When Are the Christmas Ski Holidays in 2026?

How Christmas 2026 falls in the week

Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday. OVO Network notes that Saturday is changeover day for most properties, so the calendar gives two festive weeks, and Boxing Day is itself a changeover day.

Date	Day	What it means
18 December 2026	Friday	Last day of term for most UK state schools
19 December	Saturday	Changeover: start of Christmas week
24 December	Thursday	Christmas Eve, day 6 of the week
25 December	Friday	Christmas Day
26 December	Saturday	Boxing Day and changeover: start of New Year week
31 December	Thursday	New Year's Eve
2 January 2027	Saturday	Changeover: end of New Year week
4 January 2027	Monday	Most schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland back

UK school Christmas holidays for 2026/27

There is no single national date. GOV.UK sends parents to their local council, and the council dates usually cover maintained or community schools only. Brent and Bexley both say so on their pages, so academies, free schools and independent schools may differ. These are the dates we read on official pages.

Area	Last day of term	Back at school
Brent (community schools)	Friday 18 December	Monday 4 January
Bexley (maintained schools)	Holiday from Monday 21 December	Monday 4 January
Surrey (community and voluntary controlled)	Friday 18 December	Monday 4 January
Torbay	Friday 18 December	Monday 4 January
Wakefield	Holiday from Monday 21 December	Monday 4 January
Wales, 21 of 22 authorities	Friday 18 December	Monday 4 January
Powys	Tuesday 22 December	Monday 4 January
City of Edinburgh	Friday 18 December	Wednesday 6 January
Highland	Tuesday 22 December	Wednesday 6 January
Northern Ireland (Department of Education)	Holiday 21 December–1 January	Schools may set their own dates

Across these areas, the last day of term falls between Friday 18 and Tuesday 22 December, and children go back between Monday 4 and Wednesday 6 January. Check your own school's dates before you book, as some schools add training days either side.

French schools break up on the same weekend

France's Education Ministry calendar gives all three school zones the same Christmas holiday, from Saturday 19 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027. Expect French families in the French resorts in both festive weeks.

Which departures fit the school holiday

Saturday 19 December

This is Christmas week. It fits each English, Welsh and Northern Irish area in the table above, and Edinburgh. Children in Highland and Powys schools would miss Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December.

Sunday 20 December

Some operators fly on Sundays. Skiworld says it will offer only Sunday-to-Sunday flights for Christmas 2026, from 20 to 27 December, so that guests avoid travelling on Boxing Day. That still takes Highland and Powys children out of school for two days.

Saturday 26 December

This is New Year week, from Boxing Day to Saturday 2 January. It fits each set of dates we checked, including the Scottish councils that return on 6 January. You are at home for Christmas Day and in the mountains for New Year's Eve.

Which week to choose

Christmas week from 19 to 26 December

You wake up in the mountains on Christmas morning, and in a catered chalet someone else cooks Christmas dinner; Ski Beat's Christmas prices, for example, include a Christmas Day meal. The trade-off is that most resort Christmas markets have closed by then; our Christmas markets guide lists which stay open. In February 2026 Ski Beat reported strong demand for both the 19 and 26 December departures. OVO Network said Christmas 2026 bookings were level with 2025, and that demand had been softened a little because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday.

New Year week from 26 December to 2 January

New Year is usually the dearest week of the winter. When we compared week-by-week prices at one UK chalet operator in September 2026, New Year was 38% to 43% dearer than Christmas week in the same chalets (see how much a Christmas ski holiday costs). OVO Network said New Year 2026/27 had been the most searched date on its website since the start of 2026.

The week before Christmas

The same chalets can cost a good deal less a week earlier. In November 2024, Ski Beat priced Chalet Sorbier in La Plagne at £936 per person from 14 December and £1,366 from 21 December, and Chalet Cristal in Val d'Isère at £1,043 against £1,691, both catered with flights and transfers. For most families this week falls in term time. If you are free to go, see skiing in early December.

