Aberdeenshire Council will not take World Cup bank holiday

Aberdeenshire Council will not be taking the proposed World Cup bank holiday in June – it’s to be a normal day of work across all council services.

The decision follows discussions between officers and senior councillors around the Scottish Government's proposal to recognise Monday, June 15 as an additional public holiday to mark Scotland's participation in the men's football World Cup finals. 

This is a similar position to the majority of other local authorities across Scotland, with many citing similar financial and operational pressures.

The council felt it would create significant interruption and closure of all its services for the day – with associated disruption to communities – and an unfunded financial cost estimated to be at least £222,000 which the council would have to fund. 

This decision does not in any way reflect a lack of enthusiasm for the tournament. As an organisation, Aberdeenshire Council deeply values the role sport plays in our communities and it shares the enormous pride felt across the country in seeing Scotland on the world stage. 

It recognises that there may well be many people across the region who want to watch the matches and celebrate Scotland's success. 

To that end, Aberdeenshire Licensing Board has approved a temporary, blanket extension for licensed premises to screen 2026 World Cup matches, allowing pubs to stay open late for home nation games and key tournament fixtures. Venues can operate into the early hours for matches, which were previously constrained by normal licensing hours, ensuring they can stay open for 30 minutes after the final whistle.

We hope this approach strikes the right balance between maintaining vital local services while still giving communities the opportunity to come together and enjoy what promises to be an exciting tournament.