table, and the day you leave is often worth hundreds.
The dates
| Holiday | First day off | Last day off | Can fly | Versus most of England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October half term | Sat 10 Oct | Mon 19 Oct | Sat 10 Oct – Mon 19 Oct | 14d earlier, 1d longer |
| Christmas holidays | Sat 19 Dec | Tue 5 Jan | Sat 19 Dec – Tue 5 Jan | 2d longer |
| February half term | Sat 13 Feb | Sun 21 Feb | Sat 13 Feb – Sun 21 Feb | Same |
| Easter holidays | Sat 3 Apr | Mon 19 Apr | Sat 3 Apr – Mon 19 Apr | 8d later |
| Summer holidays | Wed 30 Jun | Sun 15 Aug | Wed 30 Jun – Sun 15 Aug | 22d earlier, 6d longer |
Edinburgh publishes 5 of the six breaks on its page; the rest of the year follows the national pattern until the council publishes it.
“Can fly” adds the weekend either side where nobody is in school. The weekday and the Sunday are usually the cheapest days of the break to leave on.
Flights for these dates
Families in Edinburgh mostly fly from Edinburgh, Ingliston, Edinburgh (6 miles), Glasgow (47 miles), Glasgow Prestwick, Prestwick, South Ayrshire (61 miles) and Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear (87 miles). We price the same trip across every day of each break above, from each of them, to hundreds of places families actually book, and email you when a fare is worth a look.
Find your school and see the prices
Schools in Edinburgh
124 schools use these dates unless they set their own, including Dean Park Primary School in Balerno, Abbeyhill Primary School in Edinburgh, Dalmeny Primary School in South Queensferry. Type any of them into the finder for its own calendar.