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British Bank Holidays
 

Bank holiday dates 2009 - 2011

What are Public Holidays? | What are Bank Holidays?

The 1971 Act - four holidays | Bank Holidays today

Are shops open on bank holidays?

Do workers automatically get a day off on Bank Holidays?

What happens when bank holidays fall on a weekend?

What are public holidays?

Generally, public holidays include bank holidays, holidays by Royal Proclamation and 'common law holidays'. Banks are not allowed to operate on bank holidays. When public holidays in the Christmas and New Year period fall on Saturdays and Sundays, alternative week days are declared public holidays.

What are 'bank' holidays?

British bank holidays are Public Holidays and have been recognized since 1871. The name Bank Holiday comes from the time when banks were shut and so no trading could take place.

Bank holidays Today

There is currently a total of 8 permanent bank and public holidays in England, Wales and Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland. These include Christmas Day and Good Friday, which in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are common law' holidays (they are not specified by law as bank holidays but have become customary holidays because of common observance).

Follow this link to see a list of bank holidays today in each country in the UK

The 1971 Act - four holidays

The 1871 Act designated four holidays in England, Wales and Ireland (then wholly part of the UK), and five in Scotland.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

  • Easter Monday,
  • The first Monday in August (later changed to the last Monday),
  • Boxing Day (26th December),
  • Whit Monday

Scotland

  • New Year's Day
  • Good Friday
  • The first Monday in May
  • The first Monday in August
  • Christmas Day

1903

St Patrick's Day (17 March) became a bank holiday for Ireland only.

1971
Whit Monday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (which could fall anywhere between 11 May and 14 June) was formally replaced by a fixed spring holiday on the last Monday in May. The last Monday in August was formally made a bank holiday in place of the first Monday in August in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1973
2 January became an additional bank holiday in Scotland

1974
New Year's Day became an additional bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Boxing Day became an additional bank holiday in Scotland.

1978
The first Monday in May in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the last Monday in May in Scotland, became additional bank holidays.

Are shops open on bank holidays?

Even though banks are still closed on these days many shops today now remain open. Shops, museums and other public attractions, such as historic houses and sports centres, may close on certain public holidays, particularly Christmas Day.

Majority of shops and attractions are closed on Christmas Day

Traditionally many businesses close on Bank Holidays to enable the workers to have a holiday. This time is often spent with the family on mini breaks and outings. Because of this, anyone who works on Bank Holidays usually gets paid extra - "time-and-a-half" or even "double time," negotiated for them by the Trades Unions.

See shops opening times on a bank holiday

Do workers automatically get a day off on Bank Holidays?

Workers do not have a statutory right to paid leave on bank and public holidays. If paid leave is given on a bank or public holiday, this may count towards the statutory requirement for 24 days holiday.

What happens when bank holidays fall on a weekend?

There are holidays in lieu of those public holidays which fall at weekends.

Special Days and Festivals in England (with dates). Find out how the British celebrate traditional and religious holidays.


Bank Holidays in England and Wales

Bank holiday dates 2010 - 2011

In England and Wales there are six bank holidays and two common law holidays.

Bank Holidays:

  • New Year's Day,
  • Easter Monday
  • May Day (not necessarily 1 May),
  • Spring Holiday at the end of May
  • Late Summer Holiday at the end of August, and
  • Boxing Day (26 December or the Monday nearest)

*Common Law Holidays (Public holidays)

* In England, Wales & Ireland, both Christmas Day and Good Friday were traditional 'days of rest' and Christian worship .. as were Sundays, and did not need to be included in the 1871 Act .. unlike for Scotland

 

Bank Holidays in Scotland

Scotland has nine public holidays:

  • New Year's Day (or in lieu of 1 Jan, if a Saturday or Sunday)
  • 2 January (or in lieu of 2 Jan, if a Saturday or Sunday)
  • Good Friday
  • Early May Bank Holiday - May Day (not necessarily 1 May),
  • Spring Holiday at the end of May
  • Late Summer Holiday at the beginning of August
  • St Andrew's Day* (or in lieu of 30 Nov, if a Saturday or Sunday)
  • Boxing Day (or in lieu of 26 Dec, if a Sunday)

*In January 2007, the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act was given royal assent, making 30 November (or the nearest Monday if a weekend) a bank holiday in Scotland.

Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has seven bank holidays, one public holiday and two common law holidays:

  • New Year's Day
  • St Patrick's Day (17 March),
  • Good Friday
  • Easter Monday
  • Early May Bank Holiday May Day (not necessarily 1 May),
  • Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May
  • Late Summer Holiday at the end of August

There are also two common law holidays on

  • Good Friday
  • Christmas Day

A public holiday on the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne (12 July).

In 1903, the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act added 17 March, Saint Patrick's Day, as a bank holiday for Ireland only.

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