Snow in Christmas week

Christmas is early in the Alpine season, so height matters. Our Christmas Snow Report reads the snow depth on Christmas morning at weather stations serving 38 resorts since 1996. On the slopes, 89% of Christmases from 1996 to 2010 had at least 30cm of snow on the ground, against 85% from 2011 onwards. In villages below 1,400m the change is larger: a white Christmas came on 79% of Christmases in the first period and 57% since. The worst year in the record was 2015. The Christmas Snow Score ranks each resort on the same measurements.

Booking Christmas 2026 from here

Skiworld recommends booking Christmas between May and September, so by late September much of the choice has gone, though not all of it. easyJet put its flights for 19 October 2026 to 31 January 2027 on sale on 9 December 2025, and MoneySavingExpert noted that prices tend to go up quickly after a launch. Our guide to when to book a Christmas ski chalet covers the order to book in, and last-minute Christmas ski holidays covers what to do if you are booking late. To start with the chalets themselves, browse our Christmas ski chalets or family Christmas chalets.

Sources

• Brent Council — Brent community schools: autumn term ends Fri 18 Dec 2026; Christmas holiday 21 Dec 2026–1 Jan 2027; spring term from Mon 4 Jan 2027; dates for community schools only
• London Borough of Bexley — Bexley maintained schools: Christmas holiday Mon 21 Dec 2026–Fri 1 Jan 2027; back Mon 4 Jan 2027
• Surrey County Council — Surrey community and voluntary controlled schools: autumn term ends 18 Dec 2026; spring term starts 4 Jan 2027
• Torbay Council — Torbay: autumn term ends Fri 18 Dec; Christmas break from Mon 21 Dec 2026; spring term starts Mon 4 Jan
• Wakefield Council — Wakefield: holiday starts Mon 21 Dec 2026; back to school Mon 4 Jan 2027
• Welsh Government — Approved 2026/27 term dates for all 22 Welsh authorities: autumn term ends Fri 18 Dec, spring term starts Mon 4 Jan; Powys autumn term ends Tue 22 Dec
• City of Edinburgh Council — Edinburgh: term ends Fri 18 Dec 2026; holiday 21 Dec 2026–5 Jan 2027; spring term starts Wed 6 Jan 2027
• Highland Council — Highland: last day Tue 22 Dec 2026; holiday Wed 23 Dec–Tue 5 Jan; return Wed 6 Jan 2027
• Department of Education (Northern Ireland) — NI Christmas holiday 21 Dec 2026–1 Jan 2027; schools can operate these dates at their own discretion
• GOV.UK — Term dates vary across the UK; parents directed to their local council's website
• L'Etudiant — French school Christmas holidays for all zones: Sat 19 Dec 2026 to Mon 4 Jan 2027, from the Education Ministry's official calendar
• Skiworld — Skiworld offers only Sunday-to-Sunday flights (20–27 Dec) for Christmas 2026, to avoid the Boxing Day rush; recommends booking Christmas between May and September
• InTheSnow — 13 Feb 2026: Ski Beat strong demand for 19 and 26 Dec departures; OVO Network Christmas 2026 bookings level with 2025, calendar less attractive, Boxing Day a Saturday changeover; New Year 26/27 most searched date on OVO
• InTheSnow — 21 Nov 2024: Ski Beat Chalet Sorbier, La Plagne £936pp from 14 Dec vs £1,366pp from 21 Dec; Chalet Cristal, Val d'Isère £1,043pp vs £1,691pp; catered, with flights and transfers
• MoneySavingExpert — easyJet flights for 19 Oct 2026–31 Jan 2027 on sale 9 Dec 2025; prices tend to go up quickly after launch
• Chalet for Christmas — Christmas Snow Report: slopes stations 89% of Christmases with 30cm+ in 1996–2010 vs 85% from 2011; low villages white Christmas 79% vs 57%; worst Christmas 2015
• Chalet for Christmas — Measured Le Ski prices on 21 Sep 2026: New Year 38–43% dearer than Christmas; week before Christmas about a third cheaper