Public Holidays in the UK

List of Public Holidays in the UK

National Holidays in Britain

Notting Hill Carnival, London, England, UK. — Notting Hill Carnival, London

Public holidays or national holidays are often called bank holidays in the UK. Bank holidays vary slightly between England and Scotland.

Many businesses, banks and non-essential services close on bank holidays, though not all shops. Most restaurants and pubs stay open. Public transport runs as per a weekend.

When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, the holiday is normally observed on the following Monday, creating a "long weekend."

Public holidays and festivals in the UK — Public holidays & festivals in the UK

• New Year's Day 1 January
• Good Friday varies
• Easter Monday varies
• May Day Bank Holiday 1st Monday in May
• Spring Bank Holiday Last Monday in May
• Summer Bank Holiday Last Monday in August
• Christmas Day 25 December
• Boxing Day 26 December

The website www.gov.uk/bank-holidays has a list of past and future bank holidays and their dates.

*Northern Ireland observes St. Patrick's Day on 17 March and Orangeman's Day on 12 July.

*In Scotland 2 January is a public holiday along with St. Andrew's Day on 30 November. Various towns and cities throughout Scotland also have special public holidays.

Festivals in the UK

The major festivals in the UK include:

• St. Valentine's Day 14 February
• Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day in late February/early March
• St. David's Day (the patron saint of Wales) 1 March
• Mother's Day March or April
• April Fool's Day 1 April
• St. George's Day (the patron saint of England) 23 April
• May Day 1 May
• Father's Day 3rd Sunday of June
• Midsummer's Day 24 June
• St. Swithun's Day 15 July
• Autumnal equinox 22 or 23 September
• Trafalgar Day 21 October
• Halloween 31 October
• All Saints' Day 1 November
• All Souls' Day 2 November
• Guy Fawkes' Night (Bonfire Night) 5 November
• Armistice Day 11 November
• St. Andrew's Day (the patron saint of Scotland) 30 November
• Winter Solstice 21 December