Spring Bank Holiday in the UK Date in the current year: May 25, 2026

Historically, Good Friday and Christmas Day were common law holidays in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Although there wasn’t a law regarding it, people were not expected to work on these days. The first bank holidays in the United Kingdom were established by the Bank Holidays Act 1871, which was introduced by Liberal politician John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury.

The act designated five bank holidays in Scotland and four in the rest of the country. In England, Wales, and Ireland, the designated bank holidays were Easter Monday, Whit Monday, the first Monday in August, and Boxing Day (December 26, moved to December 27 if Boxing Day fell on a Sunday). Scottish bank holidays included New Year’s Day (or January 2 if New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday), Good Friday, the first Monday in May, the first Monday in August, and Christmas Day.

Good Friday and Christmas Day were not included in the list for England, Wales, and Ireland because they were already recognized as common law holidays, but they were specifically mentioned in the list for Scotland because they were not traditionally observed as days of rest there. Some people were so grateful for the law that gave them more rest days that they referred to the new holidays as “St. Lubbock’s Days”.

In 1965, Whit Monday, celebrated the day after Pentecost and fifty days after Easter, was replaced by the Spring Bank Holiday, celebrated on the last Monday in May, on a trial basis. Six years later, this change was formalized by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act of 1971. In 1978, the last Monday in May became a bank holiday in Scotland.

Although the Spring Bank Holiday is usually celebrated on the last Monday in May, it has been moved to early June several times. This occurred in 2002, 2012, and 2022, to create long weekends during Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Since the Spring Bank Holiday has lost its original religious significance, most people now view it as an extra day off for short trips, family gatherings, or relaxation. A number of festivals, fairs, and other events are held in the UK on or around the Spring Bank Holiday. One of these is the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake near Gloucester, where participants chase wheels of cheese rolling down a slope in a fun race.

While the term “bank holidays” originally referred to days when banks were closed, today, not only banks, but also government offices, schools, and many businesses are normally closed on the Spring Bank Holiday. Public transportation may run on a Sunday schedule with reduced service, and shops, restaurants, pubs, and tourist attractions remain open but may have shorter or altered hours.