Social Media Assistant
Journal

A UK small-business social calendar for 2027

The dates that change how your customers shop, eat, book and pay, with a post idea for each and the claim most likely to trip you up. Every date is linked to its source.

Checked against the official pages on 4 November 2026. Bank holidays differ by nation, so check yours.

How to use it

Not every date is for you. the rule in Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is a good filter: only join a moment if it fits your brand and you have something to add. A plumber does not need a Pancake Day post. A café might.

Dates also work as reminders. The book Contagious calls these triggers: things in the world that bring you to mind. A bank holiday weekend is a trigger for "is the shop open?", so answer it before people ask.

January to March

  • Friday 1 January: New Year's Day, a bank holiday in every UK nation. Scotland also has Monday 4 January, the substitute day for 2 January.1 Post: your opening hours for the week. Watch: hours must be right, and a "new year sale" needs real "was" prices.7
  • Sunday 31 January: the deadline for online Self Assessment returns and payment for the 2025 to 2026 tax year.2 Post (accountants and bookkeepers): a short "what you need to file" list in December and early January. Watch: general reminders, not personal tax advice, and no promised refunds.
  • Sunday 7 March: Mothering Sunday. It is the fourth Sunday of Lent,3 which falls three weeks before Easter Day. Easter Day 2027 is Sunday 28 March, between Good Friday and Easter Monday.1 Post: order-by dates for florists, bakers and restaurants. Watch: "last few tables" must be true.
  • Wednesday 17 March: St Patrick's Day, a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.1
  • Friday 26 March and Monday 29 March: Good Friday everywhere, Easter Monday everywhere except Scotland.1 Post: Easter opening hours, by nation if you trade across borders.
  • Sunday 28 March: the clocks go forward one hour at 1am.4 Post: lighter evenings suit trades booking garden and outdoor work. Check scheduled posts still go out at the time you meant.

April to June

  • Tuesday 6 April: the new tax year starts. The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April.2 Post (accountants): one useful change for the year, with a link to the GOV.UK page.
  • Monday 3 May and Monday 31 May: the early May and spring bank holidays, in every nation.1 Post: hours, plus a weekend offer if you have one. Watch: say when the offer ends.8
  • School half-terms: dates are set locally. GOV.UK points you to your council's term dates.5 Post: family offers and holiday-club places. Check your own council, not a national list.

July to September

  • Monday 12 July: Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day), a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.1
  • Monday 2 August: the summer bank holiday in Scotland.1
  • Monday 30 August: the summer bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.1 Post: the last long weekend before autumn; good for "book before the rush" from trades and salons. Watch: only say slots are filling if they are.
  • Back to school: again, dates vary by council.5 Uniform, shoes, haircuts, tutoring and breakfast clubs all have a moment here.

October to December

  • Fireworks season: registered sellers can sell fireworks to the public from 15 October to 10 November and from 26 to 31 December. Fireworks must not be set off between 11pm and 7am, except on Bonfire Night (midnight) and New Year's Eve (1am).6 Post (pubs, venues, pet businesses): event times and pet-calming tips. Watch: a retailer's post must match the legal sale dates.
  • Sunday 31 October: the clocks go back one hour at 2am.4 Post: darker evenings suit security lighting, heating checks and indoor offers. Check your scheduled times again.
  • Tuesday 30 November: St Andrew's Day, a bank holiday in Scotland.1
  • Saturday 4 December: Small Business Saturday. The organisers hold it on the first Saturday in December,9 which in 2027 is 4 December; they usually confirm the date nearer the time. Post: a local-love post naming a neighbouring business, asking nothing back. Watch: do not suggest you are an official partner unless you are.10
  • Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December: the substitute bank holidays for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, in every nation.1 Post: festive opening hours, posted early and pinned. Watch: a Christmas giveaway needs its closing date and how to claim in the post itself.11

One habit for the whole year

Put this calendar next to your own: stock deliveries, the quiet weeks, the jobs you want more of. Then plan a month at a time, and write the hours and dates posts first, because they are the ones customers act on.

Social Media Assistant, which Keepwright is building, checks each post before it reaches you, and reads it back after it posts to confirm it went out as approved. It is being tested on Keepwright's own social media first and is not open to other businesses yet.

Sources

  1. GOV.UK, UK bank holidays: gov.uk/bank-holidays
  2. GOV.UK, Self Assessment tax returns: deadlines: gov.uk
  3. Church of England, Mothering Sunday, what are its origins in the Church?: churchofengland.org
  4. GOV.UK, When do the clocks change?: gov.uk/when-do-the-clocks-change
  5. GOV.UK, School term and holiday dates: gov.uk/school-term-holiday-dates
  6. GOV.UK, Fireworks: the law: gov.uk/fireworks-the-law
  7. ASA, Prices overview: asa.org.uk
  8. ASA, Small business hub (closing dates): asa.org.uk/sme
  9. Small Business Saturday UK: smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com
  10. ASA, Testimonials and endorsements (implied approval or membership): asa.org.uk
  11. ASA ruling on Blenheim Sales & Lettings Ltd (giveaway terms): asa.org.uk
  12. Method: Gary Vaynerchuk, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook; Jonah Berger, Contagious (books).