Bank holiday
A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies, and a colloquial term for a public holiday in Republic of Ireland which is not in the UK or a Crown dependency.. In the United Kingdom, the term refers to all public holidays, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation, or held by convention under common law.[1][2] In Ireland, there are some bank holidays which are not public holidays.[3]
The term "bank holiday" refers to the fact that banking institutions typically close for business on such holidays, as they once used to do on certain saint's days.[4]
List of current holidays
[edit]| Date | Name | England and Wales[5] (8) |
Scotland[5] (9) | Northern Ireland[6](10) |
Republic of Ireland[7] (10) |
Isle of Man[8] (10) |
Jersey and Guernsey (9) |
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| 1 January | New Year's Day |  |
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| 2 January[note 1] | 2 January | |
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| First Monday in February, or 1 February if the date falls on a Friday | Imbolc / Saint Brigid's Day | |
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| The Friday before Easter Sunday | Good Friday | |
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| The Monday after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday | |
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| First Monday in May[note 2][note 3] | Early May bank holiday | |
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| 9 May | Liberation Day |
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| Last Monday in May[note 4] | Spring Bank Holiday / Late May Bank Holiday | |
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| First Monday in June | June Bank Holiday | |
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| First Friday in June | Senior Race Day | |
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| 5 July[note 1] | Tynwald Day | |
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| 12 July[note 1] | The Twelfth (Battle of the Boyne) | |
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| First Monday in August | Summer Bank Holiday (August Bank Holiday) | |
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| Last Monday in August | August Bank Holiday | |
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| Last Monday in October | October Bank Holiday | |
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| 30 November[note 1] | St Andrew's Day | |
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| 25 December[note 5] | Christmas Day | |
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| 26 December[note 5][note 6] | Boxing Day / St Stephen's Day | |
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Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d When the stated date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is normally designated a bank holiday instead. When Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on a Saturday (and thus 26 December and 2 January on a Sunday), the following Tuesday 28 December (and Tuesday 4 January in Scotland) are also bank holidays.
- ^ In 1995 this holiday was moved to Monday 8 May and in 2020 to Friday 8 May – to commemorate the 50th and 75th anniversary of VE Day.
- ^ In 2011 an additional public holiday was declared to ensure that most people would have a chance to celebrate the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, making a four-day weekend as May Day was on the following Monday.[9]
- ^ In 2002, 2012, and 2022 this holiday was moved to early June to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Golden, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilees. All three were paired with a second extra holiday to create a four-day weekend.
- ^ a b When Christmas Day falls on a Saturday (and thus 26 December on a Sunday), and when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday (and thus 26 December on a Monday), the Monday following Christmas Day is designated a bank holiday by the 1971 Act.
- ^ When Christmas Day falls on a Saturday (and thus 26 December on a Sunday), the following Tuesday 28 December is also normally designated a bank holiday by proclamation. See e.g. "No. 63425". The London Gazette. 23 July 2021. p. 13140. When Christmas Day falls on a Sunday (and thus 26 December on a Monday), the following Tuesday 27 December is designated a bank holiday by the 1971 Act.
See also
[edit]- List of holidays by country
- Federal holiday, US equivalent
- Bank Holidays Act 1871
- Proposed St David's Day bank holiday
References
[edit]- ^ Pyper, Doug (18 December 2015). "Briefing paper - Bank and public holidays" (PDF). House of Commons Library.
- ^ "UK bank holidays". gov.uk. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ Ryan-Christensen, Aoife (2 February 2024). "All you need to know about bank holidays in Ireland". RTÉ.ie.
- ^ "bank holiday". Britannica. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ a b Bank holidays and British Summer Time, Directgov, archived from the original on 13 May 2012, retrieved 15 April 2012
- ^ Bank holidays, NIDirect, 6 April 2012, retrieved 15 April 2012
- ^ Public holidays, Citizens Information Board, 20 January 2020
- ^ "Bank Holidays". Government of the Isle of Man. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Royal Wedding: Prince William and Kate set date". BBC. 23 November 2010. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
External links
[edit]- UK bank holidays
- Scotland Bank Holidays - Scottish Government
- Text of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
- Public holidays (Ireland)
- Bank holidays (Ireland)
- (National) bank holidays (Ireland)
