2026 in Scotland

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See also:	List of years in Scotland Timeline of Scottish history 2026 in: The UK • England • Wales • Elsewhere Scottish football: 2025–26 2026 in Scottish television

Events from the year 2026 in Scotland.

Events

January

• 1 January –
  • Major reforms to Scotland's justice system, including scrapping the not proven verdict, come into force. ^[1]
  • The Met Office issues an amber weather warning for heavy snow in parts of northern Scotland for Friday 2 January and Saturday 3 January. ^[2]
• 2 January – Heavy snow causes disruption, including train cancellations to and from Thurso. ^[3]
• 4 January – A new amber weather alert for heavy snow comes into force for northern Scotland, starting at 6pm and lasting until 10am on Monday 5 January. A number of schools in Aberdeenshire, Shetland and Orkney due to return from the Christmas holiday postpone their reopening, while schools in Aberdeen are scheduled to have a late start. ^[4]
• 5 January – First Minister John Swinney proposes 15 June 2026 as a national bank holiday to coincide with Scotland's first World Cup match since 1998, which will occur on 14 June when they play Haiti. ^[5]

Predicted and scheduled

• 6 January – Scheduled launch date of STV Radio, with Ewen Cameron and Cat Harvey presenting the weekday breakfast show. ^{[6] [7]}
• 13 January – Resident doctors are scheduled to begin a four day strike in an ongoing dispute over pay. ^[8]
• No later than 7 May – 2026 Scottish Parliament election ^[9]
• 23 July to 2 August – 2026 Commonwealth Games ^{[10] [11]}

References

1. "Not proven verdict to be scrapped in new trials from 1 January". BBC News. BBC. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
2. McCool, Mary (1 January 2026). "Snow alerts upgraded to amber as Scots warned of blizzard conditions". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
3. McCool, Mary (2 January 2026). "Trains cancelled and roads treacherous as heavy snow hits Scotland". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
4. "Schools to stay shut as new amber snow alerts issued". BBC News. BBC. 4 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
5. "Public holiday to celebrate Scotland's World Cup return". BBC News. BBC. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
6. Martin, Roy (18 December 2025). "STV Radio confirms January launch and schedule". Radio Today. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
7. Jackson, Lucy (23 December 2025). "'We are angry': STV staff to go on strike in New Year over cuts and job losses". The National . Retrieved 1 January 2026.
8. Summers, Lisa; Lyst, Catherine (19 December 2025). "Resident doctors in Scotland to go on strike for first time". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
9. "Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020". www.legislation.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
10. Brooks, Libby (17 September 2024). "Glasgow to host 2026 Commonwealth Games after rescue deal agreed". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
11. "Scotland agrees to host Commonwealth Games in 2026, after Bangkok bid withdrawal". BBC News . 17 July 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2023.